In the lead-up to the 28 January London Conference on Afghanistan hosted by the UK Government, Afghan women human rights defenders today released strong, specific recommendations on security, development and governance priorities for their country.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, good afternoon, everyone. I think we have just wrapped up a very productive conference and we have seen the results of cooperation in the international community on a number of very important issues. I want to thank Prime Minister Brown and Foreign Secretary Miliband, the Government of Afghanistan, and the United Nations for bringing us all together and sponsoring this important meeting.

Selay Ghaffar is part of the unofficial Afghan delegation, the official version of which is entirely male dominated.

A civil society activist for the Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan, she managed to attend the London conference with her colleagues by applying for media accreditation.

In May 2005 I was elected to be the first woman to join the Sinjel Municipality in the Ramallah district. At that time a new law had been passed which set a minimum quota for women's representation in local councils. The assumption underpinning the law was that women should take part in decision-making processes.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke briefly yesterday about the need for Afghan women and girls to be involved in the transition of security to the Afghan military. Clinton made these remarks at an international conference yesterday in London on the subject of Afghan security.

At an international conference in London last week, seventy countries pledged to back Afghan President Hamid Karzai's plan to negotiate and reconcile with some Taliban.

A few major themes emerged from the Afghan conference today in London. One is that it's time to talk to the Taliban. Another is that the Afghan security forces need further empowerment both for future peace and stability, a process that must be Afghan-led in its entirety.

Behind the rhetoric, the fancy words and high-profile delegates, here's the reality.

At last week's London Conference on Afghanistan, the first in a series of summits led by Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghan women were left out in the cold. Only four men thought it important enough to attend the “Women's Priorities” panel, an event assembled by Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), and billed as the primary Afghan women's event outside the summit itself.