KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2020) The Afghan peace process must uphold women's rights to guarantee a lasting resolution to four decades of war, NATO's senior civilian representative in the country said on Monday.
"For peace to be sustainable, it must safeguard the rights of women and minority groups, and uphold the rule of law. The voices of Afghan women must not be ignored," Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo's office quoted him as saying in a tweet.
The Italian diplomat said women played a pivotal role in the talks with the Taliban, both as members of the government's negotiating team and civil society activists. Kabul's 21-member team includes only four women.
Female activists spoke to the UN Security Council in early November about being underrepresented in the negotiations with the insurgency that has severely curtailed women's rights in territories under its control.
Women across Afghanistan have been increasingly targeted by those who want to undermine the peace process by excluding women from peace talks and subsequent state-building, the activists said.
