These were just some of the chilling observations and testimonies of Afghan women, along with supporters from around the world, who gathered at UN headquarters on Monday to discuss inclusion and the rights of women in the future.
“Now more than ever, it is important to engage women meaningfully in all matters affecting Afghanistan’s future.“, said former Afghan diplomat Asila Wardak of the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan.
She stressed that the future of the country “cannot be built on the exclusion of half the population”, saying that “Women must be part of the solution, not be pushed aside..”
UN expresses solidarity
The meeting was organised by Ireland, Indonesia, Switzerland and Qatar, in partnership with the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, which ensures that Afghan women are included in all international dialogue and decision-making on the future of their country.
It came on the eve of the annual debate in the General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres took time out of his busy schedule to highlight international solidarity with Afghan women.
“We will continue to amplify the voices of Afghan women and call on them to play a full role in the life of the country, both within its borders and on the world stage,” He said.
Mr Guterres promised that the UN “will never allow gender discrimination to become normalized anywhere in the world“What is happening in Afghanistan can be compared to some of the most egregious systems of oppression in recent history,” he added.
Invisible women
Since coming to power in August 2021, the Taliban have been undermining the rights of women and girls.
The de facto Authorities have issued more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees, including restricting girls’ access to primary education, banning them from most professions and banning women from using parks, gyms and other public places.
“We meet in dangerous times and it is heartbreaking to be a woman, and never more so than now in Afghanistan,” said Margot Wallström, former Swedish foreign minister and chair of the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, who acted as moderator.
“The latest Taliban edict seeks to silence women, including singing, and make them invisible. Not here at the UN. Today, we raise their voices and concerns.”
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American actress and activist Meryl Streep takes part in a meeting on the inclusion of women in Afghanistan’s future at the UN headquarters in New York.
A Cautionary Tale for the World: Meryl Streep
Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep presented a short version of the documentary “The Sharp Edge of Peace,” which follows the only woman on the Afghan government team during negotiations with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, in 2020.
She recalled that Afghan women won the right to vote in 1919, long before their peers in her home country, the United States.
“The way this culture, this society, has been turned upside down is a cautionary tale for the rest of the world,” said Ms. Streep, who noted that even animals in the Afghan capital, Kabul, have more freedom than women and girls there.
“A cat can sit on her stoop and feel the sun on her face. She can chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban..
“A bird can sing in Kabul, but a girl cannot, and a woman cannot sing in public. This is extraordinary. This is a suppression of the law of nature. This is strange,” she noted.
During a panel discussion about the film, Ms. Wallström asked what more the international community can do for the women of Afghanistan.
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Fawzia Koofi, former deputy speaker of the Afghan National Assembly, takes part in a high-level meeting on ways to involve women in Afghanistan’s future.
Maintain and unite
Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan’s former Minister of Women’s Affairs, urged the international community to “please apply” UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), which affirms the role of women in peace and security efforts and supports UN goals Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), among other recommendations.
Meanwhile, former deputy speaker of the Afghan parliament, Fawzia Koofi, delivered a message to the women of Afghanistan.It’s a fight. We will win it.” she said, receiving applause.
Ms Koofi called for the UN Security Council to “unite around the issue of Afghanistan” and urge countries to “put aside their political differences, because what happens in Afghanistan could have security implications, and perhaps human rights implications, in their own capitals.”
‘Engagement is key’: UN political chief
The UN’s head of political affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, provided an overview of the organization’s long-standing engagement in Afghanistan, including a Security Council-backed initiative known as the Doha process.
It requires a step-by-step approach, where the de facto authorities, for example by requiring them to make governance more inclusive and respect the rights of women and girls. In return, the international community would gradually ease restrictions and provide development support.
Ms DiCarlo said the situation has been further complicated by the Taliban’s new morality law.
“We had member states that were willing to participate, willing to continue with a step-by-step project. However, I think we now risk ending this process,” she warned.
“At this point, those who participated in our process want to continue, but they really expect the Taliban to participate in good faith, and they must start complying with their international obligations.”
She stressed that “engagement is key” and emphasised that “we must not abandon Afghan women and men.”