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Fortune Magazine ranks Fawzia Koofi among top 50 world leaders
Fortune Magazine has listed Afghan women’s rights activist and former MP Fawzia Koofi among the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.
Koofi is currently a key member of the Afghan Republic’s peace talks team and has regularly taken her seat, along with three other Afghan women, across the talks tables with the Taliban in Doha.
Fortune Magazine has ranked Koofi as number 40 in the world and stated that “being one of the few women in the room is tough enough, but when she enters peace talks with the Taliban, she’s not only vastly outnumbered by men, she’s also sitting across from the militant group that imprisoned her late husband and tried to kill her at least once”.
The Taliban targeted her convoy in 2010, and an unidentified gunman shot her in August 2020.
But Koofi remains unintimidated and quick to speak her mind. On recent developments around the withdrawal of foreign forces, she has said this decision is a “moral defeat” that could jeopardize negotiations with the Taliban.
But, as Fortune Magazine stated, she’s determined to press on because “we know that an inclusive Afghanistan is the only path to a lasting, just peace and end to the war.”
Last year Koofi won the CASA Asia award for “diversity and sustainable development” for her support of the rights of women and children, her role in the peace process and her commitment to the education of girls and women.
The winners of the Casa Asia 2021 Awards were announced in Madrid, Spain after judges considered 52 nominations submitted in four categories.
Koofi is from Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan – the province she represented as an Afghan MP in the Wolesi Jirga, Lower House of Parliament.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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