Today is International Women’s Day, a holiday that celebrates the goal of women’s equality here and worldwide. The Feminist Majority Foundation has been closely involved in the fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan for over 20 years. Despite Afghan women and girls’ gains and the establishment of a constitutional democracy, the Trump administration and Taliban leaders have signed an egregious agreement that omits women’s rights, human rights, and democracy.

The agreement focuses on the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used by terrorist groups to threaten the U.S. and its allies’ security. In this agreement, there is no way to monitor or verify whether or not the Taliban keeps its’ agreement.

While U.S. officials did not include the issue of women’s rights, human rights, or the Afghan government in the U.S.-Taliban agreement, it is imperative that they are addressed in the negotiations, which are to begin on March 10, between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The Taliban must not succeed in rolling back the progress that has been made with so much blood and treasure by Afghans, the U.S., and our international allies. The Afghan people, especially Afghan women, have made it clear time and again that they do not want to go back to live under the Taliban rule.

The agreement also makes no commitment to preserve and continue the amazing progress achieved in education, healthcare, security, and freedom of the media over the last two decades. These exclusions have alarmed Afghan women leaders and their allies. Afghan women leaders have implored “don’t trade away women’s rights to the Taliban. Put us at the table.”

The exclusion of women from these negotiations was a clear violation of the U.S. Women Peace and Security Act, passed into law in 2017.

The Taliban has continuously refused to recognize the democratically elected government of Afghanistan, its Constitution and to renounce its own desire to rule. They have shown no progress in cruelly denying women their human rights.

Afghans have made it clear that they want to have a modern, free and secure life which includes access to education, healthcare, and freedom of the media and with human rights for all.

This agreement between the U.S.-Taliban violates the Chicago Summit on Afghanistan, which guarantees support to the “sovereign” Afghan government until 2024. The violation of the Chicago agreement and others threatens the U.S. reputation in honoring its international commitments.

While appearing neutral, the U.S. in this agreement with the Taliban is obliterating any recognition of the Afghan government and its people. The agreement says “…the Taliban will start intra-Afghan negotiations with Afghan sides….” In omitting the Afghan government, the U.S. Trump Administration is undermining the Afghan government, its legitimacy, and its hard work in creating relative stability and progress.

Finally, the terms of the agreement are not practical or enforceable. This agreement endangers our national security, the geopolitical stability of the region and the national security of Afghanistan. To trust the Taliban with our security would make a mockery of all the sacrifices of the Afghan people, the U.S., NATO and the international community. Also, to ignore the lives and rights of one-half of the Afghan people is not a road to peace.

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