The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, who is visiting Kabul, at a press conference on Sunday said the peace process in Afghanistan is not inclusive as it should be and that it should reflect aspirations of all Afghans with women at the center of the process. 

“Concerns about I think the inclusiveness of a process. I think when you are laying out a timeline and stakeholder engagement in a process that is the most concerning. How representatives are the people of the issues that need to be discussed in that process? You can see some of those negotiations that have taken place in Russia, in Doha and I think they will continue to happen. So I think representation, people’s feelings that they are involved in the process, this is where we say that really without women at the center of this, it will not work,” she said. 

She said that Afghan people are tired of war and they want peace and that they are looking for the agreement that will make a sustainable peace.  

The UN official stressed the need for timely elections and said the peace process and the elections are totally two different issues. 

“The peace process has many pieces that are not yet fully addressed and a peace process to be sustainable with the kind of experience in history of the UN involved in peace process as it takes time,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Independent Election Commission Hawa Alam Nuristani said that the elections will be held on time.

“I want to categorically tell the people of Afghanistan that peace is important for the Afghan people and so are the elections. The election commissions are fully prepared for timely elections,” Nuristani told reporters in Kabul on Sunday. 

On Saturday, Amina  Mohammed held talks with government leaders and discussed issues around peace and elections. 

She said that the war in Afghanistan is quite complex in nature and that efforts for peace should move on.