Women in Afghanistan have been subjected to a Gender Apartheid regime under the Taliban since August 2021, which has resulted in an erosion of their rights and freedoms. In this context, the experience of the Iran women advocacy model could prove to be an important tool for promoting women’s rights and challenging the Taliban’s Gender Apartheid.

Given the urgency and importance of the matter, SPIA-Afghanistan Policy Lab at Princeton University is hosting a high-level panel to discuss how Afghan and Iranian women have been engaged in a struggle for their rights and have inspired each other in the process.

Speakers:

Mariam Memarsadeghi is founder/director of Cyrus Forum for Iran’s Future and senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Dr. Habiba Sarabi is a politician and reformer of the reconstruction of Afghanistan after the Taliban first took power.

Naheed Farid is a former member of the Afghanistan Parliament and a professional specialist at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs-Afghanistan Policy Lab.

Lily Pourzand is the director of programs and services at Sandgate Women’s Shelter.

Moderator:

Ambassador Adela Raz served as the last ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States and the first woman to hold the office of permanent representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations. She is currently the director of Afghanistan Policy Lab at the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.