No peace can be achieved at the expenses of Afghan women, the country’s First Lady Rula Ghani said on Tuesday.
In remarks on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women, Rula Ghani said that any peace to be sustainable needs to acknowledge the constitutional rights of Afghan women.
“We are witnessing a growing pushback against gender equality,” Rula Ghani said. “Each one of us needs to remain vigilant to ensure the protection of our achievements to date.”
She said that some 50 women constitute an advisory council on peace under the name Unified Women’s Voices for Peace.
“This will prove to be a long process as the gap of values between us and our interlocutors is wide, but the government is aware that no peace can be achieved at the expenses of Afghan women,” Rula Ghani said.
Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban started over three weeks ago in Qatari capital Doha.
Meanwhile, lower house of the Afghan parliament on Wednesday issued a statement calling on the negotiating team to firmly defend gains in the areas of freedom of speech and women’s rights.
The statement called on the Taliban to reduce violence.
