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The mission of the CIC is to promote an understanding of international affairs and Canada’s role in a changing world by providing Canadians with a non-partisan, nationwide forum for informed discussion, analysis and debate. Accordingly, the cornerstone of the CIC’s work is our events program. The CIC national office and our branches hold more than 150 events per year in cities across the country. In particular, our branch events give members an opportunity to directly engage with global issues that often intersect with local concerns. The CIC also supports events outside of Canada, often in partnership with other global think tanks, that can introduce Canadian perspectives to global audiences. CIC events take on many different forms, from academic lectures and panel discussions to town hall meetings and pub nights. Please consult our events calendar for a listing of CIC-organized and sponsored events.

If you have an idea for a CIC event, please contact us at info@thecic.org.

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CIC Victoria: Dr. Sima Samar – Gender Apartheid – The Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan

February 7, 2025 @ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm PST

Please note: Registration is not open at this time.  CIC Victoria members will receive registration information in mid-January. 

Union Club lunch: Gender Apartheid – The Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan

When: Friday, 7 February 2025
Where: The Union Club, 805 Gordon Street
Time: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm (registration desk opens at 11:30 am)
Our Speaker: Dr. Sima Simar
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Renowned Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Sima Samar will discuss human rights in Afghanistan – particularly the rights of women – under the Taliban. Despite being in grave personal danger for many years, she has worked tirelessly for the dream she is convinced is an achievable one: justice and full human rights for all the citizens of her country.

Dr. Sima Samar has dedicated her life to public service, humanitarian work and women’s empowerment. From 2002-2019 she was the Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) which held human rights violators accountable and set the human rights agenda in Afghanistan before the take-over of the Taliban in August 2021. After stepping down as Chair of the AIHRC, the President appointed her as Special Envoy & State Minister for Human Rights & International Affairs.

Prior to her appointment as the chair of the AIHRC, she was the Vice President of the Interim Administration of Afghanistan and the first Minister of Women’s Affairs. Dr. Samar also served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan between 2005 and 2009. Dr. Samar also served as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel for Internal Displacement from 2019 to 2021.

Her commitment to her community is evident through the NGO she established in 1989, the Shuhada Organization. Until 2021, Shuhada operated 55 middle and high schools for girls and boys in Afghanistan, and 12 clinics and three hospitals in Afghanistan. In addition to this, Shuhada still operates three schools and one hospital in Quetta, Pakistan for refugees.

Dr. Samar is the author of a recent memoir, “Outspoken: My Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan.” Books will be available for sale at the event.

Details

  • Date: February 7, 2025
  • Time:
    11:30 am - 1:30 pm PST

Organizer

  • CIC Victoria Branch