FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 15, 2023

CONTACT

Nicholas Gugerty | (202) 822-2047 | ngugerty@allianceforpeacebuilding.org

Washington, DC, USA — Two years ago today, the Taliban took control of Kabul and assumed power in Afghanistan. Since then, the economy has plummeted, the humanitarian situation has grown dire, and Taliban leaders have systematically stripped Afghan women and girls of their most basic human rights. If international agreements protecting human rights have any meaning, we must not accept the current situation for women and girls in Afghanistan.

The circumstances for women and girls in Afghanistan are relevant to the rights, security, and well-being of women and girls everywhere. This is a critical moment to incontrovertibly assert that it is unacceptable for any member of the international community to deny basic human rights based on sex or gender. History and extensive research have shown that how a country treats women is a "key predictor of how it will behave among the community of nations.” A future in which Afghanistan is safe, prosperous, and able to engage with the global community effectively will only be possible if women and girls are free to exercise their fundamental rights. The U.S. government and the entire international community must not accept anything less.

The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide, is an award-winning nonprofit and nonpartisan network of 190+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace. AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.