On Wednesday, the House passed the Fiscal Year 2022 State, Foreign Operations, and Relating Programs appropriations bill. The bill contains several provisions that work to advance sexual health and reproductive rights across the globe. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Subcommittee Chair, first wrote the bill and spearheaded its […]
Thousands of People Celebrate Pride in Hungary Despite Anti-LGBTQ Legislation
On Saturday, 300,000 people marched in Budapest for the annual Pride parade to both celebrate Pride and protest the Hungarian government’s recent homophobic legislation. The Hungarian Parliament passed a law in June that restricts media seen to promote homosexuality or gender nonconformity. Content that is considered to do so must be labeled as “not recommended […]
Mary Simon Named First Indigenous Governor-General of Canada
On Tuesday, Inuit rights advocate and former diplomat Mary Simon was named Governor-General by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Simon is the first Indigenous person to occupy the role, where she will represent Queen Elizabeth II, Canada’s head of state. In the position, Simon will also execute necessary state duties and serve as the commander-in-chief […]
Friends of Afghanistan Urge NATO and EU to Continue Support for Afghanistan
In a letter signed by prominent leaders and individuals worldwide, friends and supporters of Afghanistan urged NATO and the European Union that as U.S. and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan, “we must not abandon the Afghan people and their democratic republic.” The letter signed by former foreign ministers, former ambassadors to Afghanistan, diplomats, along with […]
VP Harris Gives Remarks on Gender Equality at UN Women’s Summit
On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris led the U.S. virtual delegation and gave remarks at the United Nation’s Generation Equality Forum, nearly a generation after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that “women’s rights are human rights” on an international stage. Harris, the first woman, first Black and first AAPI person to hold the […]
Biden Pledges Support to Afghanistan Despite the US Troop Withdrawal
On June 25th in a state visit by the president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, President Biden pledged to continue to support Afghanistan, assuring the Afghan delegation that the United States will “maintain their military, as well as economic and political support.” While vowing to continue the support to the Afghan people, President Biden also stressed […]
Laurel Hubbard to Become the First Openly Transgender Olympian
Laurel Hubbard, a New Zealand weightlifter, will become the first ever openly transgender individual to compete at the Olympics. She has been selected as a member of the New Zealand women’s weightlifting team for this summer’s Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. Hubbard will compete in the 87-kilogram women’s category. She suffered a potentially career-ending arm injury […]
Taliban Responsible for Great Majority of Attacks on Afghans, Says the U.N.
Signs of the Taliban reducing violence and committing to genuine and serious peace talks are far from sight, suggests a new report by the U.N. sounding the alarm that “unprecedented” level of violence from 2020 has carried onto 2021 and is likely to increase more this year. According to the report, the group “continues to strengthen its […]
Voices from Kabul, Afghanistan: “You Can Take Our Lives, But Not Our Education”
This opinion piece is by Zareen Taj, originally written for Ms. Monday morning, I received more than 40 pictures and six video clips from the horrific mass killing of innocent Hazara girls in Kabul on Saturday. I cannot stop screaming. They were too young and full of dreams to have their lives cut so tragically […]
Hillary Clinton Warns of “Huge Consequences” on Biden’s Decision to Withdraw from Afghanistan
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Secretary Hillary Clinton appeared critical of President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and stated that the U.S. “has to focus on two huge consequences” for Afghanistan. “This is what we call a wicked problem. “There are consequences both foreseen and unintended of staying and of leaving,” she […]
Senators on Both Sides of the Aisle Express Concern About Women’s Rights Post- US Withdrawal from Afghanistan
In a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week, senators from across the political spectrum expressed concerns about the security situation in Afghanistan post- U.S. and NATO withdrawal this year. Members also appeared tense in their questioning of the U.S. government’s special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad. Committee members repeatedly expressed their concerns […]
Afghan Women Negotiators Warn of “State Collapse” Should the US Leave Too Soon
In a hearing held by the Women, Peace, and Security Caucus, Afghan women negotiators emphasized that the United States’ support is critical to the peace process and democracy and that the U.S. “leaving should not result in state collapse and collapse of institutions.” The Afghan women negotiators cautioned that the Afghan peace process requires patience, […]
Afghan Women Reject US Peace Proposal: “Is This What American Democracy Looks Like?”
In response to the new US-proposed agreement for peace in Afghanistan, Afghan women’s groups and their leaders shared their dismay and stated that the agreement is proposed “without consulting Afghans and particularly Afghan women, who have made the greatest sacrifices over these four decades of war.” Their statement comes days after mounting frustrations among the […]
Afghanistan: Afghan Women Journalists Facing Rising Violence
A new report by the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reveals that in the past 6 months, there has been an 18% reduction in the number of women working for the media in Afghanistan. This decline comes amidst the ongoing violence and increased level of threats targeted at journalists and those working with the media. Women receive […]
More Afghans Killed During Peace Talks
A new report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) reveals that the Taliban attacks increased when the intra-Afghan peace talks began in September of 2020. The report also indicates that the overall number of Afghans being killed in 2020 had decreased by 15% compared to 2019. In contrast to the past […]
New Zealand Schools Will Begin Offering Free Menstrual Products to All Students
Today, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced that all schools will make free menstrual products available to students for the next three years in an effort to alleviate period poverty, the lack of access to menstrual products that negatively affects employment, education, and health. Arden’s announcement follows a six-month pilot program which involved 3,200 […]
Saudi Women’s Rights Activist Loujan al-Hathloul Released From Prison
Prominent Saudi women’s rights activist Loujan al-Hathloul has been released from prison after 1,001 days of incarceration on what many have called bogus politically motivated charges. The move by the Saudi Arabian government is an overture to the new Biden administration and an attempt to assuage their criticisms of the country’s egregious human rights violations. […]
Afghanistan Study Group Warns Against U.S. Troop Withdrawal
A new report released by the Afghanistan Study Group has concluded that removing U.S. troops will lead to a civil war in Afghanistan. The group suggests changing the date, currently set for May 1 this year. “A precipitous U.S. withdrawal is likely to exacerbate the conflict, provoking a wider civil war,” the report reads. It […]
Activists in Poland Seek Support for Reversing Abortion Law
After the Polish constitutional court issued a ruling in October that imposed a near-total ban on abortion in the country, over one hundred thousand Polish activsts have been been protesting the law, now for over 100 days. These protests are the largest mass protest movement that the country has seen in its post-communist era. Yesterday, […]
Biden Administration to Review US-Taliban Agreement
In a conversation with Afghan National Security advisor Hamdullah Mohib, President Biden’s National Security advisor Jake Sullivan once again relayed that the Biden administration will review and assess the Doha Agreement, signed by the Trump administration and the Taliban. Sullivan also ensured US support “for protecting the extraordinary gains made by Afghan women, girls, and […]
