Credit: usip.org /  Ruli Ghani,  First Lady of Afghanistan speaks on women’s consensus in her war-torn country at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. Nov. 14, 2019.

By Gary Raynaldo  /  DIPLOMATIC TIMES

WASHINGTON D.C.   –  Afghanistan women are insisting that the war in their country comes  to and end, and that the peace to follow must continue to build opportunities for women. That was the sentiment of Ruli Ghani, the First Lady of Afghanistan.  Ghani spoke at the United States Institute of Peace last week in Washington D.C., explaining that women in her war-torn nation seek both peace and human rights—and prepare to demand it of the Taliban. The single greatest step to advance Afghan women’s cause is education and training to build their professional capacities, Ghani told an audience at USIP.   Her discussion centered on how to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan and to  build a consensus for peace in the war-torn country.  Ghani has been a courageous champion for women in the Islamic Republic. The first lady is pushing for women’s voices in the peace process to be heard.

“Afghanistan is progressing … in the right direction. I want to tell everybody who has sacrificed for Afghanistan that their effort was not in vain.”

-Ruli Ghani,  First Lady of Afghanistan

Credit: Gary Raynaldo /  Ruli Ghani,  First Lady of Afghanistan speaks on women’s consensus in the country at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. Nov. 14, 2019.

Ghani’s  Conversation event was co-hosted with the USIP  and  the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington D.C.

DIPLOMATIC TIMES Video /  Ruli Ghani,  First Lady of Afghanistan speaks on women’s consensus in the country at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. Nov. 14, 2019.

With the collapse of U.S.-Taliban talks and the results of the September 28 presidential elections not yet finalized, key questions remain on how to build national consensus and unity throughout the country, according to  USIP.  This is particularly vital for Afghan women, who long for an end to over four decades of near continuous war, instability, and violence—but also want to ensure that the social and political gains they’ve achieved since the 2004 constitution are protected and advanced.

Ghani describes herself as the “first lady for all Afghans,” and underscores that she listens widely to their concerns.  She has urged respect and opportunities for women, and the protection of vulnerable Afghans, especially children, uprooted and impoverished by the country’s 40 years of warfare.  “Re-establishing peace in a post-conflict country is a long process. Peace is going to take time,” she said. The First Lady said women were the most vociferous demanding to be a part of the peace process. In the past 15 months, as U.S. diplomats, the Taliban and others have  explored opportunities for a peace process, Ghani worked with government and civil society groups to energize a series of forums nationwide that gathered and publicized women’s views on the country’s future.  That process, called the National Women’s Consensus for Peace, ran for six months and consulted with an estimated 15,000 women nationwide.   Ghani discussed its findings with the audience at the USIP.

Formal diplomatic peace efforts have been delayed since September by Afghanistan’s presidential election and President Trump’s announcement of a halt to official U.S. talks with the Taliban. But Afghan women should continue, Ghani said, to build a unified stance to strengthen their voice in peace talks that Afghans and experts see as the country’s best path to its future.

“Women are now visible in Afghanistan. That, maybe, is the most important observation I can make. They are in all spaces”—government, jurisprudence and many professions. They are demanding, and gaining, respect for their roles.”

-Ruli Ghani,  First Lady of Afghanistan

DIPLOMATIC TIMES Video /  Ruli Ghani,  First Lady of Afghanistan speaks on women’s consensus in the country at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. Nov. 14, 2019.

Ghani took questions from the audience at USIP.   One  was from an Afghan woman who is a refugee and graduate student in the U.S.    She recounted to Ghani:   “I was raised … to remain silent” about suffering men’s violence, even sexual assaults.  She asked how this ingrained thinking can be reversed.

“It sounds to me like a visit to Afghanistan” would reveal an altered culture, Ghani told her from the stage. “It’s a change of mentality,” notably “among the young people, people of your generation.” The “norms that you have mentioned” are “becoming challenged, day after day.”

Afghan Women’s National Consensus for Peace Declaration includes:

‘We, Afghan women, request the government, Taliban, and other armed opponent groups to immediately put a stop to war and declare an unconditional ceasefire’

‘We, Afghan women, demand that the government create a lasting and stable peaceful environment through incorporating topics related to peace in the education curriculum, by creating jobs for youth, and by implementing the rule of law.’

‘We, Afghan women, believe in the power of our influence and request that all women in Afghanistan, as the main nurturers of society, promote peaceful behavior based on humane values within families, schools, mosques, madrasas, universities, and through social media, so as to effectively change the mindset of insurgents.”

SOURCE:  Afghan Women For Peace