As talks between the US and Taliban raise hopes for peace in Afghanistan, mothers are mobilising inside and outside the country to hold on to their right to educate their daughters.

Sahraa Karimi is a film director living in Afghanistan. She comes from the 2nd generation of refugees who fled Afghanistan for a new life in Iran. Sahraa has received huge acclaim for her fiction feature debut film "Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” that had its world premiere at the recent Venice Film Festival. Shot entirely in Kabul with Afghan actors, the film reflects Karimi’s desire to “go beyond [Western] clichés, and to find new stories, new perspectives” about life as an Afghan woman.

Anne-Claire de Liedekerke (@MMM4Mothers) is President of Make Mothers Matter - MMM is an international NGO that believes in the power of mothers to make the world a better place and supports the worldwide campaign in solidarity with Afghan mothers.

Staffan de Mistura is Former Under-Secretary-General & UN Special Envoy for Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon.

Rahela Sidiqi (@FarkhundaTrust) is Founding Director of Farkhunda Trust for Afghan Women’s Education.

Marika Theros (@meeksas) is Research Fellow at the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit, LSE.

The Conflict and Civil Society Unit ( @LSE_CCS) builds on the work of the Civil Society and Human Security unit and was renamed in 2017 to reflect the changing focus of the research being undertaken. The core concern of the unit remains the desire to better understand the ways in which ordinary people seek to shape the decisions that affect their lives, with a particular focus on those experiencing conflict, prolonged violence, or war.   

The Department of International Development (@LSE_ID) was established in 1990 as the Development Studies Institute (DESTIN) to promote interdisciplinary postgraduate teaching and research on processes of social, political and economic development and change.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEMothers

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from Mobilising for Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan: a global mothers' campaign.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.

Slides

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is available for download:

Mobilising for Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan: a global mothers' campaign.