The launch meeting of the Afghanistan Friendship Group of the European Parliament takes place today 07/03/2022 and is dedicated to the topic “Humanitarian and Human Rights Situation in Afghanistan with a special focus on women and girls” in light of the International Women’s Day.

Several MEPs decided to found the Friendship Group in order to establish a contact point inside the Parliament for the people of Afghanistan, diaspora organizations, civil society organizations and others. Moreover the aim is to keep what is happening in Afghanistan on the agenda of the Parliament and scrutinize EU policies regarding Afghanistan. 

Left MEPs Cornelia Ernst and Pernando Barrena, involved in establishing the group, see the most important issue as having a contact point for diaspora organizations in Europe as well as Afghan people still in Afghanistan to directly get information “from the ground” and discuss with them what the Parliament can do to support them. The group will hold regular meetings with different stakeholders on different topics.

“We must not forget Afghanistan” says Cornelia Ernst MEP (Die Linke, Germany). “This is the aim of the Friendship group and in my view our responsibility as members of the European Parliament. Many people in Afghanistan, in particular women and girls, are still in acute danger without access to any safe and legal routes to Europe – this needs to change immediately.”