The second panel of the conference“For Freedom: Global Solidarity with the Struggles of Women in Afghanistan” was titled “Global Solidarity and Commitments” and was moderated by Dr. Melissa Chiovenda, member of Advisory Board of Shahmama Organization.
Dr. Athena Amini, human rights defender, opened the panel by commenting on some of the successes that have occurred with relation to international advocacy for Afghan women, including a focus on education and internet access. She underlined the importance of continuing and expanding these efforts.
Dr. Farkhonda Akbari, research fellow at Monash University, then spoke to the importance of recognizing Afghan women’s agency, both inside Afghanistan and among the diaspora. She concluded with a call not just for words of solidarity, but concrete action to be taken by the international community to address the crises faced by Afghan women.
Dr. Alya Yelaz, the executive director of Lajaward Yuli, then continued this theme, speaking about the importance of concrete coalition-building that is sustainable and actionable between organizations focused on advocacy for Afghan women and other stakeholders.
Dr. Claire Somerville, the executive director of the Gender Centre at the Graduate Institute of Geneva, spoke to the complexities and difficulties of working on international advocacy for Afghan women and girls, focusing in part on issues relating to public health. Final, Idil Idgir, of Global Human Rights Defense, gave an overview of the major problems faced by Afghan women and what her organization is doing to address them.
