YouSaid · the spoken record

Mary Akrami

lines on the record

7

first

2021-06-22

most recent

2021-06-22

sittings or episodes

1

sources

un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “Do not allow a Rwanda-type genocide to take place under your watch in Afghanistan. A politically stable, economically empowered and self-reliant Afghanistan where rule of law, justice and human rights are respected and citizens’ rights are protected and guaranteed will benefit the region and the world. All this will only be possible when there is security and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source

2. “We encourage the United Nations to support Afghan civil society, women’s groups and youth initiatives in their efforts to build peace from grass roots up and improve social peace. We will continue our efforts for peace and justice, but you all know the war in Afghanistan is not a domestic one. It is a war among great powers, regional powers. Finally, it is a war fuelled by drugs and illegal mining. My urgent message and that of civil society is that our call for a ceasefire is urgent! The United Nations at the highest level, including the Security Council, must compel the Taliban and the Afghan Government to commit to a permanent ceasefire. Without a ceasefire, the Afghan people will continue to be killed and in jured, our women widowed and our children orphaned. We call on this body to not be a spectator.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source

3. “Our youth continue to organize and mobilize for peace, donate blood and volunteer to help those in need. Our elders continue to encourage us to stand up for what is right. Our mothers remind us to not allow ourselves to be treated as second-class citizens, and our Afghan Women’s Network continues to raise the voices of women throughout Afghanistan and the world. Sustainable peace can only be achieved through an inclusive peace, and the only way to secure a sustainable peace is through an inclusive process in which Afghan society is asked to participate and engage. The Afghanistan Mechanism for Inclusive Peace is an example of many initiatives working for an inclusive peace process.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source

4. “While we want negotiations to succeed in bringing an end to violence, as women we are deeply concerned that women’s rights do not become the price to be paid for peace. Afghanistan is the conflict in which the centrality of women cannot be denied or overlooked. People from around the world will be watching to see if national, regional and international actors supporting the Afghan peace talks live up to their international commitments on the women and peace and security agenda; and to the protection of democracy, human rights and freedom of expression as an outcome of the peace process and in line with their commitments to international conventions they are signatories to. Let me also tell you that, despite the enormous challenges, Afghan people are resilient.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source

5. “Imagine waking up every morning thinking you may not come back home to your family alive. We are tired of war. We are tired of attending funerals of our friends and relatives. We want an end to this war. We welcome any effort by Afghan or international actors to pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict. However, we have been clear that we want a dignified and just peace, not a surrender to the Taliban or another violent extremist group. Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace means freedom from all forms of violence and coercion, respect for human dignity, justice and human rights and equality for women and all citizens. It also includes economic and social development and the ability to live in harmony.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source

6. “This duality only serves to undermine the peace process and lower the level of confidence people have in the peace process. A ceasefire should not be the goal of the peace talks but, instead, a ceasefire should pave the way for the peace process. This is why Afghan civil society, particularly women, have called on all sides to agree on a ceasefire. Our plea has not only been dismissed by the Taliban but, instead, the Taliban have also launched a killing campaign against professional women, journalists and peacebuilders and have intensified their violent attacks on educational institutions and public and private properties. Like me, millions of Afghans have lived and grown up in war. My generation and the young generation of today have not lived in peace.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source

7. “I welcome the report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team that was shared with this body in April of this year. Sadly, since the release of that report, violence has increased and has claimed the precious lives of several hundred, the majority of them being professional women and schoolchildren and youth. Thousands have been displaced from their homes. What was said to be a peace process that started between the United States and the Taliban ended up being a deal between the United States and the Taliban. For Afghan people, that deal has brought nothing but increased violence, deteriorated security, political instability, a worsened economic situation, displacement and more uncertainty. The parties to the peace negotiations should not negotiate peace and commit violent offensives at the same time.”

   2021-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/601 (2021) · source