6 June 2011 - The Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched in eastern Afghanistan a project to encourage women’s participation in governmental, peace and reconciliation, and economic activities.

The Institutional Capacity Building for Gender Equality Project (GEP) works to change the mindset of people about women’s role in society and their contributions to national development.

The project is consistent with the third Millennium Development Goal (MGD) promoting gender equity and empowerment of women, and also in line with the goals of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS).

“The project will have very positive impacts for women in the eastern region,” the Director of Department of Women’s Affair of Nangarhar province, Anisa Emrani told UNAMA.

These initiatives can help strengthen coordination between governmental and non-governmental organizations on topics such as promotion of livelihoods, Emrani added.

According to UNDP, women will be able to receive training in income generation so that they can be independent from their husbands and provide for their families.

The project is led by the Ministries of Women's Affairs, Economy and Education, in collaboration with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN WOMEN, UN Education and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), UNAMA and its partners.

The project will also include educational components both within the Government and for the public. A Women’s Policy Development Centre is being established inside the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Meanwhile, a working group is developing a more gender balanced curriculum at Kabul University with support from the Gender Studies Institute (GSI).

“UNDP will support the development of gender sensitive policies for gender equitable outcomes and service delivery including the integration of gender components into the academic curriculum by the Ministry of Education,” said Technical Specialist for UNDP Afghan Sub National Governance Programme (ASGP), Tamara Al-Zayyat.

In Nangarhar province, UNDP will organize workshops in Nangarhar University for students and mullahs on gender-based violence, women’s access to education and women’s rights according to Islam.

Security and traditional harmful practices are the main challenges to women’s participation in the public sphere, said Sabrina Hamidi, the head of women section of Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in the eastern region.

In 2010, a total of 75 cases of gender-based violence were registered and mediated by AIHRC and its partners. So far this year, about 50 cases are registered.

Read more about harmful practices against women and gender based violence in the UNAMA Human Rights Unit’s Harmful Traditional Practices and Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women in Afghanistan available in English and Dari/Pashto. 

By UNAMA Jalalabad