Photo By Lt.j.g. Margaret Taylor | Agha Sherzai, the governor of Nangarhar province, speaks at the beginning of a...... read more read more
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NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Approximately 200 government officials and prominent members of the local community gathered at the provincial governor’s palace in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, for a women’s peace conference, Sept. 22.
The event, titled “Participation of Women in Peace Building,” featured speeches from several men and women from the Afghan High Peace Council and the regional government, and concluded with a panel discussion between AHPC representatives and members of the audience. The conference was the first of its kind in eastern Afghanistan.
Throughout the morning, speakers mentioned the deeds of former Afghan president and former chair of the AHPC, Burhanuddin Rabani, as examples for peace-building. Rabani’s work ended with his assassination by enemies of the country in 2011; he is now known as the “Martyr of Peace.”
The gathering began with an invocation by a mullah, after which the governor of Nangarhar, Agha Sherzai, gave a brief opening address.
“Women create community and society; women are mothers, sisters,” Sherzai said. “Women can help stop the fighting in their cities and villages by talking to their sons and husbands, and they are an important part of building peace.”
In addition to stressing the importance of women’s influence in the home, Sherzai acknowledged the peace-building work of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan over the last 13 years. He gave a nod to U.S. service members present in the audience, and pledged that their efforts will not go wasted in the future.
“I thank the international community and international security forces for sacrificing their lives,” the governor said. “All Afghan men and women will stand together to bring peace and stability once again.”
After Sherzai’s speech, other members of the AHPC gave addresses about the need for peace. Sediqa Balkhi, who is one of the first women appointed to the Meshrano Jirga, a part of the National Assembly of Afghanistan, stressed the religious significance of women in the labor for peace.
“Allah said: ‘Hold fast to the rope of Allah; be not divided among yourselves,’” Balkhi said. “By eliminating the gender problem, we can all – men, women and youths – work together to bring peace to our country, and build an independent and peaceful Afghanistan.”
The councilwoman, in the same vein as Sherzai, emphasized the need for peace-building within the family, and then she outlined the direction successful efforts will take.
“Let us start by bringing peace from our own homes and villages to our country,” Balkhi said. “The more we are patient, and turn away from ignorance and factions, the more we bring peace to Afghanistan.”
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2013 07:37 |
| Story ID: | 114424 |
| Location: | NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Conference concludes peace needs a woman’s touch, by LTJG Margaret Taylor, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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