Afghanistan's new government should commit to including women on the negotiating team for any future peace talks with the Taliban, Human Rights Watch said Sunday.
On February 24, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said that peace talks would begin "within weeks" but declined to provide any additional details.
These would be the first negotiations since the government of President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah assumed office in September 2014.
"If peace talks in Afghanistan move forward, all parties should ensure that women have a meaningful presence on the negotiating teams," said Heather Barr, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"President Ghani should protect human rights - especially women's rights - by including women on the government's negotiating team."