The Afghan Peace Jirga: Ensuring that Women are at the Peace Table

Summary

• In late May 2010, the Afghan government will convene a Peace Jirga in Kabul to determine a national reintegration and reconciliation strategy.
• Afghan women have played a variety of social and political roles during the last three decades of conflict, including as peacebuilders, but now risk being excluded from current peacebuilding processes.
• In alliance with international agreements—most notably United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325—the Afghan government must make sure that women are actively engaged in the upcoming jirga and are included in other reintegration and reconciliation policies.
• The inclusion of women is central to sustainable peace and security in Afghanistan.

About This Brief

The May 2010 Afghan Peace Jirga will be convened with the purpose of ending the Taliban insurgency. It presents a great opportunity for Afghan women to be engaged in the peacebuilding process. The Afghan government and international actors must work together to ensure that women have their place at the table in order to achieve a lasting peace. This Peace Brief offers recommendations for the government and international actors to bring this about. The author, Palwasha Hassan, is a former U.S. Institute of Peace Afghanistan fellow in the Jennings Randolph fellowship program. She is an active member of the Afghan women’s movement.