Women’s Exclusion Stands in the Way of Lasting Peace in Afghanistan, Activists Tell UN
Participants at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly said a decline in armed violence in Afghanistan alone does not amount to peace, and that lasting peace cannot be discussed as long as women remain excluded from education, politics and public life. They stressed that Afghanistan’s future cannot be decided without women’s presence and 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 was the consequences of excluding women from public life and the disregard for Afghan society in talks related to the country.
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Iceland’s former prime minister, described the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan as one of the world’s most severe gender crises. She warned that normalising this situation would not be limited to Afghanistan and could be part of a broader global rollback of women’s rights.
Participants concluded by stressing that peace in Afghanistan cannot be measured solely 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.
