YouSaid · the spoken record

Shaharzad Akbar

lines on the record
17
first
2020-06-25
most recent
2021-03-23
sittings or episodes
2
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. “That hope can be sustained and strengthened only if Afghans get relief from the relentless violence; the peace process reflects the concerns and aspirations of all our society, including women and victims; and our fundamental rights as citizens, without gender, ethnic or other discrimination, are recognized and upheld, not violated or bargained off. Peace in Afghanistan will contribute to peace in the region and the world. The Commission welcomes the United Nations heightened role in the process. By standing with Afghans to ensure a process that is more likely to end the violence and deliver a just and durable peace in my country, the Council will be fulfilling its historic mandate.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  2. “This includes a commitment to the bill of rights in the current Afghan Constitution and to Afghanistan’s commitments under international human rights treaties, which include respect for the rights of women and minorities and the equality of all citizens. Amnesties for certain crimes are permissible at the end of conflicts but cannot be applied to war crimes, crimes against humanity or grave human rights violations. Impunity for such egregious crimes is unlawful and undermines sustainable peace. Afghans are exhausted by war and yearn for peace. With the start of negotiations and international support for a political solution to Afghanistan’s conflict, many of us experienced a glimmer of hope and began to imagine a better future for ourselves and our children.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  3. “Excluding or marginalizing them from the main discussions about the future of Afghanistan is not only unjust and unacceptable, but unwise and unhelpful to lasting peace. If they are to lead to a lasting peace, the talks should address human rights and victims’ rights. A robust reparations programme, a national community-based programme focused on reconciliation, a truth-seeking process, memorialization and victim recognition should be key elements of the peace agreement. The existing legal obligations in relation to fundamental rights must be respected by both parties to the peace agreement and by any new government.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  4. “A process that excludes women or tokenizes their participation will lack credibility and fail to inspire public confidence. At the recent conference in Moscow, I, like many Afghan women, was shocked and angered to see only one Afghan woman, Dr. Habiba Sarabi, in a room full of men discussing the future of my country. Afghan women have fought for their human rights for many decades and have made considerable progress in education, employment and political participation. Afghan women are experts everywhere — from politics to public administration, security, business, science and information technology. Despite the environment of violence and fear, Afghan women and civil society continue to mobilize and raise their voices in support of a ceasefire, a political solution to the conflict, victims’ rights and the human rights of all Afghans.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  5. “We in the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission urge the peace negotiations to include a fair representation of persons from a range of backgrounds in order to reflect the experiences and needs of different communities, including religious, regional and ethnic groups. The process should ensure the participation of women, minorities, youth, civil society and the vibrant Afghan media, as well as victims. Women’s equal participation and full involvement in the peace process are essential. A minimum of 30 per cent of the participants in the talks should be women with the steps being taken to achieve full gender balance. Women and civil society’s participation in the process contributes to the success and durability of peace agreements everywhere.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  6. “Any settlement that excludes the wider public will almost certainly be short lived and is unlikely to lead to lasting peace. I urge the Council to not look the other way as members push us towards a peace deal doomed to fail. Building peace takes more than a deal among elites. It must be an inclusive national endeavour. We urgently need the killing to stop and we urgently need to begin that national dialogue with all Afghans. Only if the process is inclusive, represents the diversity of Afghanistan and is not cut too short to avoid difficult but critical issues does it have a chance of success.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  7. “At the time, I stressed the importance of an inclusive, transparent peace process and a comprehensive ceasefire. Ten months later, I regret to report that the situation has worsened and therefore my message is more urgent than before. Since the talks began, the violence towards Afghans has intensified and the public has lost hope in the process. We need your attention. With re-energized regional and international engagement, there could be renewed hope in the possibility of peace, but a rushed process could tip the country back into full-scale war. The recent events have displayed a trend towards the capture of the negotiations by a group of elite men, some of whom have been responsible for perpetuating the violence.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  8. “The onslaught of attacks has further shrunk the civic space, leading to self-censorship for journalists, human rights defenders and religious scholars, among others, thus impacting the quality of public engagement and debate on issues critical to Afghanistan’s present and future. Every day I hear about another activist or businessperson that has decided to leave owing to security concerns. As efforts for peace intensify, there should be a greater sense of urgency to end the violence and declare a ceasefire, to save lives and improve public engagement and participation. I previously had the honour of addressing the Council last June (see S/2020/597), at the kind invitation of France, before the intra-Afghan peace negotiations began in Qatar in September.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  9. “I thank you, Madam President, for giving me the opportunity to address the Security Council. I would like to thank the United States for inviting me to share my perspectives on human rights in Afghanistan and the Afghanistan peace process. Let me begin by thanking the Council for its statement on 12 March condemning the targeted killings in Afghanistan (SC/14464). It was a welcome recognition of the unbearable cost of targeted killings to Afghanistan’s present and future, and the environment of fear and intimidation created by this horrendous tactic. The war in Afghanistan remains one of the deadliest conflicts for civilians in the world. The ongoing targeting of civilians that may constitute war crimes is almost a daily occurrence.”

