Anti-Taliban political and civil figures are set to gather at the Belgian Senate on Tuesday for talks focused on the role of women within Afghanistan’s democratic opposition, organizers said, as international concern grows over the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls since returning to power in 2021.
The European Endowment for Democracy said the event, scheduled for March 17 in Brussels, will be organized in partnership with the Afghanistan Women’s Diplomatic Network and Independent Diplomat, with support from Belgian Sen. Viviane Teitelbaum.
The in-person colloquium, titled “The Role of Women within Afghanistan’s Democratic Opposition,” will take place in the hemicycle of the Belgian Senate and bring together European officials and Afghan political and civil society figures.
Organizers said the meeting will examine the role of Afghan women in civil and democratic resistance to Taliban rule and explore how European and international partners can support Afghan-led efforts toward what they describe as a free, inclusive and democratic Afghanistan.
According to the organizers, women have been largely excluded from public life since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, a situation many activists describe as “gender apartheid.” Despite this, the foundation said women continue to play a leading role in democratic resistance and advocacy efforts.
Participants expected at the meeting include Shukria Barakzai, head of the Afghanistan Women’s Coalition for Justice; Nargis Nehan, founder of the Farageer initiative; Zalmay Neshat, executive director of the Global Mosaic Foundation; Masouma Khavari of the National Resistance Council; and Wazhma Tokhi, a youth advocate for women and quality education.
Other Afghan figures listed to attend include Rahila Dostum, head of the Dostum Foundation; Abdullah Khinjani, head of the political committee of the National Resistance Front; Negara Mirdad, founder of the Afghanistan Women’s Diplomatic Network; Daud Naji, head of the political committee of the Afghanistan Freedom Front; and former lawmaker Khalid Pashtun.
European officials expected at the event include Valerie De Bue, vice president of the Belgian Senate; Teitelbaum; Sophie Wilmès, vice president of the European Parliament; Isabelle Rome, France’s ambassador for human rights and Holocaust remembrance; and Hadja Lahbib, European commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management.
Organizers said discussions will focus on women’s resistance to Taliban policies, the concept of gender apartheid and ways to strengthen political opposition voices.
In 2025, the Belgian Senate and the European Parliament adopted resolutions condemning the Taliban’s treatment of women and calling for stronger international action to support Afghanistan’s women and human rights groups.
