Spain to Host Madrid Summit Supporting Afghan Women’s Organizations and Activists

Spain’s representative to the United Nations Security Council has announced a summit to be held in Madrid on November 23, aimed at bringing together Afghan women’s organizations and activists to support their efforts in fighting institutionalized gender apartheid in Afghanistan. During a Security Council session on women, peace, and security, the representative emphasized that protecting women’s rights and achieving gender equality must be a priority for international efforts towards sustainable peace. She stated that women’s participation in peace negotiations should not be merely symbolic; they must play an active role in setting priorities and making decisions during these talks. The Spanish representative also warned that women-led organizations in Afghanistan face threats and harassment, and the global community needs to provide political and financial support to these organizations and protect women activists. This summit is being organized under the initiative “Hear Our Voice,” which aims to provide a platform to support Afghan women activists combating systemic gender discrimination. She added that Spain’s third national action plan for implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security renews the country’s commitment to women’s participation in peace processes and updates its operational tools to address the challenges posed by digital transformation. Since the Taliban took power, Afghan women and girls have been denied education beyond the sixth grade and access to higher education, with extensive restrictions imposed on their employment, movement, and public presence. These restrictions have been recognized by women activists and human rights organizations as gender apartheid, calling for its recognition as an independent crime under international law and for holding the Taliban administration accountable.