    2021-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/291 (2021) · source

  10. “However, peace should provide an opportunity for expansion of access to human rights and should not lead to backsliding. To end the conflict in Afghanistan, we have a much-needed sense of urgency, but we also need to acknowledge that only an inclusive process with human rights at its heart can lead to lasting peace and prevent a return to conflict. Any compromise on the basic human rights of Afghans will not lead to peace. To achieve lasting peace, we will need the United Nations and the global human rights community to stand with Afghans to stop the violence, preserve human rights — particularly the rights of women and minorities — and ensure that the voices of victims will be heard and that their demands will not be overlooked.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  11. “The aim of these mechanisms is to bring the issue of victim-centred justice to the fore, which we believe is essential for achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan. Afghans have long suffered from the conflict, and the country’s progress and prosperity has been paralysed by the ongoing war, which has impeded our potential to be a peaceful and contributing member of the global community. Like many Afghans, I experienced war and migration as a child, and I am now raising my son in a war-torn country. In the past 19 years, Afghans have made strides in our struggle to secure the basic human rights involved in leading dignified lives as equal citizens who can hold their Government accountable. Much remains to be accomplished, and the progress has been uneven.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  12. “We are also calling for specific measures acknowledging the voice and rights of victims to be endorsed by both sides.To this end, the Commission has raised the issue of victims’ rights and accountability in relation to prisoner exchange, is continuously engaging with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s negotiation team, has reached out to the Taliban on human rights issues and has put forward four concrete mechanisms to enable broader public participation in the peace process. The mechanisms for the consideration of both negotiating teams include victims’ testimonies, ongoing consultation with a select reference group of civil society and human rights activists, the negotiation teams’ openness to receiving specific proposals and expertise, and nationwide consultation and outreach on human rights and victims’ issues.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  13. “As an impartial, independent entity mandated to protect the rights of all Afghans, the Commission wants to play a clear role in the peace process in order to enable us to provide expert input into the discussions about human rights for both negotiating sides, namely, the Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, and to monitor respect for human rights in various stages of the process. The Commission’s work and advocacy on the peace process focuses on contributing to an inclusive process, a durable outcome and mechanisms for the preservation and expansion of human rights. The Commission and the broader Afghan civil society and public are calling for transparency, victim-centred justice, accountability and the meaningful inclusion of women and minorities in the process.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  14. “I want to draw attention to the extraordinary levels of violence civilians face, and the extraordinary degree to which civilians continue to be harmed. The peace process must begin with recognition of the degree of harm and suffering civilians face, and we must all work to bring about a comprehensive ceasefire as quickly as possible. Aware of the devastating impact of the conflict on human rights, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has called for a comprehensive ceasefire, launched our “put down the guns” campaign and welcomed steps to enable intra-Afghan negotiations.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  15. “As Afghanistan faces the challenge of tackling the pandemic, the conflict rages on, despite repeated calls for a comprehensive ceasefire, taking a huge toll on the population with alarming number of civilian causalities and a worrisome trend of targeted assassinations. This conflict has raged in various guises for over 40 years. Today Afghans continue to suffer death or serious harm through a variety of types of violence including, but not limited to, suicide attacks, air strikes and night raids. Civilians experience violence while praying in mosques and gurdwaras, while at work, in farms, factories or at the office, while travelling to visit relatives or on the way to work, or while studying in primary and secondary schools in preparation for a better future. Mothers have been targeted by gunmen while giving birth.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  16. “Aware of the multidimensional impact of COVID-19 on human rights, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has adapted measures to enable us to continue monitoring and following up on violations of the human rights of women, advocating for children’s access to vaccination and education, monitoring detainees’ right to health and safety, calling for transparency, access to information, the right to protest and freedom from restraint by police, and actively participating in the provincial COVID-19 response committees in different parts of Afghanistan with a view to informing local Government authorities about human rights aspects of response measures.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source

  17. “I am grateful for this opportunity to address the Security Council. I would like to thank France, as President of the Council this month, for inviting me to share my perspectives on human rights in Afghanistan and on the Afghan peace process. The response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected human rights around the world. In Afghanistan, the pandemic has made several segments of the population more vulnerable, including the poor and daily wagers, women and children, detainees, people with disabilities and the elderly, and has led to concerns about increasing poverty.”

    2020-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/597 (2020) · source