Women for Women International [to 16 January 2016]
http://www.womenforwomen.org/press-releases

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Press Release
Women for Women International Calls for Women’s Inclusion in Afghanistan Peace Talks
Women’s voices and contributions are critical for establishing lasting peace, organization’s leaders say.
Monday, January 11, 2016, Washington, DC – Afghan women negotiators must be included in all talks to negotiate a final peace agreement, Women for Women International said today, following international meetings to restart the Afghanistan peace process. During the talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and the United States, no women were present in the Afghan delegation.

“Around the world, we see women make critical contributions to peace-building – they share unique perspectives of conflict and ensure negotiations address the issues feeding instability and violence. The fact is, peace processes simply work better when women are involved,” says WfWI CEO Jennifer L. Windsor. “In Afghanistan, women must have a meaningful role as active participants in the peace process to ensure their rights and the progress they have made over the past 15 years are protected.”

Since 2001, women have made tremendous progress in closing gender gaps in health, education, and political participation. Maternal mortality has declined by 75 percent,1 and nearly 3.3 million girls now attend school who would not have had the opportunity to do so under the Taliban regime.2 In April 2014, 2.4 million women voted in elections that resulted in 97 women elected to provincial councils,3 and women hold 28 percent of parliamentary seats.4

Yet this progress remains fragile. As the Taliban controls more territory now than at any time since 2001, women’s participation in peace talks is critical to ensure a comprehensive peace process that continues to protect women’s rights and equality.

“Women are more involved than ever before actively contributing to Afghanistan’s economy, politics, and society. This is their country and their future at stake in these peace talks,” says WfWI-Afghanistan Country Director Mandana Hendessi. “There is a real concern that marginalizing women from peace talks could have a far-reaching, negative impact for women at all socio-economic levels.”…