Afghanistan National Peace Process: Excluding Civil Society from the Turkey Meeting Will Benefit the Taliban

Cultural and social event organized by Afghan National Peace Process with participation of youth and civil society activists, Kabul, Afghanistan, April 13, 2021.

Kabul – The “Afghanistan National Peace Process” organization, in a gathering attended by a large number of citizens, warned that ignoring the role of civil society and the young generation of the country in the upcoming meeting in Turkey could strengthen the Taliban’s position and weaken the achievements of the past two decades.

In its statement, this organization addressed the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the High Council for National Reconciliation, the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, the Human Rights Office, the Peace Negotiating Team, the United States Embassy, and the international community, calling on them to grant a meaningful and significant role to Afghan civil society and women in the peace process instead of handing the ground over to the Taliban.

The statement added that the Taliban have previously demonstrated through their anti-women policies and disregard for human rights that they have no commitment to a sustainable and just peace. Therefore, excluding or diminishing the presence of civil society in this process will effectively mean endorsing the demands of this extremist group.

The gathering titled “The Importance of Civil Society’s Role in the Peace Process and Its Supervisory Role in the Turkey Meeting” was organized at the initiative of the “Afghanistan National Peace Process.” On the sidelines of the program, letters of accreditation were granted to new members of the leadership council of this organization who were elected in the second periodic elections.