UN Activists Say Excluding Women Is a Barrier to Lasting Peace in Afghanistan
Participants in a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly said that a reduction in armed violence in Afghanistan does not, on its own, mean peace, and that as long as women are excluded from education, politics and public life, it is impossible to speak of lasting peace. They stressed that Afghanistan’s future cannot be decided without women and without the participation of Afghan society itself.
The meeting, titled “Women, Peace, Justice and National Reconciliation in Afghanistan,” was held on Monday on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The main focus of the speakers’ remarks was the consequences of excluding women from public life and the neglect of Afghan society in discussions related to the country.
Katrin Jakobsdottir, Iceland’s former prime minister, described the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan as one of the most severe gender crises in the world. She warned that normalising this situation would not remain limited to Afghanistan and could become part of a broader global trend of backsliding on women’s rights.
In their concluding remarks, participants in the meeting stressed that peace in Afghanistan cannot be measured only by a reduction in war. The UN General Assembly is held annually in New York, and its side meetings are usually devoted to examining international crises and the views of institutions and activists on issues facing different countries.
