The Afghan diaspora in the United State has called on all stakeholders, and peace initiatives including the U.S., Afghan government, and Taliban to guarantee inclusion of all Afghan State representatives in the ongoing peace talks.

The Afghan-American diaspora, in a statement, has welcomed the ongoing peace talks on Afghanistan and called it a “vital step” towards the restoration of peace and stability in their war-torn country.

According to the statement, the community has asked all initiatives to guarantee that any ongoing and future peace process will guarantee the inclusion of all the Afghan State representatives, women, youth, and minority representatives in Afghanistan.

“Since 2001, the Afghan people, the United States, and the international community have both made great sacrifices and gains, which must be respected and preserved going forward,” the statement said. 

The community has also urged all peace negotiators that any achievements that are gained during the last 18-years must be recognized and preserved as part of any negotiated peace agreement.

 “Afghan women, in particular, have made the most significant strides in exercising their fundamental human rights since 2001,” therefore,” the statement noted. 

The Afghan diaspora stressed that women’s involvement must occur at the earliest phases of peacebuilding to ensure gender inclusion; “indeed, women’s substantive role in negotiations is vital to the long-term durability of peace agreements”.

The Afghan-American diaspora stressed that any peace agreement must preserve and promotes the following values:

• Democratic processes to ensure an inclusive, legitimate political settlement;
• Mechanisms to ensure the Afghan public, including women, youth, minority, and diaspora involvement in the negotiation and implementation of a peace agreement;
• The provision of women’s meaningful participation in the peace process—not tokenism—in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for incorporating women into all facets of peacebuilding;
• Women’s rights to education, public participation, and all social, economic, political, cultural, and other human rights protected under international law;
• An independent, free press and a strong civil society;
• A commitment to combat corruption, narcotics, and drug trafficking through strong legal, policy, and accountability mechanisms;
• Preservation of the national security and defense institutions, particularly the Afghan Army, Police, and Intelligence Forces;
• The Afghan Constitution as the basis for any peace framework or agreement, including any constitutional amendments.