AFGHANISTAN: Global Open Day: Afghan Women Concerned about Security and Justice

Afghan women peace activists marked the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 by coming together to discuss and agree on a range of key issues for women and peace in Afghanistan. The women presented their strategic priorities to Staffan de Mistura, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, in a meeting in Kabul on 12 June, organized by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in cooperation with UNIFEM, on the occasion of the Global Open Day for Women and Peace.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General listened to the women's proposals in the field of security, conflict-resolution and peacebuilding, justice and accountability, provision of basic services, and sexual violence. “The answer to this conflict is dialogue — dialogue with certain very firm lines. And one line is the Constitution — inside the Constitution there is enough space to protect the gains made by women,” Mr. de Mistura advised.

The women's key priorities and messages included that women should be recognized as the main victims of the conflict in Afghanistan; security sector reform should lead to more women being recruited into the armed forces and the police; the international community should be consistent in supporting women's increased participation in peace and security processes; a national body should be created to plan and take forward the implementation and monitoring of the Action Plan on resolution 1325; girls' education should be improved and efforts made to raise awareness on its importance.

Regarding justice and accountability, the women called on the Government to implement international conventions on women's rights that Afghanistan has acceded to, and repeal national laws that contradict these conventions. They stressed that women's rights should not be negotiable in the peace process. The women further highlighted the problem of sexual violence related to the conflict, and the lack of adequate support to victims and their families. They called on the Government to take serious measures to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

For more information

Please click here or contact Ali Hassan Fahimi, Women, Peace & Governance Unit, UNIFEM Afghanistan Country Programme, hassan.fahimi[at]unifem.org.