In the post-Taliban era, women of Afghanistan have seen increased standards of living and equality, yet the gains are typically uneven and tenuous. Given its history of patriarchal rule, the country still has a long way to go, but progress continues. Women leaders in the new Afghan government enable much of this progress. These women are key to implementing the National Unity Government’s reform agenda, and they provide critical expert analysis and implementation on a range of issues facing Afghanistan.
The Foreign Policy program at Brookings, in collaboration with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security and the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, hosted a discussion centered around the new generation of women leaders of Afghanistan, featuring several members a visiting delegation of the current Afghan government. Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon moderated the conversation.