Dr. Sarabi and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Fawzia Koofi on The Rights of Women in the Future of Afghanistan

Join us in conversation about Afghanistan, its future and women's rights.

Dr. Habiba Sarābi is a renowned women’s rights advocate . Dr Habiba Sarabi is Deputy Chair of the High Peace Council and is one of the few women involved in current negotiations with the Taliban. During the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Dr. Habiba and her children fled to Pakistan, but returned frequently in secret. She also worked underground as a teacher for girls, both secretly in Afghanistan and in refugee camps in Pakistan for Afghan refugees .She was appointed as Governor of Bamiyan Province ( where the Taliban infamously destroyed historic Buddha statues) by President Hamid Karzai in 2005 – the first Afghan woman to become a governor of any province in the country. She previously served as Minister of Women’s Affairs as well as Minister of Culture and Education. Dr Sarabi has been instrumental in promoting women’s rights and representation and environment issues. In 2008 Time magazine included her in its list of Heroes of the Environment. In 2013, she won the Ramon MagsaysayAward.

Fawzia Koofi is an Afghan parliamentary lawmaker, author, and internationally known outspoken advocate for the rights of women and children and democracy in Afghanistan. She is first woman to lead a political party in Afghanistan, and became the Afghan parliament’s first female vice president. Koofi is one of four women representing the Afghan government negotiating the current peace talks with the Taliban. Her fight began the day she was born as she survived being left under the sun to die because she was born a girl. Her political career began in 2001 when she promoted a back-to-school campaign, championing the rights of women in Afghanistan to receive an education. She was elected to Kabul’s parliament in 2005 and later became the Afghan parliament’s first female vice president.  This past August, she survived an assassination attempt and survived another armed attempt in 2010. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year (2020), a nomination that Koofi said gave a boost to Afghan women seeking to claim their rightful role in shaping a peaceful future for Afghanistan. She has won numerous international awards including the "Emerging World Leader" title by the World Economic Forum and "50 Women with Bold Thought" by the Atlantic Council.