London School of Economics and Political Science
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, 29th February 2024
Delivered at 18:15, 29 February 2024, London – Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi MBE speech in full:
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Afghanistan and Central Asian conference Building a better future for the people of Afghanistan: More plural politics.
Thank you to the London School of Economics for providing us with this room in the central London location for this important event.
I am grateful to our speakers and panel members for giving up their time for this evening and I look forward to hearing their contributions, as we consider the current challenges and the strategies necessary to create a better future for the people of Afghanistan, in the face of the Taliban’s barbaric dictatorship.
Importantly, today the Coalition for Afghanistan’s Future launches its consultation to build a new road map for Afghanistan, a first step in the creation of a manifesto for Afghanistan’s future. Our children must have a future.
The prospect of that relies on us, Afghanistan’s diasporas and our allies in Afghanistan.
We must develop a political alternative to the Taliban, a future that embraces – more plural politics, develops civil society, progresses educational opportunities for all, and engages the progressive international community, in particular the UN, in this cause.
We need to see Afghanistan free from the tyranny of the Taliban and our nation’s institutions of government rebuilt.
At this time, that means deeper consideration of how vital humanitarian aid is delivered to those poor children who need it most.
It is through the innovative delivery of humanitarian support that we can start to sow the seeds of change across our country’s communities.
I hope this evening we will hear ideas of how to move on from the existing crisis.
We have structured our conference to give you a good time to hear from our experts and panelists, but I also want to hear from you.
If we, as the diasporas from Afghanistan, come together, united behind the purpose of a transparent pluralist manifesto for Afghanistan, the future of our country can be changed.
That is why I have set up the Coalition for Afghanistan’s Future, a movement for Afghanistan people to champion change, and a movement that governments, the International Community, the UN, must engage with to promote solutions for Afghanistan’s society.
Under the Taliban the situation continues to deteriorate – people are starving, education is failing, and national infrastructure fails. The health system is a disaster and emigration continues.
According to the Fragile State Index, under Taliban rule the country has dropped to the sixth most fragile state in the world.
All of us here know that human rights abuses continue.
The Coalition for Afghanistan’s Future will keep international attention on Afghanistan – sadly we live in a world that has seen a recent acceleration in human tragedy driven by dictators and extremists.
Afghanistan must not be forgotten as these other events unfold.
As I have said, I am driven by a vision of Afghanistan – where our children have a future, where women have access to education and employment, where people can live free from fear.
Urgent action is needed to change Afghanistan’s political landscape and address the humanitarian crisis.
It is time for the diasporas of Afghanistan to come together and build a roadmap for our nation’s future. A future that rejects violence and a future based on peace and stability.
The consultation programme being launched today will enable us to develop the roadmap that champions that future – human rights, education, economy and rule of law.
The Coalition for Afghanistan’s Future looks forwards, not back.
We must move beyond tribal divisions. Our work is to inspire the diasporas from Afghanistan around the world, to work for a future free from the Taliban’s hegemony.
As we launch our consultation to develop the new roadmap, the Coalition for Afghanistan’s Future asks you to join us as we work together to deliver our vision for our nation.
Together we will provide a platform and agenda that the international community can support. That international support is vital if we are to build a new future.
The Coalition for Afghanistan’s Future will always champion the alternative future for Afghanistan, and the region – the future that puts people first.