HearUs 2025 Held in Madrid: International Support for Afghan Women’s Rights
The “HearUs 2025” conference took place on Friday, December 12, 2025, in Madrid, bringing together Afghan women’s rights activists, United Nations representatives, and diplomats.
The event, organized in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Women For Afghanistan, aimed to establish a practical roadmap for justice, accountability, and the protection of the rights of Afghan women and girls through international mechanisms.
During the conference, topics such as rights deprivation, gender-based discrimination, and international legal measures were discussed, with a strong emphasis on the international community’s commitment to supporting Afghan women.
Key speakers included José Manuel Albares, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Michelle Bachelet, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan; Fawzia Koofi, Chair of the Board of Directors of Women For Afghanistan; and several other prominent human rights figures.
In his opening speech, Minister Albares emphasized that the conference aimed to ensure that the voices of Afghan women are heard globally and that their experiences serve as a model for justice and freedom. He condemned the human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly the exclusion of 18 million women from public life and its consequences on education, health, early marriage, and teenage pregnancies, stating: “By defending their rights, Afghan women are defending democracy, freedom, and humanity itself.”
The Spanish minister also highlighted Spain’s support for establishing international accountability mechanisms, including independent investigations within the framework of the European Union and the UN Human Rights Council, and noted that Spain, together with other countries, has called for Taliban accountability and an end to violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
This conference builds on HearUs 2024, held last year in Madrid, continuing the collaboration among international organizations, diplomats, and civil society activists to support the rights of Afghan women.
