AFGANISTHAN United Nations Assistnce Mission in Afganisthan (UNAMA)
A brief report on International Women’s Day in Afghanistan
International Women’s Day was widely observed by government, civil society and UN agencies in Afghanistan. UNAMA coordinated and assisted organizers to adopt the official theme of “Investing in women and Girls”, by providing press release, speech and posters throughout the country. UNAMA held a press briefing several days in advance of the Day to raise media awareness and distribute a calendar of all major events around the country.
On 7 March, UNAMA organized an open-air fair in Women’s Garden in Kabul (a park accessible only to women), with participation of UN agencies, the Afghan Olympic committee (women’s volleyball and boxing teams), Afghan National Police (women’s police unit), Afghan NGOs and Government institutions. The event included free health checkups for women and was attended by hundreds of women and children who were spending the Friday in the park. Information materials, including the Secretary-Generals’ message in Dari and Pashto languages were distributed and all major national TV channels covered the event.
On 8 March, UNAMA displayed a photo exhibition on Afghan women at a solidarity concert for women by the popular Afghan singer and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Farhad Darya, attended by around 2,000 women. The event was covered on national TV.
On 8 March, President Hamid Karzai, the UNAMA Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the Afghan Minister for Women’s Affairs spoke at the official Women’s Day event of the Afghan Government. A wide range of events were also held the provinces for example in Kandahar, several events were held by UNAMA, including a rally on 8 March with over a thousand women calling for peace and women’s rights.
