Women Excluded Again from Afghanistan’s Peace Talks
June 6, 2017
Participation by Women Even More Urgent in Light of Recent Attacks in Kabul
Foreign delegation members listen as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani delivers a speech during a peace and security cooperation conference in Kabul, Afghanistan June 6, 2017. © 2017 Reuters
Kabul’s citizens desperately need an end to the violence. The city spent much of last week burying its dead, again and again. On May 31, a truck bomb exploded at a busy intersection, killing 150 people and wounding more than 300. On June 2, nine people were killed and more wounded when police clashed with protesters marching in the wake of the bombing. On June 3, three suicide bombers detonated at the funeral of one of the slain protesters, killing at least 12 more and injuring dozens.
The last attack happened the evening before the Afghan government’s latest effort at peace talks, the Kabul Process, began. And despite security challenges and the damage to the building where the meeting was to be held, the talks went ahead – a testament the urgency with which the Afghan government sees these talks.
Yet the Kabul Process is already missing a crucial factor to a successful outcome. Research shows that full participation by women in peace negotiations increases the chances of a deal being reached and it being successful. Yet the “family photo” of the meeting participants, 47 Afghan and foreign dignitaries, included only two Afghan women.
