We welcome the initiative of the Bonn meeting this week as a positive move towards a broad-based representative government in Afghanistan. The recent United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security reaffirmed the importance of the equal participation of women in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. We would like to stress the importance of this commitment and to encourage the central inclusion of gender concerns and the perspectives of women in such meetings. Women represent 60% of the population of Afghanistan. In the 1980’s, women represented 70% of the teachers, 40% of the doctors, 15% of the legislature and 50% of the government workers. Experienced and highly capable women are available to work for the disarmament of their country and the formation of a democratic government.
Despite
the extreme oppression in recent years, Afghan women have helped to sustain
their community by providing essential health care, education, relief and other
humanitarian services in Afghanistan and neighboring states.
By unanimously adopting Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the
Security Council stressed in no uncertain terms: "the importance of (women's) equal participation and full involvement in
all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the
need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention
and resolution."
The
Resolution also: "urges Member
States to ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making
levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for
the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict." It calls on
all actors involved, when negotiating and implementing peace agreements to:
"adopt a gender perspective,
including, inter alia: a) The special needs of women and girls during
repatriation and resettlement and for rehabilitation, reintegration and
post-conflict reconstruction; and b) Measures that support local women's peace
initiatives and indigenous processes for conflict resolution, and that involve
women in all implementation mechanisms of the peace agreements."
There is a broad and global constituency of concerned organizations and individuals committed to the implementation of 1325. Positive steps have been made to integrate gender perspectives in peace building processes. Precedence for the involvement of women at all stages in the prevention and resolution of conflict have been established, and include examples such as Northern Ireland, Somalia and Burundi.
Afghan women leaders have spoken passionately of the need for wide regional representation. Last week, in Kabul, women demonstrated for the protection of human rights, demanding peace for the country, access to education and involvement in decision-making processes. It is important that any transition or future government in Afghanistan includes the perspectives of those who have shown their commitment and contribution to building sustainable peace but who have been previously marginalised, moving beyond the perspectives of those responsible for perpetuating the conflict and violence.
Today
the situation in Afghanistan presents both a challenge and an opportunity, both
in terms of women’s protection and their participation in conflict prevention,
resolution and peace building processes.
In the past, Afghanistan has not been given enough attention from the
international community, resulting in unrepresentative extremist groups
asserting power over the larger diverse population and causing immense human
suffering. This is the moment for the international community to take its stand
on behalf of peace, democracy, human rights and the full participation of women
at every level of decision making and negotiations towards that end.