Fawzia Koofi's Address at the Nobel Peace Center – September 5, 2024
On September 5, 2024, Fawzia Koofi, women's rights advocate, and former deputy speaker of Afghanistan's parliament was invited to speak at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. The event focused on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, particularly the gender apartheid, and the systematic violation of Afghan women’s fundamental rights.
Koofi’s speech, titled "Freedom, Education, Work": The Fight for Basic Rights in Afghanistan," called for international recognition of the gender-based oppression occurring in Afghanistan and the urgent need for global action.
Koofi emphasized that Afghanistan is currently experiencing a form of gender apartheid, where Inside Afghanistan policies systematically oppress 17 million Afghan women. These restrictions, which prohibit women from speaking in public, receiving education, or participating in the workforce, effectively render them invisible in Afghan society. Koofi called on the global community to officially recognize these practices as crimes against humanity.
Koofi shared heartbreaking stories from women inside Afghanistan. She told the audience about a widow who struggled to take her sick child to the hospital because no taxi driver would stop for her due to imposed restrictions on women.
Koofi emphasized that Afghanistan is currently experiencing a form of gender apartheid, where Inside Afghanistan policies systematically oppress 17 million Afghan women. These restrictions, which prohibit women from speaking in public, receiving education, or participating in the workforce, effectively render them invisible in Afghan society. Koofi called on the global community to officially recognize these practices as crimes against humanity.
Koofi shared heartbreaking stories from women inside Afghanistan. She told the audience about a widow who struggled to take her sick child to the hospital because no taxi driver would stop for her due to imposed restrictions on women.
In her speech, Koofi highlighted the link between women’s rights, economic stability, and global security. By excluding women from education and the workforce, Koofi argued that the lack of hope and opportunity for Afghan citizens, particularly women, creates fertile ground for extremism, which could pose a significant threat to global security.
She called for a stronger, principle-driven approach that ensures the protection of human rights, especially those of women, and emphasized the need for the global community to stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan. Koofi’s speech at the Nobel Peace Center was a powerful reminder of the critical role that women’s rights play in the broader struggle for peace, security, and equality in Afghanistan and beyond and address served as a call to action for policymakers, human rights organizations, and global leaders to take concrete steps toward holding the Taliban accountable for their human rights violations and to support Afghan women in their continued fight for freedom, education, and work and Stated to stand in the right side of history.
Event Details:
Date: September 5, 2024
Location: Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway
Speaker: Fawzia Koofi, Afghan Politician and Women’s Rights Advocate
She called for a stronger, principle-driven approach that ensures the protection of human rights, especially those of women, and emphasized the need for the global community to stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan. Koofi’s speech at the Nobel Peace Center was a powerful reminder of the critical role that women’s rights play in the broader struggle for peace, security, and equality in Afghanistan and beyond and address served as a call to action for policymakers, human rights organizations, and global leaders to take concrete steps toward holding the Taliban accountable for their human rights violations and to support Afghan women in their continued fight for freedom, education, and work and Stated to stand in the right side of history.
Event Details:
Date: September 5, 2024
Location: Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway
Speaker: Fawzia Koofi, Afghan Politician and Women’s Rights Advocate
