This is a second open letter from American academics to the Secretary of State calling for immediate steps to overcome the present obstacles in the visa process that keep so many at-risk Afghan scholars from the US universities to which they have been invited. Thanks to any and all who take steps toward urging action to address the immediate problem.
This appeal from American academics to the Secretary of State calls for action to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of an efficient and equitable visa process for at-risk Afghan academics. We invite all to circulate the letter through their respective networks and encourage Americans to send it to their Senators and Representatives.
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation supports the call for a broad-scale civil society movement for nuclear abolition and puts forward a proposal to convene a civil society tribunal to address violations of international law flouted by nuclear possessing states. We encourage peace educators to read the declaration to support inquiry into the potential of a civil society tribunal.
“The war in Ukraine threatens not only sustainable development, but the survival of humanity. We call upon all nations, operating in accordance with the UN Charter, to put diplomacy to the service of humanity by ending the war through negotiations before the war ends us all.” – Sustainable Development Solutions Network
We call on all whom we can reach to send their own requests to Secretary-General Guterres to go to Moscow and Kyiv to establish an immediate ceasefire and advance serious peace talks sponsored by the UN, representing the world’s people who want and need peace.
The Global Campaign for Peace Education, in consultation with UNESCO, is supporting the review process of the 1974 Recommendation Concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace. We strongly encourage your participation in this survey, a significant opportunity to contribute your voice to global policy supporting peace education. The deadline to respond is March 1.
We call upon all American members of the Global Campaign for Peace Education to take immediate action to prevent the cessation of US assistance to higher education in Afghanistan. Please contact your Congressional representative, your Senator, the Administrator of USAID, and the President.
The present peril of Afghan scholars and students threatens their lives and security and possibilities for a more positive future for Afghanistan. This initiative seeks to confront those threats by making it possible for more of them to accept invitations to American universities.
The Global Campaign for Peace Education gives voice to a plea from Afghan teachers to enable them to continue to teach.
This open letter from one professional woman to another, an Afghan university administrator should challenge all American women to confront the consequences of the abandonment of those most prepared to guide Afghanistan toward constructive membership in the world community: the educated, independent women responsible for gains in social equality now trampled by the Taliban. With the help of the White House Office charged with gender issues, the original, un-redacted letter addressed to Vice President Kamala Harris has been delivered to the Vice President’s office. We hope it will also be read and discussed in courses in peace studies and peace education to give voice to the untold women in Afghanistan in the same circumstances as the writer, some of whom we hope will find places in our colleges and universities.
When on August 30th the UN Security Council declared to the Taliban that it would keep apprised of and actively involved in the human rights situation in Afghanistan, it raised the challenge to civil society to continue and to increase its action to advocate the cause of the human security of the Afghan people.
Every Afghan citizen at-risk – women, men, children, the old, those with disabilities – has a right to claim asylum. We must get them all out. Full and complete evacuation is a moral and practical imperative. Here are 4 simple actions everyone can take to support this effort.