Event Date: September 18, 2024 - 9:00am to 5:30pm
Location: FSS 4007, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Registration: Google Forms

Presented by CIPS and the Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa

Join us in-person on September 18, 2024 for a full day conference on Afghanistan entitled “Changing the Approach and Reversing the Trajectory”. The Conference will discuss the current multifaceted crisis in Afghanistan with a focus on the ongoing international efforts to adopt and implement a new integrated approach to Afghanistan. 

The Conference will bring together Afghan, regional and international experts who will engage in three panel discussions around key topics of humanitarian crisis, human rights situation, political process and counter-terrorism. 

Agenda:

9:00am–9:30am – Registration

9:30am–10:00am – Opening Session

10:00am–12:00pm – Panel 1: A Human Rights Catastrophe During a Humanitarian Crisis: Ongoing Efforts and Current Challenges

12:00pm-1:30pm – Lunch Break

1:30pm–3:30pm – Panel 2: Political Process: Prospects for Peace and Stability

3:30pm–3:45pm – Tea/Coffee Break

3:45pm–5:30pm – Panel 3: Counter Terrorism: Regional Cooperation and International Engagement

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 was a tragic turning point in Afghanistan’s recent history, plunging the country into a dark trajectory and a multifaceted crisis with devastating consequences for the people of Afghanistan and dangerous implications for the region and the wider world. The Taliban lack legitimacy, and their approach to governance, human rights and international relations is incompatible with international norms.

Afghanistan, under the Taliban, continues to face one of the largest humanitarian crises at a global level. The human rights situation remains alarming, and every aspect of women’s and girls’ lives has been restricted by some of the most repressive policies and practices, which, according to many international legal experts and human rights defenders, amount to gender apartheid. The Taliban have consistently rejected all national and international appeals for a political process and an inclusive system and continue to rule unilaterally in a country that is known for having a diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and multi-cultural society. In addition to this, several known terrorist groups have been able to find new space under the Taliban and expand their activities in the country.

As highlighted by many Afghan and international stakeholders, including under the recent UN assessment on Afghanistan, the status quo of international efforts on Afghanistan is not working and the international community needs a new approach to respond more effectively to the current multifaceted crisis in Afghanistan.