These were just some of the chilling observations and testimony from Afghan women, together with supporters from around the world, who convened at UN Headquarters on Monday to discuss inclusion and women\u2019s rights going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, more than ever, it’s crucial to include women in all matters concerning Afghanistan’s future meaningfully<\/strong>,\u201d said former Afghan diplomat Asila Wardak of the Women\u2019s Forum on Afghanistan.<\/p>\n Stressing that the country\u2019s future \u201ccannot be built on the exclusion of half of the population,\u201d she said that \u201cwomen must be part of the solution, not sidelined<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n The meeting was co-hosted by Ireland, Indonesia, Switzerland and Qatar, in partnership with the Women\u2019s Forum on Afghanistan, which works to ensure that Afghan women are included in any dialogue and decision-making at the international level on the future of their country.\u00a0<\/p>\n It came on the eve of the annual debate in the General Assembly, and UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres took time out of his packed schedule to uphold international solidarity with Afghan women.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to amplify the voices of Afghan women and call for them to play a full role in the country\u2019s life, both inside its borders and on the global stage<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mr. Guterres vowed that the UN \u201cwill never allow gender-based discrimination to become normalized anywhere in the world<\/strong>,\u201d adding \u201cwhat is happening in Afghanistan can be compared with some of the most egregious systems of oppression in recent history.\u201d<\/p>\n The Taliban have been slashing away at women\u2019s and girls\u2019 rights since returning to power in August 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n The de facto<\/em> authorities have issued more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees, including limiting girls to primary-level education, banning women from most professions and prohibiting them from using parks, gyms and other public places.<\/p>\n \u201cWe meet in perilous times, and it is heart wrenching to be a woman and never as much as now in Afghanistan,\u201d said Margot Wallstr\u00f6m, a former Swedish foreign minister and chair of the Women\u2019s Forum on Afghanistan who served as the moderator.<\/p>\n \u201cThe latest Taliban edict wants to silence women, including singing, and make them invisible.\u00a0 Not here at the UN though. Today, we will let their voices and their concerns be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n American actor and activist, Meryl Streep, participates in a meeting on the Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan at UN Headquarters in New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep introduced a short version of the documentary film \u2018The Sharp Edge of Peace\u2019, which follows the only woman on the Afghan Government team negotiating with the Taliban in talks held in Doha, Qatar, in 2020.<\/p>\n She recalled that Afghan women received the right to vote in 1919, well before their counterparts in her homeland, the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way that this culture, this society, has been upended, is a cautionary tale for the rest of the world,\u201d said Ms. Streep noting that even animals in Afghanistan\u2019s capital, Kabul, have more freedom than women and girls there.<\/p>\n \u201cA cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face.\u00a0 She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not in public. This is extraordinary. This is a suppression of the natural law. This is odd,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n During a panel discussion about the film, Ms. Wallstr\u00f6m asked what more can the international community do for the women of Afghanistan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fawzia Koofi, the former Vice President of the Afghan National Assembly, taking part in a high-level event on ways to include women in the future of Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan\u2019s Former Minister of Women\u2019s Affairs, urged the international community to \u201cplease apply\u201d UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), which reaffirms women\u2019s role in peace and security efforts, and to uphold the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), among other recommendations.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the former Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, Fawzia Koofi relayed a message to the women of Afghanistan. \u201cIt\u2019s a battle. We will win it<\/strong>,\u201d she said, drawing applause.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ms. Koofi called for the UN Security Council to \u201cunite around the issue of Afghanistan\u201d urging countries to \u201cleave aside your political differences, because what’s happening in Afghanistan could have security implications, if not human rights implications, in your own capitals.\u201d<\/p>\n The head of UN political affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, gave an overview of the Organization\u2019s long-standing engagement with Afghanistan, including an initiative endorsed by the Security Council known as the Doha process.<\/p>\nUN expresses solidarity\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Invisible women<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"American](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/23-09-2024_UN-Photo_GA79-05.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" "\\"American")
\n<\/div>\nA cautionary tale for the world: Meryl Streep<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Fawzia](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/23-09-2024_Fawzia_Koofi_Afghanistan.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" "\\"Fawzia")
\n<\/div>\nUphold and unite<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2018Engagement is key\u2019: UN political chief<\/strong><\/h2>\n