ISLAMABAD: Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albaras, expressed support for Afghan women and girls in a conference, saying their voices would always be heard in Spain despite efforts by the Taliban to silence them, reported Afghanistan International, a London-based media organization focusing on Afghan affairs.
The Feminist Foreign Policy Conference was held on Tuesday, at Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, held under the slogan “Building Peace and Democracy,” bringing together government officials, representatives of international organizations, civil society members, and women’s rights activists for a two-day event.
The foreign minister highlighted Spain’s commitment to Afghan women’s rights at the 5th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy in Madrid with delegates from around 60 countries in attendance.
Albaras pointed to a dedicated space within the ministry that hosts the annual “HearUs” conference, where Afghan women and associations in exile meet to discuss challenges facing women under Taliban rule.
Gender apartheid
He said that one of the ministry’s halls has been named in honor of Afghan women, saying the designation should remain permanent as a symbol that their voices will not be erased.
The voice and action of Afghan women are present here today, Albares said.
The conference includes two special sessions focused on Afghanistan, one on gender apartheid and the other on the role of women in advancing peace and democratic governance.
Approximately 140 civil society organizations and feminist groups are taking part.
Participants stressed that lasting peace and genuine democracy cannot be achieved without the full participation of women and reaffirmed that support for Afghan women remains a critical component of international commitments to human rights and gender justice.
Repression of Afghan women
France’s Minister Delegate for International Partnerships, Eleonore Caroit, also described the situation of Afghan women and girls as one of the clearest examples of women’s rights violations in the world and stressed the need for global support.
Among the speakers was Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan politician and women’s rights advocate, who participated in a panel discussion on women’s role in peacebuilding and the future of democracy.
Koofi criticized what she described as a policy of appeasement by some countries toward the Taliban, arguing that it had strengthened the Taliban's repression of women’s rights.
Furthermore, she said that the European countries should not legitimize a culture of gender apartheid under the pretext of deporting migrants.
