Needs of Disabled Women Cited by UN Meeting of Afghan Women
A meeting of 40 Afghan women was held December 10-11, 2001 in Brussels for a roundtable on "Building Women's Leadership in the Reconstruction of Afghanistan." The meeting was organized by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the government of Belgium.
The diverse group included activists from refugee camps, journalists and community development workers and those living in Europe and the U.S. They formulated a Brussels Action Plan to identify critical priorities for donors to ensure that women are central to efforts to rebuild their country.
The group called for the establishment of a Commission of Afghan Women to work directly with the interim authority and provisional government agreed to at the Bonn meetings held at the beginning of December.
Priorities
Priorities articulated by the group were:
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Rebuilding of girls' schools and provision of massive and immediate teacher training courses to ensure the re-opening of schools by March 2002;
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Establishing a women's radio station to convey messages of peace and information on reconstruction, rehabilitation and political development;
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Conducting a survey to identify the problems and solutions for women and girls who have been forced into prostitution and trafficking as a result of war, poverty and an oppressive regime; and
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Providing housing for the most vulnerable women, including widows, female-headed households and disabled women.
As a follow-up to the meeting, UNIFEM will establish a Fund for Afghan Women's Leadership to promote ongoing capacity-building of women and women's organizations. Details on the web: www.unifem.undp.org/pr_afghanistan1.html
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