Vital Voices was honored to host a high-level roundtable on the status of Afghan women leading up to the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul. This event brought together women working on the ground with Afghan families, government officials, and civil society leaders with the shared goal of ensuring a safe and sustainable future for the most at-risk Afghan women.
Some key takeaways from this robust conversation include:
- Maintaining a sense of hope despite the difficult circumstances facing Afghan women is crucial to the success of our efforts.
- Streamlining coordination between stakeholders from government officials to civil society leaders can create more efficient pathways for humanitarian assistance and resettlement.
- The time is now to think outside of the box and face the complex challenges facing Afghan women with creativity.
In the fall of 2021, Vital Voices in collaboration with the Georgetown Institute of Women Peace and Security and the U.S. Department of State, created a coalition of like minded organizations to successfully evacuate nearly 1,200 Afghan women leaders, human rights defenders, and their families facing immediate threats in Afghanistan. We are proud to have assisted in resettling the large majority safely in their destination countries, but our work continues as we attempt to provide holistic, sustainable support for these incredible leaders moving forward.
Photo (L-R): Stephenie Foster, Author “Take Action: Fighting for Women and Girls” and Vital Voices Vice President of Global Network & Regional Engagement Saba Ghori
More on our work with Afghan women:
2 Women Who Fled Afghanistan Share Their Stories with Vital Voices CEO Alyse Nelson