Bonn Conference
Women for Women International are calling on the international community to ensure that Afghan women participate as equals at the upcoming Bonn Conference where the future of their country will be discussed. And the British public are strongly behind our demands.
Women for Women International believe that the international community must ensure that Afghan women participate as equals at the upcoming Bonn Conference where the future of Afghanistan will be discussed. And the British public are strongly behind our demands.
In this week's YouGov survey of 1741 people:
- Almost 75 percent of respondents - men and women equally - believe that women's rights should not be sacrificed in efforts to secure peace in Afghanistan through negotiations with the Taliban.
- The survival of democracy after the withdrawal of the troops comes at the top of the priorities' list, selected by 60 percent of the population, while a majority of Brits also believe that there would be a greater chance of peace if women were more involved in the political process and decision-making.
Laurence Janta-Lipinski, Senior Political Researcher with YouGov commented “These results show that the British Public strongly believe that women’s rights should be upheld in Afghanistan and no sacrifice should be made in efforts to secure peace.” View the detailed survey results.
Women for Women International believe that foreign ministers at the Bonn conference must:
- Use their influence to ensure women have an effective voice and role in all levels of the peace process: at the national, provincial and district levels.
- Work with the Afghan government to ensure that all the human rights in the constitution are upheld in any peace settlement. These include women's right to an education and the right to participate in political life with a guaranteed 30% female quota in parliament.
- Increase support to development programmes that promote women's rights and wellbeing in political, social and economic spheres.
Women for Women International's Afghanistan Director Sweeta Noori has said:
“Women cannot be used as pawns in the ongoing peace negotiations with the Taliban. Lasting peace, democracy and prosperity can never be achieved unless enjoyed by all members of the society equally.
Some significant progress has been made with women's education and the right to vote. However, I am deeply concerned by the increased violence against women, both in and out of home, committed by those who cannot acknowledge women as equals.
Women for Women International and our coalition partners are urging the Western governments to keep their promise to prioritize women's rights at all times, especially at the Bonn Conference.
We, Afghan women are not passive victims, but advocates of change. We need support for our ongoing struggle for basic human rights. Otherwise all the good that has been achieved, and all the lives that have been lost in the conflict, will be in vain.”
The Conference will focus on three main issues:
- The transition of security forces as the international military begins to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014
- Potential negotiations to seek a peace agreement with the Taliban
- The relationships between Afghanistan and other countries after 2014
All three issues are critical to the rights of women. However they have been almost completely sidelined by the Afghan and other governments involved in the conference.
The Afghan government and its international backers say that women’s rights are one of their ‘red lines’ as they plan for the withdrawal of international forces. If that is true, why are Afghan women struggling to get a seat at the table in Bonn?
With only a few weeks remaining before the conference’s start, the Afghan government has not yet confirmed whether women will be a part of the government’s delegation, and conference organizers have not provided a specific speaking slot for representatives from women’s rights groups. The Afghan government’s key donors and facilitators of the conference, including Germany and the United States, do not appear to have made women’s rights a priority for the meeting.
Interviews are available with Sweeta Noori, Country Director, Women for Women International – Afghanistan, Kate Nustedt, UK Executive Director, Women for Women International.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,741 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th and 17th November 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
Media enquiries:
Maria Andrews, Director of Marketing & Communications
Tel: + 44 20 7922 7777; Mobile:+44 (0)7824440565
Email: mandrews@womenforwomen.org
Ivana Davidovic, PR Consultant
Mobile: + 44 (0)78110103873
Email: davidovic.ivana@gmail.com
Interview opportunity
Sweeta Noori, Country Director, Women for Women International Afghanistan is in the UK from 28 November – 6 December. Sweeta has been under death threats from the Taliban for years because of her tireless work on helping tens of thousands of women to gain rights awareness, job skills training, economic independence and a rightful place in their families and communities. In the past she addressed the United Nations Security Council and the U.S. Congress about the challenges Afghan women continue to face. She can talk authoritatively and passionately about the situation on the ground for a vast majority of women in Afghanistan, about the implications for women in the withdrawing of troops and the lack of opportunities for women to participate in the peace and democratic process.
