Report of Press Conference on Afghan Women Civil Society

Recommendations to the New Government of Afghanistan

Date: 20th December 2009
Time: 10:00 am
Venue: Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) Meeting hall

Panelists: Dr. Sima Samar Director of Independence Human Rights Commission, Afifa Azim Director of AWN, Surraya Parlika Director of all Afghan Women Union, Shafiqa Habibi Director of NAWA and Member of Women Political Participation Committee, Gullalay Habib Manager of World of Women Publication and Member of Women Political Participation Committee and Sima Ghani Director of Khoorasan organization.

Agenda:

* Welcome
* Presenting the recommendations
* Questions and answers

Details:
On 20th of December 2009 a press conference was held at AWN office on protest against the suggested list of new cabinet of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by Hamed Karzai the president of Afghanistan.
A number of various women from Governmental and Non Governmental organizations as well as Human Rights Activists, Civil Society (CS) Activists and Journalists attended the conference. The conference was started by Afifa Azim Director of AWN, after that Sima Samar Director of Independence Human Rights Commission talked on the list of new cabinet.

The Afghan Women CS activists want the President Karzai to include women in the list of cabinet as he was promised. Hence we (The Afghan Women, Women Rights Activists and the participants of this press conference) want the President Karzai to not break the commitment of National and International of Afghanistan and to make the facility for the just participation of women.

At the end the questions was answered by panelists.

Statement Regarding the cabinet list recommended by the President
20 December 2009, 29 Qaws 1388

No doubt that woman are half of the population of the society and they must work beside men in areas of politics, social, cultural aspects of the society to play their roles.

Fortunately, the Afghanistan Constitution in understanding the historical and no right value that afghan women has suffered so far, emphasize on the gender equality on all citizens of Afghanistan including men and women. Through positive discrimination has been practiced in order to meet those gaps by which Afghan women have suffered so far.

Afghanistan Constitution and other national and international conventions and instruments pressurize the government to believe in active role of women in all aspect of life such as politics, economic, social and cultural but also argue for the practical implementation of it.

Women’s equal participation in decision making centers especially in the government’s cabinet has its importance. The government must have taken steps to provide women’s presence and participation taking into consideration capacity and merit based opportunity.

Unfortunately, the Afghanistan government has restructured the new cabinet the way that has not considered the above aspects seriously but have also step back on most of the issues.

Afghan Women have paid even their lives cost for participation in political decisions and future of the country though facing threats, dangers and less accessibility, they have had always playing an active role in political aspects especially the presidential election. They have also had shown readiness to the support Afghan Women for equal rights including participation and equal access in political aspects of the society.

Unfortunately, in the new Afghan cabinet recommended by president, no positive step for women’s inclusion has taken place. It has only presented women’s role symbolic.

This happens in situation where human rights and women’s rights activists continuously raised to the president the issues of presence of women for their active participation in the new cabinet.

Although president had shown commitment for women’s equal access and participation in the new cabinet, unfortunately in the new list announced no serious commitment for women’s participation has been noticed.

People, different civil society organizations, women’s rights and human rights activists, announce their serious rejection to the announced cabinet list. They would like to mention that the national and international commitments that government of Afghanistan has made should not be ignored and women’s equal participation should be reconsidered.