On September 26, 2024, Ambassador Hassan Soroosh participated and spoke in an event on women's empowerment and integration which was co-organized by the Afghan Women Parliamentarians and Leaders Network (AWPLN), Members of Parliament of Canada, and Amnesty International Canada in Ottawa.

The event was attended by high level officials from the Government of Canada, members of parliament, women’s rights activists, friends of Afghanistan and members of the Afghan diaspora community.

Ambassador Soroosh spoke about the current multifaceted crisis under the Taliban, increasing restrictions on Afghan women, and girls and various manifestations of gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

Ambassador Soroosh expressed his gratefulness to the government of Canada for co-leading a milestone initiative announced during the UN general assembly last week to take the Taliban to the International Court of Justice for their repressive and discriminatory actions against women.

He further thanked the government of Canada for all the previous and ongoing support for the people of Afghanistan particularly women and girls, and for implementing one of the largest resettlement programs at a global level for Afghanistan which includes the resettlement of many women leaders and women’s rights activists from Afghanistan in Canada.

Ambassador Soroosh stated that “the Afghan diaspora community continues to make important contributions to the broader Canadian society, and the newcomers from Afghanistan also bring valuable knowledge and experience and I hope that they will find deserving opportunities to actively contribute to the Canadian society.”

Ambassador Soroosh reiterated that “diaspora affairs remains an important priority for our embassy and consulates in Canada and we are committed to providing consular advice, support and services to our growing diaspora community in Canada….We also remain committed to working closely with all of you to further facilitate our collective efforts in support of the people of Afghanistan, and in addressing the needs of our diaspora community.

During the event, the results of a survey conducted by the Tulane University in collaboration with AWPLN on the challenges facing newcomers in Canada were shared.