The Future of Women and Girls in Afghanistan
"The Future of Women and Girls in Afghanistan." CSIS Commission on Strengthening America's Health Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies, September 30, 2021. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://healthsecurity.csis.org/events/the-future-of-women-and-girls-in-afghanistan/
Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday, September 30 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT for a discussion on the future of women and girls in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s ascendance in Kabul. The future of Afghan women and girls is at a crossroads. Early signs suggest little has changed in the Taliban’s approach to women’s rights, putting at risk 20 years of gains in women and girls’ education, health care, and public participation, and leaving a generation of professional women unclear about their future opportunities. In the face of dire risk of economic collapse, food insecurity and humanitarian emergencies, and closure of Afghanistan’s 2,300 health facilities, the UN and other international organizations have entered a critical dialogue with the Taliban about how to proceed, with guarantees of women’s and girls’ rights as central concerns.
In this CSIS event, panelists will examine the restrictions and threats faced by women and girls under the Taliban, and discuss steps that the United States and international partners can take to promote equitable access to public services and employment opportunities in the health and education sectors, support the ongoing work of civil society organizations, including women’s rights and human rights organizations, and promote the full participation of women in all discussions about the future of Afghanistan.
The expert panel will feature Shaharzad Akbar, Former Chairperson for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission; Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the United States Department of State; Ilze Brands-Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Lauren Rumble, UNICEF Principal Advisor, Gender, and Chief of Gender and Rights Section, Programme Division. John Hamre, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSIS, will deliver introductory remarks, followed by a panel discussion co-moderated by J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, and Marti Flacks, Director and Senior Fellow with the CSIS Human Rights Initiative.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.