With the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Human Rights Award 2023, the FES honours the unwavering commitment of Afghan human rights activist Shaharzad Akbar and her courageous engagement as the last Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) from 2019 to 2021. She is an impartial voice for democracy and human rights, and did not only criticise the Taliban, but also the Afghan government and the international community during the years of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. She is a genuine advocate for the human rights of all Afghans and set an example for dialog and reconciliation with her participation in the intra-Afghan peace conference in 2019 in a country torn apart by more than 40 years of war.
Today, she lives in exile with her family and continues to raise awareness of the desolate situation in her home country and the resistance of Afghan women against the Taliban regime with her work as head of the human rights organization Rawadari.
She is acknowledged as an international voice providing guidance for dealing with the de facto authorities in Afghanistan and to overcome injustice by dialogue and reconciliation through her uncompromising stance on human rights and the rights of women.
The presentation of the FES Human Rights Award 2023 to the Afghan human rights activist Shaharzad Akbar sends a signal of unbroken solidarity with the Afghan people, who have been suffering under catastrophic humanitarian conditions since the Taliban took power in August 2021. This signal is closely connected to the important discussion on the lessons learned from 20 years of German and international engagement in Afghanistan and the future of Afghanistan.
The Afghan human rights activist Shaharzad Akbar has been advocating for an inclusive and democratic future for Afghanistan since her youth. Born in northern Afghanistan in 1987, her childhood was marked by her family's escape to Pakistan from the Taliban in 1996. After her bachelor's degree in Anthropology at Smith College in the USA, Shaharzad Akbar became the first Afghan woman to complete a postgraduate degree and MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford University. She is an alumna of the FES Afghanistan Young Leaders Forum (YLF), a mentoring programme from 2004 to 2021 for young Afghan leaders in government, civil society, trade unions, media and academia.
As Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) from 2019 to 2021, Shaharzad Akbar gained international recognition. She on various occasions spoke at the United Nations Security Council and various international fora. Under her leadership, the AIHRC was a trusted point of contact for all Afghans to document human rights violations and advocate for the protection of their rights. Previously, Akbar was a member of the National Security Council and of various development councils of the Afghan government. From 2014 to 2017, she was Country Director of the Open Society Foundation's office in Afghanistan. Shaharzad Akbar was the first chairperson of the 1400 Afghanistan Youth Movement, which she co-founded in 2012. Exemplary for her commitment, the movement's goal was to develop a democratic and inclusive vision of the future across ethnic, religious and political boundaries.
Today, she lives in exile with her family. She heads Rawadari, a human rights organization which campaigns for human rights in Afghanistan, and is a visiting lecturer at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. In 2021, she was awarded the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law and was a finalist for the Sakharov Prize.
Responsible:
Martin Mader,
Desk Officer South Asia
Asia and Pacific Department
Email: Martin.Mader(at)fes.de
Organization:
Diego Schumacher
Asia and Pacific Department
Email: Diego.Schumacher(at)fes.de
Registration
Opening
Mirco Günther, Head of Department Asia & Pacific, Friedrich-Eebert-Stiftung
Welcome
Dr Sabine Fandrych, Secretary General, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Laudatio
Reem Alabali-Radovan, Member of Parliament, Minister of State for Migration, Refugees and Integration and Federal Commissioner for Anti-Racism
Presentation of the honorary certificate of the FES Human Rights Award 2023 by Dr Sabine Fandrych
Speech of the Award Winner
Shaharzad Akbar, former Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and Director of Rawadari
Panel Discussion
What future for Afghanistan? Dialogue, Human Rights, Taliban
Fascilitation: Dr Almut Wieland-Karimi, Policy Advisor, former Director of the Center for International Peace Operations and FES Kabul Office
Reception
End of the event
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Human Rights Award was awarded for the first time in 1994 and is based on a bequest from the Hamburg couple Karl and Ida Feist. In their will, the founders stipulated that the Foundation should administer their legacy and award a human rights award each year. The award is to be granted to individuals or organizations that have made outstanding services to human rights in various parts of the world.
Karl and Ida Feist were active in the workers' movement for many years. Their own bitter experiences of war and destruction led them to take a decisive stand for peace and non-violence.