Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi delivers a speech during a high-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, USA, Tuesday (9/19/2023).
NEW YORK, KOMPAS — Indonesia, Canada and Ireland pleaded for solidarity with Afghan women during a high-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, United States, on Tuesday (9/19/2023). This event was organized by the permanent representatives of each country to the UN.
Present at the event were Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense Simon Coveney. Also present were Afghan activists, Asila Wardak, and former Afghan Minister of Women, Habiba Sarabi.
“We are here to strengthen solidarity with Afghan women and girls. “Solidarity means empathy and providing real support,” Retno said in his speech.
According to Retno, all parties are aware of the worrying situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. The challenge now is to know what contribution countries make to this problem.
“The question is what we are going to do. Will we let politics prevent us from providing aid and stand idly by while millions of Afghan women and girls suffer? Or will we do everything we can to help them, regardless of politics? Retno said.
Also read: Women are a question of peace in Afghanistan
The second option, according to Retno, is a wise choice. In this regard, Indonesia has tried to contribute through three areas, namely humanitarian aid, the role of ulama and the education of Afghan women and girls.
A teacher teaches a class of girls on the first day of the new school year in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 25, 2023.
“In terms of humanitarian aid, apart from other aid, Indonesia will provide 10 million doses of polio vaccine to Afghanistan and we will do it in collaboration with Unicef,” Retno said.
Regarding ulama, Retno continued, Indonesia has shared best practices with Afghan ulama to provide inclusive education for women. As the country with the largest Muslim population, Indonesia can share with Afghan scholars how Indonesian women and girls have equal rights to education.
As the country with the largest Muslim population, Indonesia can share with Afghan scholars how Indonesian women and girls have equal rights to education.
“The latest is that our clerics joined the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) clerics who went to Afghanistan. “Then, for women, Indonesia offers scholarships and training to Afghan women ” said Retno.
In December 2022, Retno added, Indonesia and Qatar will host the first international conference on Afghan women’s education. The event raised significant funds to help Afghan women.
The second conference will take place in November 2023. “All of you are invited to join this effort. We are doing all this because we want to see a peaceful and prosperous life in Afghanistan. “Politics should not be an obstacle because above politics is humanity,” Retno said.
Photo taken on December 27, 2021 shows a number of Afghan women holding a paper saying they are protesting restrictions on women’s activities by the ruling Taliban group.
Indonesian Ambassador to the UN Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir, in interviews with journalists in New York, said the meeting was an event to help Afghan women. This is a way of providing a platform for Afghan women to voice their concerns.
The meeting on Afghan women’s solidarity, Arrmanatha said, was organized to raise awareness of the issue so that it receives attention within and outside the UN. “There are a lot of bad situations in this world. The issues are numerous. However, if the UN discusses it, if the UN Secretary General speaks, it will attract a lot of attention, especially from the media. “This is one of the goals of the event, so that women’s issues in Afghanistan get attention,” he said.
On the other hand, the initiative of countries to sponsor certain issues will shape the profile of that country. “For example, Indonesia is known for actively promoting the issue of Afghan women,” Arrmanatha said.
Ireland, although a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, holds the Afghanistan portfolio. Meanwhile, Canada has long been known as a country that speaks out on humanitarian issues.
Afghan women walk past a closed beauty salon in Kabul, September 11, 2021.
As reported by Saudi media, ArabicNews, Asila Wardak, former director general for United Nations affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said restrictions in her country prohibit Afghan women and girls from receiving education, going to parks, move freely, access health services and travel. These restrictions affect their mental health and are not inspired by Islam or Afghan culture.
“The way they (the Taliban) present Islam is very dangerous for this region and also for the Islamic community, because I am sure there are many extremists in a number of Islamic countries, and they will imitate then what they’re doing, what the what the Taliban are doing in Afghanistan,” Wardak said.
Habiba Sarabi, cited Arab News, calls on Muslim-majority countries to show the world that the Taliban’s oppressive policies towards women and girls do not reflect true Islamic values. “The Taliban want to take us back hundreds of years in the name of Islam. “Please show the world that what they are doing does not reflect true Islamic values,” Sarabi said.
Sarabi therefore urges the international community to continue to exert public and private pressure to prevent the normalization of gender apartheid by the Taliban. This advocacy also aims to place the issue of Afghan women at all levels, tables and international diplomatic forums.
“Professional communicator. General music practitioner. Passionate organizer. Evil twitter fan.”
