From Afghanistan to New York: Afghan Women Calling for Action (CSW69 Side Event).

An Interactive Dialogue with Afghan Women from inside Afghanistan and in Exile.


Despite ongoing dialogues within the international community and civil society engagements at platforms like CSW, Afghan women inside the country remain largely absent from these critical discussions due to infrastructural and access barriers. Their agency has been one of the strongest forces opposing the de facto authorities while also contributing to global accountability efforts, yet they continue to be sidelined from decision-making processes that directly affect them. Their exclusion not only weakens international advocacy efforts but also undermines their ability to shape solutions to their challenges.

FARAGEER has conducted extensive gender-responsive consultations with hundreds of Afghan women, focusing on issues such as rising extremism, the impact of Vice and Virtue laws, and strengthening the UNAMA mandate. These consultations have reinforced the need for meaningful engagement with women in Afghanistan, ensuring that their voices are heard rather than spoken for.

Objectives:

• To launch and disseminate FARAGEER's report on the impact of the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue laws, and to facilitate the direct participation in CSW high-level dialogues of women whose voices were documented during the research (with security precautions to ensure their safety).
• To facilitate engagement of women from inside Afghanistan with decision makers at the UN level including the Secretary-General and high-level representationfrom member States.
• To build solidarity, coalitions and unity of purpose between women's groups in and outside Afghanistan, as well as among different civil society organizations and international allies

Watch From Afghanistan to New York: Afghan Women Calling for Action (CSW69 Side Event)!