I want to be effective

She is studying International Relations and has worked in several judicial institutions in the country. She will represent Afghan youths at the United Nations Security Council. She said that, as a young Afghan girl, her presence in such an important meeting is of great value, and that she will try to have  a positive  influence on her audience by presenting reasonable and logical speeches and argumentations.

In an interview with the CSHRN, Ms. Zadran, Afghanistan’s new youth representative to the United Nations, said that she has planned to present a logical diplomatic speech to convince the UN  for its continuous support towards Afghanistan.

CSHRN: What is the mission and responsibility of youth representation at the United Nations?

Zadran: Representing youth at the United Nations is a one-year volunteer  mission. During this one year, we communicate with girls and boys from different provinces, online or in person, and gather their views on key issues in the country. We are focused on the issue of peace; because its importance overshadows all other issues. At the UN meetings, we will present the views of the youth written in a  statement. Eventually, the response of the participants at the forum will be shared with the youths. Another main responsibility is to advocate for youth-related policies reforms including reducing youth unemployment, and improving quality of lives of youth.

CSHRN: How can youth’s presence benefit the peace talks?

The negotiating team is very political and is influenced by the government. I think that in this political game, youths are under-represented. Unfortunately, the negotiating team members are not sympathetic to the people, and act based on the government’s plans.

CSHRN: What is your prediction of peace outcome?

Zadran: At this point, we should not leap to any conclusions. A positive or negative result cannot be ensured.  However, I must say that there is still hope that values such as the constitution, the republic system, and women’s rights will not be sacrificed.

CSHRN: How do you imagine Afghanistan’s women situation after the peace talks?

Zadran: If the negotiations succeed, the Taliban will share power with the government. However, they do not have power like during their rule in the past. With regards to women, they cannot relapse to the past, because they have realized that their approach is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan and the world. Furthermore, the social media does not allow the Taliban’s crimes to remain hidden. Today’s Afghan women are much stronger and more vigilant than those of two decades ago.  In the past, when the Taliban came to power, after a fierce civil war, people were more concerned about their economic problems. But now that the society has flourished, and women’s primary concerns are not food and shelter. Today, Afghanistan has active and intelligent women who work in different parts of the country, both for themselves and for women living in rural and remote areas.

Ms. Zadran added that, as the youth’s representative, her main focus is not  issues of women, but she will take the opportunity to talk about it.