United for Rights:
No Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan
Over one year has passed since the Taliban seized power over Afghanistan. In the 12 months since, the people of Afghanistan, who overwhelmingly and bravely oppose the regime, have been subjected to a humanitarian and human rights crisis.
Nearly 50% of the population on the verge of starvation, widespread human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, detentions and torture of citizens, and women and girls have experienced a near total loss of rights, including a ban on attending school for girls over the age of 12.
It’s time to take action for rights in Afghanistan.
Join CW4WAfghan for the 2022 Annual Symposium. The in-person event, hosted in Calgary, AB, will focus on the theme of United for Rights: No Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan and will explore the consequences of the human rights crisis in the country and what Canadians can do to help.
Event information and registration link is in right sidebar!
Registration is now closed!
The 2022 Annual Symposium will be held in person on Saturday, October 15 in Calgary, AB.
We will be sending more detailed information to registrants via email.
Highlights of this year’s program
- Keynotes from human rights activist and journalist Horia Mosadiq and from Sahar Fetrat of Human Rights Watch
- Updates from our field programs team on how CW4WAfghan delivers educational opportunities to Afghans during the current crisis
- A panel on The Resolve of Afghan Women, featuring women’s rights activists who have recently resettled to Canada
- A workshop on supporting resettlement for Afghans in Canada
- A cultural session with poetry readings by Afghan writers
- An exhibition featuring artworks by displaced Afghan women artists
- A marketplace of Afghan handicrafts to purchase
- and much much more!
CW4WAfghan is a totally unique community, and nowhere is that more on display than during the annual symposium. This is so much more than a conference. It's the well where we draw our inspiration from to work as hard as we do for the women and girls of Afghanistan.
2022 Agenda
History of the Annual Symposium
The CW4WAfghan Annual Symposium, whether in person or virtual, is the ultimate forum to connect, to be inspired and to take action. The Symposium is a forum to connect and share ideas that help us explore and learn more about the importance of universal human rights in Afghanistan and what we can do as global citizens to support these rights.
The Symposium and AGM have been held in:
- Calgary, Alberta (2004-2007, 2017, 2022)
- Kingston, Ontario (2008)
- Vancouver, British Columbia (2009)
- Kelowna, British Columbia (2010)
- Oakville, Ontario (2011)
- Pictou, Nova Scotia (2012)
- Victoria, British Columbia (2013)
- Winnipeg, Manitoba (2014)
- Banff, Alberta (2015)
- Ottawa, Ontario (2016)
- Toronto, Ontario (2018) Flicker To Flame: Teaching and Learning
- Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia (2019) Forward, Together: Supporting Resilience, Resolve and the Courage to Learn
- Virtual (2020): Never Go Back- Afghan women’s rights in the unfolding Intra-Afghan talks.
- Virtual (2021): Eyes on Afghanistan