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The needs of Afghan women and girls must be central in the Oslo talks

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Afghanistan
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WILPF
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With the humanitarian crisis at its peak, all parties to the Oslo meetings must do whatever they possibly can to allow the flow of urgent aid and allow to reach Afghan people. Specific measures addressing women and girls’ needs must be tailored in all the recommendations.

All parties present at the Norway-sponsored talks with the Taliban must guarantee the space and means for Afghan women delegates to address the Afghanistan crisis from a women’s perspective and to be able to provide life-saving recommendations, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom said.

With the humanitarian crisis at its peak, all parties to the Oslo meetings must do whatever they possibly can to allow the flow of urgent aid and allow to reach Afghan people. Specific measures addressing women and girls’ needs must be tailored in all the recommendations.

The Norway-sponsored talks are taking place behind closed doors over three days with the participation of senior Taliban figures and several European countries, the US and Afghan civil society activists including women’s rights advocates.

The Oslo talks must not be seen as a formal recognition of Taliban, but an opportunity to come up with concrete measures that could help the safety and well-being of the Afghan people, WILPF said.

WILPF is urging the international community, with the US in their lead, to end the de facto punishment of Afghan people for other parties’ mistakes. There is no logic in the world that can justify the hunger and suffering of Afghan people.

WILPF seizes the opportunity of the Oslo talks to reiterate its vision for a permanent peace in Afghanistan by calling on the Taliban and the international community to:

  • Ensure that the voices and needs of Afghan women are at the front and centre of all funding and advocacy efforts, and in particular focus on centring and elevating the voices of activists in Afghanistan and those currently in exile;
  • Prioritise funding to Afghan civil society and, in particular, women’s rights and women-led organisations that are equipped with first-hand knowledge of the current situation and have been working to advance women’s rights in Afghanistan for decades;
  • Include Afghan women and women officials on any humanitarian missions and negotiations, with at least a 50 % representation quota;
  • Ensure that your missions and delegations do not prevent women from participating, nor enforce gender segregation.