Qatar's Permanent Mission to the UN co-organised with the UK and Canada delegations to the UN, UN Women and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, an event on the sidelines of the 2021 UN Security Council an open debate titled "A New Chapter in Afghanistan: Ensuring International Co-operation in Support of Afghan Women and Girls."
The event at the UN headquarters in New York was designed to bring together key stakeholders, including the Friends of Women in Afghanistan and regional partners to exchange views and hear from Afghan women leaders.
At the opening session, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani stressed that empowering women in Afghanistan is necessary to achieve peace, security and economic stability, calling for humanitarian aid to be independent of the political track.
She noted Qatar commitment to provide humanitarian assistance and continue evacuation efforts in co-ordination with international partners and relevant UN agencies and departments, pointing out that the State called from the beginning to preserve the gains made over the past 20 years, especially for women and girls in Afghanistan.
The event focused on the vital and active role of the UN and the international community, especially concerning the status of women in Afghanistan, focusing on their participation in political and economic life, the right to education for girls, and expanding women's access to education and employment.
UK Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth and Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Lord Tariq Ahmad, Canada's Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security Jacqueline O'Neill, Executive Director of UN Women Dr Sima Sami Bahous, and Deputy Special Representative (Political) for Afghanistan in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Mette Knudsen attended the event, which was moderated by Executive Director of Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security Ambassador Melanne Verveer.
The event at the UN headquarters in New York was designed to bring together key stakeholders, including the Friends of Women in Afghanistan and regional partners to exchange views and hear from Afghan women leaders.
At the opening session, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani stressed that empowering women in Afghanistan is necessary to achieve peace, security and economic stability, calling for humanitarian aid to be independent of the political track.
She noted Qatar commitment to provide humanitarian assistance and continue evacuation efforts in co-ordination with international partners and relevant UN agencies and departments, pointing out that the State called from the beginning to preserve the gains made over the past 20 years, especially for women and girls in Afghanistan.
The event focused on the vital and active role of the UN and the international community, especially concerning the status of women in Afghanistan, focusing on their participation in political and economic life, the right to education for girls, and expanding women's access to education and employment.
UK Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth and Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Lord Tariq Ahmad, Canada's Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security Jacqueline O'Neill, Executive Director of UN Women Dr Sima Sami Bahous, and Deputy Special Representative (Political) for Afghanistan in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Mette Knudsen attended the event, which was moderated by Executive Director of Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security Ambassador Melanne Verveer.