The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and UN Women Afghanistan have launched a publication highlighting gendered ceasefires as a prerequisite for peace talks and a negotiated settlement.

Globally, women have long been at the frontlines of conflict and crisis, pioneering ways to end conflict, participating in peace, and advocating for the rights of women and girls in agreement seeking to end violent conflict.

Yet often, women's expertise and priorities are excluded from formal ceasefire agreements and implementation mechanisms. In Afghanistan, women continue to risk their lives every day in the name of peace. 2020 marked the highest number of women killed since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began systematic documentation in 2009.

The AIHRC and UN Women Afghanistan launched "Gender responsive ceasefires and ceasefire agreements" - a publication highlighting how gender responsive ceasefire is urgently needed in the context of Afghanistan to secure the conditions for meaningful peace talks.

The publication outlines a practical set of recommended entry points for securing gender related provisions in ceasefire text as well as outlining how ceasefire agreements can address the gender dynamics of conflict.

The publication is part of a joint AIHRC and UN Women series called 'Sustaining Peace Briefs'. This series seeks to provide evidence-based guidance to diverse national stakeholders working on peace in Afghanistan.

Read the full publication in Dari, English and Pashto here.

Date: 16 June 2021

Source: Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission