Promoting Women's and Girls' Equal Social, Economic…

The Taliban de-facto authorities' behavior have reversed all hard-gained achievements Afghanistan made in the past two decades in different areas, including in the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.

The Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN in New York has the honor to convene this side event with the intent to provide a platform for representatives of Afghan women who truly represent the voices of Afghan women and would like to seek sustainable solution without any personal benefits attached.

The main objective of this event is to bring Afghan women to speak up on the current situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and share their demands to the high-ranking officials of the United Nations and member states with a focus on finding a short-term and long-term solution to the ongoing crisis women and girls face in Afghanistan.

The discussion will focus on the following questions:

• Is there any hope for a change in the Taliban's behavior or reversal of their restrictive policies against women and girls?
• What are some alternative options or solutions for Afghan women and girls to continue their education under current circumstances?
• Would re-opening of schools and universities resolve the problem of Afghan women and girls?
• What would be the best way to ameliorate women and girls' situation in Afghanistan in the long-term, given that they have not attended schools for over a year and with the ongoingbans are expected not to attend school?
• What could the international community do in addressing the overall situation in Afghanistan? What are your expectations from donors, United Nations member states andin particular the Security Council?