The education crisis in Afghanistan, especially for women and girls is a critical issue that demands urgent attention from the international community. It is not only a violation of human rights but also a threat to the future stability and development of the country. Hence, the Embassy of Italy, Women in International Security Italy and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security organized a joint meeting at the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC to highlight the urgent need to ensure access to education for Afghan women and girls.
The event brought together a diverse group of international partners, diplomats, policymakers, and activists including Amb. Mariangela Zappia, Italian Ambassador to the United States; Rina Amiri, U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights; Palwasha Hassan, Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Former Director of Afghan Women’s Educational Center; Sara Wahedi, Founder and CEO, Ehtesab; Jo Bourne, Chief Technical Officer at the Global Partnership for Education; Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan; Amb. Adela Raz, Former Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN and US, and Director of Afghanistan Policy Lab at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; Dr. Habiba Sarabi, Former Minister of Women’s Affairs and a former member of the Negotiation Team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; Dr. Loredana Teodorescu, WIIS Italy President and Head of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network; Tom West, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. State Department; Gianfranco Petruzzella, Italian Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Amb. Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security served as the moderator.
The speakers and discussants shared their insights and recommendations for ensuring access to education for Afghan women and girls. The gathering emphasized the imperative need to address the education crisis in Afghanistan and the critical role that women’s education plays in the stability and development of the country. It is hoped that this event will be the start of a concerted effort to ensure that Afghan women and girls are not deprived of their fundamental right to education.
The Italian Embassy tweeted some remarks from several of the speakers on its official Twitter handle @ItalyinUS
“Without women’s participation, Afghanistan’s society is poorer; Afghanistan’s economy is weaker. Depriving Afghanistan of the contribution of women is not only wrong; it is counterproductive and self-defeating.”
“Our goal is to spotlight the dire conditions of #AfghanWomen and to keep their fundamental rights high in the global agenda despite the other emergencies and challenges at the international level.”
“The crisis on education is entirely man-made and specifically driven by Taliban ideology and politics. It is not justified by religion or Afghan culture as Taliban leaders claim.” -MelanneVerveer
“While there is no single solution to the current situation in Afghanistan, there is no replacement for formal system of education for #Afghanistan #Women in Afg “Afghanistan is the only country in the world where women and girls are deprived of an education because of their gender.”
“What Afghan women really need is more action. Here we’re already hearing that actions are being taken to make a difference.” “We need to stay focused on Afghanistan and on half of Afghanistan’s population.”
“Why does the United States care about this matter of women getting educated? It’s not because it’s simply human rights issue it’s a fundamental matter of stability in a country at the heart of a region that is increasingly unstable.”
“There’s a sense of urgency which arise from the perception of how serious and unacceptable is the wound inflicted by the Taliban with these restrictions to the fundamental rights and freedoms of Afghan women.” — Gianfranco Petruzzella
“Why does the United States care about this matter of women getting educated? It’s not because it’s simply a human rights issue it’s a fundamental matter of stability in a country at the heart of a region that is increasingly unstable.”
— Italy in US (@ItalyinUS) March 27, 2023
— @US4AfghanPeace at #AfghanWomen event pic.twitter.com/NwpA3ZJngI
