International Women's Day
8 March 2001

International Women's Day in Afghanistan March 2001
"Wee need books and pens, not guns and bullets"
From a poem read by an Afghan woman


Background

In 2001, various UN offices and NGOs in Afghanistan had introduced plans for the celebrations of International Women's Day. UNICEF took the initiative to discuss with the other UN agencies based in Islamabad how best various activities could be coordinated among UN agencies and NGOs. The Senior gender Advisor for the UN went on mission to Afghanistan in February 2000 to discuss with the Taliban authorities the UN plans on International Women's Day and to negotiate with them their approval on the celebration being held in major towns in Afghanistan. Various UN offices also held preparatory meetings and discussions to prepare for and get permission for a wide range of events. Consequently, it was possible for women in Afghanistan to celebrate International Women's Day in various locations in Afghanistan for the first time since the taliban's take over of much of the country.

A gender core group of UN staff prepared a draft Appeal for Peace, for Afghan women to modify according to what they wanted to say on International Women's Day.

Negotiating with the authorities to give permission to these celebrations proved to be successful. Authorities in kandahar, Jalalabad, Herat, and Mazar gave permission to the assistance community to plan and implement these activities. Kabul was the only duty station where permission was not received. the authorities in Badakhshan also gave permission for the celebration of the event in Faizabad.

Activities

Since International Women's Day coincided with Eid al Azha, activities were planned in the week that followed.

Large numbers of Afghan women attended the celebrations facilitated by the assistance community. In different parts of Jalalabad, approximately 750 women participated in the celebrations. In Kandahar, celebrations started by WFP distributing food to nearly 5,000 internally displaced women and by reading Appeal for Peace. in the city, celebrations took place in Kandahar Female Nursing school. In Herat over 600 women met in the Herat Regional Hospital and other locations, to celebrate the day, with children singing the praise of Afghan mothers. In Mazar, more than 600 Afghan women and all international female staff celebrated the occasion in the hotel, with a representative from the local authorities making a speech. In Faizabad more than 250 people attended the celebrations which included gifts for selected women for their hard work, songs and role plays by children and youth, a lottery, and the reading of the Appeal for Peace. In Kabul, it was difficult for the assistance community to receive permission for the celebrations but WFP managed to carry out free bread distribution to women and girls holding ration cards of the WFP bakeries and to displaced women in ex-Soviet compound. WHO donated a cardiogram machine to Malalai Hospital for Women and Habitat celebrated the day in the women fora.

A Danish NGO delivered messages from Danish women to the Afghan Displaced Women, and distributed packages for personal hygiene together with talks on hygiene education. Other activities in the country included:

  • Poetry recitations
  • Statements made by Afghan women on the significance of the day
  • Speeches by Afghan women on their needs and aspiration for the future
  • Acknowledgement and presentation of gifts to Afghan women with a long public service record
  • Speeches on the importance of education for girls and the need for formal schooling for them
  • Speeches on the need of Afghan women for income generating employment and for better education and health services for themselves and for their families
  • Reading of the Afghan women Peace Appeal
  • Statements by disabled men and women
  • Songs of Afghan children
  • A fashion show of Afghan dress
  • An exhibition of handicrafts by Afghan women
  • A visit to women prisoners in Kandahar prison where gifts were distributed to the most needy women prisoners and a package of food was offered to all of them.

It is noteworthy that in most duty stations, Afghan men working with the assistance community also celebrated the day. Men's gatherings also took place on International Women's day. Lead roles were taken by different agencies in different duty stations.

Conclusions

The celebration of the day gave Afghan women an opportunity to be together and to exchange views and express their concerns and aspirations. All celebrations were attended jointly by Afghan women and International female staff. This is a positive indication of the possibility for re-establishing trust between the assistance community and the authorities on issues of relationships between Afghan women and International organisations. This is noteworthy, in particular in view of the July 2000 edict on Afghan female employment. Opportunities for lifting the restrictions on employment need to be explored, and relationships to be built with Afghan women as much as possible.

In Mazar, Herat, and Faizabadm representatives from the authorities were involved in the celebrations. These expressions of support are significant, and need acknowledgement by the assistance community. Follow up and support need to be given to those who show interest in a higher degree of support to women related activities and to allow more opportunities for Afghan women. Moreover, transparency and information sharing with the authorities can open entry points for women related activities that could positively impact women's position in Afghanistan.

Website: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
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