NANGARHAR - Local Government officials and members of the civil society from Afghanistan’s eastern provinces stressed the need to ensure women’s participation in implementation of national priority programmes (NPPs).

Speaking at a workshop organized by the Ministry of Economy and UNAMA in Jalalabad, Sanga Jabarkhil from the state broadcaster, RTA, said such workshops would spur participation of more women in the implementation of NPPs.

NPP is a joint initiative by the Government of Afghanistan and the international community since late 2010 to make the Afghan transition process smoother and more sustainable in terms of governance, security, and development as a derivative of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy.

Heran Song, the UNAMA head for eastern Afghanistan, said that the Jalalabad workshop was the last of three organized in the region, expressing her hope that it would help the women understand more about “one of the most important national issues”.

Muhamad Hanif Gardiwal, the deputy governor of Nangarhar Province, said the women should play an active role in the society.

Manav Suchdeva, a UNAMA civil affairs officer, called on women “to freely and without fear include women’s perspectives for how we can improve these linkages for the future.”

The Jalalabad workshop was participated by officials and civil society leaders from Nangarhar and Nuristan provinces. Similar workshops were recently organized in Kunar and Laghman provinces.

By UNAMA – Jalalabad