With Afghanistan back under Taliban control, there is no shortage of humanitarian, diplomatic, economic, ethical, and political questions that remain unanswered.

What are the moral obligations of those countries whose withdrawal from Afghanistan contributed to its collapse? Should the international community recognise and engage with the Taliban government? Can anything be done to ensure women are still able to exercise the rights they’d until recently enjoyed?

Shoshana Stewart has extensive experience living and working in Afghanistan, running an NGO that creates jobs and income through leveraging the region’s historic and cultural capital. Joined by Paul van Zyl, she shared her own perspectives on the economic and constitutional issues Afghanistan faces, she reflected on the challenges and failures of ‘nation building’, and she suggested ways that The Conduit’s community might support those most in need of help.

Speakers: 

Shoshana Stewart is the CEO of Turquoise Mountain, an international NGO working in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to revive historic neighbourhoods and traditional crafts in order to create jobs, skills, and a renewed sense of pride in areas where culture is under threat. Shoshana has spent the last 14 years living and working in those countries, and leading the charity to restore and rebuild over 150 historic buildings, train over 6,000 traditional artisans and builders, create a primary school and health clinic, and bring over USD $7,000,000 worth of income back to those communities by bringing their products to international markets. During her tenure as CEO, Shoshana expanded the initial project in the Old city of Kabul across Afghanistan, and to three other countries, and she led the growth of Turquoise Mountain’s commercial and trading operations from $0.5 to $7 million. Shoshana has an MBA from the London Business School, a Master’s Degree in Education, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Astrophysics from Williams College. Prior to Turquoise Mountain, Shoshana worked as a teacher and administrator in low-income urban communities with Teach For America and Uncommon Schools in New York City, Boston, and Honduras.

Paul Van Zyl is a Co-Founder of The Conduit and its Chief Creative Officer. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Paul trained as a human rights lawyer and went on to serve as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He then co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organisation that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression and in conflict. Paul is also a Co-Founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. He has received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served on its Global Agenda Council on Fragile States, and is a London Tech Week Changemaker. He holds a law degree from University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, an LLM in international law from University of Leiden, an LLM from New York University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Santa Clara School of Law.