Women’s empowerment key to peace in Afghanistan
Members of Afghan civil society demanded on Tuesday 26 January a bigger say in the country's future, saying aid and development programmes had become too enmeshed with international political and military goals. 
Projects must be based on the needs of the Afghan people, as assessed by Afghans themselves, and Afghans must be given a bigger stake in their delivery, representatives of local organisations said at a conference of Afghan civil society, politicians and local and foreign development experts on the country's future, ahead of an intergovernmental conference to be held in London on Thursday.
WOMANKIND is a leading member of the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG), which hosted the gathering.
We hope that recommendations made at Tuesday's conference will help sway policy-making at the meeting later this week, to be attended by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and foreign ministers from some 43 countries.
Women’s rights key to peace
And in advance of the crucial intergovernmental conference, Human Rights Watch has emphasised that politicians must make a clear commitment to women’s rights. Asia Director, Brad Adams, said:
‘While women's rights have improved in many areas since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, recent trends have put these gains under pressure. Attacks on women in public life are increasing, while the passing of the Shia Personal Status Law in March 2009 showed how easily women's rights could be traded away for political gain.
‘Human Rights Watch expressed concern about the recent enthusiasm for making deals with the Taliban, saying that unless the focus on political reintegration with Taliban also incorporated effective mechanisms for the protecting Afghan women, the hard-won gains for women's rights would be in jeopardy.
‘The rights of women and girls should not be seen as something that can be traded away so that the international community can find an exit strategy for Afghanistan,’ Adams said. ‘A return to the subjugation of women and girls cannot be the legacy of international intervention.’
Despite huge amounts of international aid over past years, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
Corruption within the Afghan government was one of the biggest challenges to effective delivery of aid and development, speakers said.
Warlords within government ministries and ‘gatekeepers’ — chiefs or tribal leaders in parts of the country who siphon off aid for their own use —were all obstacles to effective development, they added.
Other problems include a flawed justice system, inequality, poverty and the discrimination of women, speakers added. They agreed that the empowerment of Afghan women was key to peace, stability and development in the country.
‘Speakers agreed that the empowerment of Afghan women was key to peace, stability and development' |
They agreed that the empowerment of Afghan women was key to peace, stability and development in the country.
Women that are educated can go on to educate their whole village, said Shinkai Karokhail, a member of the Afghan parliament and co-founder of the Afghan Women's Education Centre. An increased female presence in the higher echelons of Afghan society and government would bring more sustainable and balanced development, positive competition and less corruption, she added.
Among the recommendations put forward by Tuesday's conference were respect for human rights and women's rights, an emphasis on better governance and the rule of law, a refocusing of aid to ensure projects were more effective and sustainable and a renewed emphasis on peace building.
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WOMANKIND is an active member of the BAAG project set up by British NGOs in 1987 as an umbrella group to draw public attention to the humanitarian needs of the population of Afghanistan and of Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan.
