Female Members Of Afghan Peace Negotiating Team Join Online Meeting With Rights Activists

Two members of the Afghan government's 21-member peace negotiating team, Sharifa Zurmati Wardak and Fawzia Koofi, took part in an online meeting with Rebecca Zimmerman, a US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, as well as with a number of human rights activists to discuss the role of women in the peace process, the negotiating team said on Saturday

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th March, 2021) Two members of the Afghan government's 21-member peace negotiating team, Sharifa Zurmati Wardak and Fawzia Koofi, took part in an online meeting with Rebecca Zimmerman, a US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, as well as with a number of human rights activists to discuss the role of women in the peace process, the negotiating team said on Saturday.

"The current presence of women in various fields is the result of the continuous work of women who have fought for this and have taken the role of women seriously. These activists also include those who are unfortunately no longer with us, and the role of Afghanistan's international partners in supporting women has been much influential and important," Koofi said during the meeting.

She added that although women's presence in the peace negotiations is a big step forward, they are few in number.

"During the peace process, we have talked and consulted with women in different parts of the country and have asked them for their views and concerns," the negotiating team member added.

The peace negotiations began in the Qatari capital of Doha back in September. In early December, Kabul and the Taliban announced that they had agreed on the framework of the talks, allowing for discussions to now be held on substantive issues. However, the talks on ending a protracted war stalled this year as militant attacks continue unabated.