Current peace talks 

On February 25, 2019 the United States, led by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, began peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. Whilst a number of Taliban leaders, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, were present, women, young people and the elected representatives of Afghanistan were absent, raising concerns across Afghanistan and abroad about the viability, legitimacy and sustainability of a peace deal struck with violent actors. 

This coalition and all its partners, members and supporters across Afghanistan welcome all steps to creating peace, where the number of innocent people killed or maimed rose by 36 percent in 2018.  However, any deal that hands over power to many of the same actors who perpetrate extreme violence against civilians is unlikely to end the cycle of violence against Afghans civilians and to create peace.   

We also want to recognize that the push for peace began through the grassroots efforts of Afghan citizens, whose extraordinary response across the country has demonstrated their vision and desire for a peace that is sustainable and one that safeguards the interests of all Afghans. 

Our key concerns are:

• Protecting women’s rights 
• Safeguarding the constitution 
• Safeguarding the democratic state
• Calling for more transparency around the current talks 
  

Afghanistan today

Despite decades of ongoing conflict, Afghan people have realized significant, tangible developments in their own lives and in society more broadly. Foreign aid and humanitarian assistance have contributed to these improvements, but Afghans themselves have been the agents and executors of such labour.  But these victories are hard-won. Every day, Afghans risk their lives to assert their fundamental rights—to education, free expression, employment, peace and well-being— through their unwearied commitment to their communities and country.

• Afghanistan’s GDP has grown to five times its previous size following the US Invasion in 2002. Per capita, the average GDP increase is nearly 64% over the same time period. Resultantly, Afghanistan’s Human Development Index has improved nearly 20% since 2005, moving it up from 232rd in the world to 168th.
• Afghanistan gained a constitution that protects the rights on women and minorities, and stipulates 27.7% female representation in Afghanistan’s Parliament. This on par with Canada’s level of women in politics, and is better than both the US (23.4%) and Ireland (22%). The Taliban’s tyranny has not extinguished Afghan women’s desire for equality. The most recent election saw the highest number of female candidates to date, fielding 417 female politicians.
• 68% of Afghans are younger than 25 years old. They are a wealth of potential for the beleaguered country. From 2015, youth literacy has risen from 47% to 58%, whereas the total population is only 31% literate.

These achievements have only been earned through the Afghan’s unassailable desire for peace, and willingness to practice it. 2018 saw multiple grass-roots movements demanding an end to violence.  Most notably, several cross-country marches were organized to draw attention to the continued violence against civilians. Hundreds of women marched in Kabul on International Women’s Day. Over 68 percent of Afghans believe that the Taliban pose the greatest threat to Afghanistan and the Taliban are viewed as discredits actors who do not have real intentions to make peace. 

We have been asking young Afghans across the country to tells us what peace means to them, you can view some of these videos here. If you would like to share a video with #Time4RealPeace please send it via our Facebook page.