The Appeal was signed by the higher education institutions, associations, networks, and leaders in the field of scholar protection, such as Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) and others and is calling to take immediate action to secure the lives and careers of Afghan scholars, students, and civil society actors.
For the better part of the past twenty years, these scholars and civil society actors in Afghanistan have fought for a new, rights-respecting, forward-looking, knowledge-based Afghanistan. Many have worked for or in partnership with EU institutions, NATO partners, European governments and other international and civil society organizations. Hundreds traveled to Europe to seek an education and returned to their homeland, dedicated to values of openness tolerance and free expression. These are not the values of the Taliban, so their lives are now at risk. Timely government action can still make an enormous difference.
In the Urgent Appeal, we call the EU Governments and Institutions to:
- Continue evacuation flights for as long as possible;
- Increase resettlement quotas to help those in need of international protection, including researchers, scholars, and civil society actors;
- Create expedited complementary legal pathways for candidates who demonstrate an existing host institution, job, or sponsor, including for families, that would facilitate their arrival and earliest adjustment;
- Waive any intent-to-return and home residency requirements that may apply to visa applications for Afghan scholars and researchers for the foreseeable future;
- Establish a dedicated EU fellowship scheme for researchers and scholars at risk, including scholars, students, and civil society actors from Afghanistan, especially women and ethnic and religious minorities;
- Establish dedicated national fellowships for researchers and scholars at risk, including scholars, students, and civil society actors from Afghanistan.
The moral leadership of the European Union including its commitment to human rights, rule-of-law, and multilateralism, is needed now more than ever, and it is imperative to see those commitments put into practice at this time of crisis.
Full text of the Urgent Appeal is available via the link.