U.S. Commitment to Afghan Women: The U.S.-Afghan Women's Council

Fact Sheet
Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues
Washington, DC
January 2004

This fact sheet is no longer current; Please see the new Fact Sheet.

“During these years of great suffering, the women of Afghanistan have been the backbone of Afghan society. It is in large measure thanks to their endurance, their ingenuity, and their courage that their country has survived. The recovery of Afghanistan must entail the restoration of the rights of Afghan women. Indeed, it will not be possible without them. The rights of the women of Afghanistan will not be negotiable.” [full text] 
                                                                               -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
                                                                               November 19, 2001

On January 28, 2002, President George W. Bush and Afghan Interim Authority Chairman Hamid Karzai announced the creation of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council . Co-Chairs of the Council are Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs Habiba Sarabi. Other members include leaders in government, business, education and the media from Afghanistan and the United States. The Council promotes public-private partnerships between U.S. and Afghan institutions, and mobilizes private sector resources to help Afghan women gain the skills and education they need to participate and play leadership roles in the political and economic life of their country. To this end, the Council has made education and microfinance its top priorities.

Meetings

The Council meets twice a year, alternating between Kabul and Washington, DC. The inaugural meeting took place in Washington, DC, in April 2002, when Council members identified first steps for addressing women’s needs and priorities. At the Council’s subsequent meeting in January 2003 in Kabul, the United States announced that it would provide $2.5 million for women’s resource centers in 14 of Afghanistan’s provinces. The Council also committed $1 million to education programs at the centers, including literacy, micro-finance and small business opportunities, human rights education, and the development and management of non-governmental organizations. The Council’s third meeting, in July 2003 in Washington, DC, focused on education, job skills training, business development, women’s participation in the 2004 elections, and the status of women in the constitutional framework. The next meeting is scheduled for Kabul in February 2004.

Accomplishments

U.S. Leadership Management and Computer Education.  In September 2002, the Council brought 14 women from various Afghan Government ministries to the United States for an educational exchange program. During their four-week stay, they received training in computer skills, proposal writing, communications, leadership and management. They traveled to Austin, Texas, to study the interaction among federal, state, and local entities.

Health Initiative. The United States has launched a $5 million initiative to provide health- related accelerated learning and basic literacy training for women and girls. Training will take place in the women’s centers in provinces with the highest maternal mortality rates.

Public-Private Partnerships. The Council’s core mission is to develop and foster partnerships between the private and public sectors:

Microcredit.  Microcredit helps women gain self-sufficiency by starting their own businesses. Through a $10,000 donation to the Council from Daimler-Chrysler-Benz, the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA),  a leading NGO in microfinance, will help start two village banks in Herat. FINCA expects to assist more than 30,000 clients in Afghanistan over the next 5 years.

Job Skills Training. The Global Summit of Women (July 2002 in Barcelona, Spain) donated approximately $10,000 for job-skills training for women. Through this program, Shuhada, an Afghan NGO, will train women in weaving skills. At the conclusion of the program, the women will receive their own looms to produce textiles for market.

Women’s Resource Center. Women executives of AOL/Time Warner have raised $60,000 for the Council’s Gift Fund to support a provincial women’s resource center in Afghanistan.

Women Journalists.  Under the Council’s auspices, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the News Hour With Jim Lehrer mentored two Afghan women filmmakers in production techniques. PBS provided modern digital video production and editing equipment for them to use in Afghanistan.

Teacher Training. The Council has initiated a teacher training exchange that is bringing 30 Afghan women teachers to Nebraska every 6 months for training.

Digital Video Conference. The Council has used digital video conference (DVC) technology to connect women in Kabul, Washington and New York. The most recent DVC, in November 2003, focused on women’s political participation in Afghanistan’s draft constitution and the 2004 elections. The DVC in April 2003 focused on women and business.

Future Initiatives

Educational Programs.  The Council’s next big initiative will focus on educational programs and exchanges that NGOs will develop for the provincial women’s resource centers. The United States will fund programs in job skills, literacy, and political participation.

Individual Initiatives.  In addition to the Council’s general activities, members are actively working on their own projects. For example, the project Arzu (which means “Hope” in Dari) will import carpets and other handicrafts, using the profits to support microcredit initiatives and training for women. Another is an adopt-a-school program where church communities in Texas will provide their adopted school with school supplies, textbooks, and training materials.