UN welcomes Afghan talks with the Taliban, urges cease-fire
Source: The Washington Post
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday welcoming the start of negotiations between Afghan representatives and the Taliban, encouraging the warring parties to engage in good faith and aim for a permanent cease-fire and political settlement to their 19-year conflict.
The resolution, which also extended the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan into next September, also strongly encourages the parties “to continue pursuing confidence-building measures including additional reductions in violence.”
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The Security Council called for women and young people to be included in peace negotiations and underlined “that the economic, social, political and development gains made in the last 19 years, including in the field of human rights, especially the rights of women, children and minorities, must be protected and built upon.”
Read more here.
South Sudan Peace Activist Receives US Institute of Peace Award
Source: VOA
South Sudanese peace activist Rita Lopidia Abraham received the 2020 Women Building Peace Award on Tuesday from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) based in Washington, D.C. Abraham told South Sudan In Focus that her struggle for peace in South Sudan has been an uphill task full of threats from men at the negotiating table.
“Sometimes when you talk to the parties and you speak truth to power, people seem to misunderstand you,” she said. “This is very sad, because at the end of the day, the purpose is for peace. But with the warring parties (in South Sudan), it’s not always the case.’’
Read more here.
350 women from Turkey and Greece make a call for peace
Source: Bianet
Women from Greece and Turkey have made a call for peace in the face of escalating tensions between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterraenan. Initiated by women’s rights activist Gülseren Onanç, the joint declaration entitled “A Call for Peace” has been signed by 350 women.
In their joint call, women have reiterated their “determination to strive for peace in the Aegean, enhance shared culture, and embrace solidarity and friendship despite the patriarchal system that threatens the world.”
Read the full statement here.
