AN OPEN LETTER TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Subject: Urging Afghan Women’s Inclusion in Doha III
We, the undersigned participants in the 2024 Global Women Leaders Summit, call for Afghan women’s active and direct inclusion in the upcoming third UN-convened meeting of Special Envoys and the Special Representative on Afghanistan, taking place from June 30–July 1, 2024, in Doha, Qatar. The international community’s exclusion of Afghan women is outrageous; it will marginalize their voices and undermine their rights.
Afghan women’s exclusion is inconsistent with the UN Charter, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and nine subsequent, related resolutions, and conventions including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Furthermore, it contradicts the international community’s stance on Afghan women’s rights, and undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the Doha gathering.
We agree that it is urgent to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people. We support efforts by the UN and other international organizations to distribute humanitarian aid. That said, the status and rights of women are fundamentally relevant to all discussions. We must not open a pathway for the Taliban to gain broader legitimacy, including for its oppressive treatment of women. Allowing the Taliban to dictate the terms of the Doha dialogue legitimizes their draconian abuses, which amount to gender apartheid.
This is a decisive moment for the international community to demonstrate unwavering commitment to Afghan women and girls by insisting that Afghan women be at the table.
Sincerely,
Shaharzad Akbar, Executive Director of Rawadari and Former Chairperson, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister, New Zealand
Hillary Clinton, 67th United States Secretary of State
Patricia Espinosa, Former Executive Secretary, UNFCCC and Former Foreign Minister of Mexico
María Fernanda Espinosa, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly
Julia Gillard, Former Prime Minister, Australia
Dalia Grybauskaité, Former President, Lithuania
Carla Koppell, Vice Dean, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister, Finland
Monica McWilliams, Former Member of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly
Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President, the Republic of Kosovo
Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
