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Habiba Sarabi the lone woman in a room full of men at Moscow meeting
Despite repeated pledges by the Afghan government and the country’s politicians to include women in decision making processes, Thursday’s grand meeting in Moscow on the peace process indicated otherwise.
As delegates filed into the meeting room – it quickly became clear that among the dozens present, all were men – except for one.
Habiba Sarabi was the only female among the Afghan delegates – which included the Afghan government, the Taliban and individuals from Afghanistan who were sent invitations by Moscow.
Sarabi was the lone female voice in a room full of men.
In a tweet after the meeting, Sarabi made her feelings on the matter clear and said in reference to the Turkey meeting in April: “I hope I will not be the only woman at the next summit.”
Coming out in support of Sarabi was Nader Nadery, a fellow Afghan Republic peace talks team member, who said after the meeting that Sarabi “said in her remarks to the room full of men: why I should be the only woman in the room? We have not been part of the war, we can certainly contribute to peace. 51% of people should not be ignored. Hope hosts take note of it for the future.”
Nadery also stated that he hopes an “equal number of women on tables should become the norm. Proud of Sarabi Habiba.”
Shaharzad Akbar, chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) also questioned this imbalance.
She said in a tweet: “Based on media reports, some of the invitations for Moscow event were delivered to specific individuals. Why didn’t Russia include a single Afghan woman on that list? There was also an invitation to Afghan government presumably, why wasn’t that invitation utilized to send four women negotiators?”
Even Ashraf Haidari, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, weighed in. He said in a tweet: “The presence of articulate women slowly diminished in peace meetings. Their substantive input and leadership in any peace engagement is naturally needed, as they speak for two thirds of any population, including children they nurture. Moscow wouldn’t care. Every Afghan must!”
This sentiment was shared by many including Human Rights Watch interim co-director, women’s rights division Heather Barr who quite bluntly said: “So easy for all the men – of varying, but not too varying, levels of misogyny – to snuggle up and make friends when they only let one woman in the room.”
Even Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent commented. She said: “Strong voices of Afghan women. Is that why they don’t want more at the table?”
Soon after the start of the intra-Afghan talks in Doha, in September last year, Oxfam, Cordaid and InclusivePeace released a report stating that nearly 80 percent of Afghanistan’s peace tables, since 2005, have excluded women.
At the time, the report stated that without the meaningful participation of women, any sustainable peace efforts are at risk of failure.
The joint report Because She Matters, highlighted tangible ways to ensure women’s propositions and concerns are reflected in the negotiation process. It also showed that peace is more attainable when women have a place at the table, as peace agreements are 35 percent more likely to last beyond fifteen years when women effectively engage in them.
“Continued exclusion of women from Afghanistan peace efforts and decision-making will not only jeopordise the realisation of a true and sustainable peace, but blatantly disregard women’s rights to define their own future. We fear hard-won gains in women’s rights could be reversed”, said Ashish Damle, Oxfam’s Country Director in Afghanistan.
“Continued exclusion of women from Afghanistan peace efforts and decision-making will not only jeopordise the realisation of a true and sustainable peace, but blatantly disregard women’s rights to define their own future.”
During the meetings between the US government and the Taliban in Doha in February last year that set the stage for the start of the intra-Afghan peace process in September, not one woman was included in the conversation; and consequently women’s rights were not mentioned in the resulting deal struck a year ago.
“Despite seeing a small number of Afghan women represented in peace processes, Afghan women’s voices are largely marginilized. The intra-Afghan peace process, at all stages and levels, needs to do much better,” added Damle in September last year.
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IEA urges World Bank to resume work on 7,000 incomplete projects
Officials at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) say 7,000 incomplete projects of the World Bank are at risk of destruction in Afghanistan. They call on the World Bank to resume the work of these projects.
According to them, discussions have been held with the World Bank about these projects, but there has been no result yet.
“7,000 incomplete projects are being destroyed, and if the work is not started, these projects will be destroyed. We ask the World Bank to resume the work of these projects as soon as possible,” said Noorul Hadi Adel, the spokesperson of MRRD.
Meanwhile, members of the private sector also ask international institutions to resume their work in Afghanistan.
According to the officials of this sector, with the start of these projects, job opportunities will be provided for thousands of people in the country.
“These projects create employment for our people and the country will grow a lot,” said Mirwais Hajizadeh, a member of the private sector.
However, economic experts stated if the work of these projects does not start soon, they will be destroyed and the investments made in them will be wasted.
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Ten people killed by floods in Helmand
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
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UN envoy meets Indian foreign minister to discuss Afghanistan
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues related to Afghanistan, it was announced on Thursday.
During the meeting, Otunbayeva thanked India for “its critical humanitarian support and longstanding friendship for the Afghan people” and discussed the importance of regional and international cooperation to address prevailing challenges in Afghanistan, UNAMA said on X.
Jaishankar also said on X that the sides exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Underlined that India has provided wheat, medicines, pesticides and school supplies. Appreciate the role of UN agencies as partners in these endeavors,” he said.
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