KABUL, Mar 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), called for inclusion of women in peace talks, the mission said on Sunday, the International Women’s Day.
UNAMA said, with anticipation building, that the door for intra-Afghan peace talks will open, women’s advocacy groups and activists across Afghanistan, focused on developing strategies to protect and advance the gains they have made in social, political, civic and economic life.
“These strategies, backed by the United Nations and coupled with the growing recognition that women must be included in any formal peace negotiations, are expected to yield results: country-wide and community-level ownership, along with the full and meaningful participation in political decision-making among all members of society.”
The UN mission in Afghanistan marks International Women’s Day under the global theme of “I Am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights” to leverage individual and collective efforts to make gender equality and women’s rights a living reality, the statement said.
“To create a peaceful and inclusive society, it is essential that Afghan women have access to education, healthcare and decent work, and that they are fully represented in all areas of political decision-making, from parliament to the peace table,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, special UN envoy and head of UN mission, was quoted in the statement, as saying.
Recognising that Afghanistan will be more resilient in the face of conflict, when gender equality is prioritised, the UN will continue to support all efforts towards gender equality and all opportunities for women to reclaim their rightful place in all areas of society, the statement said.– NNN-AGENCIES
