Perhaps like us, you are grieving witnessing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. 20 years of military intervention have not brought about a Just Peace. As we have said for years in the United Church of Christ, peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice. We need new approaches to address the root causes of unrest that lead to radicalization, and to break the cycle of violence.
We call on our policy makers to own our failure to draw this conflict to an end sooner, and we urge them to invest in peace-building, humanitarian support, diplomatic engagement, and expansion of access to the U.S. resettlement program to provide refuge for Afghans fleeing violence and persecution.
We invite you to join us in these action steps:
Urge Congress and the Administration to expedite refugee protections for Afghans in peril.
Add your name in support of the UCC Officers statement and affirm together: "We must not turn our back on Afghanistan now or in the years to come..."
Check out the toolkit on advocating for Afghan SIVs and refugees.