Women for Afghan Women
Press Release No. 2
November 29, 2001


AFGHAN WOMEN’S CONFERENCE CALLS FOR WOMEN’S FULL PARTICIPATION IN PEACE NEGOTIATIONS AND FUTURE RECONSTRUCTION OF AFGHANISTAN

The two-day conference convened by Women for Afghan Women, the first grassroots organization in New York City dedicated to the rights of Afghan women, began today at CUNY Graduate Center. The purpose of the conference is to highlight the voices of Afghan women leaders in finding solutions for the problems of their country and to stress the centrality of women’s role in reconstruction and development.

The organizers circulated a petition calling on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi to ensure that women participate fully in all UN-sponsored consultations for a future government, and that any such government guarantee restoration of women’s human rights in all fields. The petition notes that women’s equal rights were recognized by previous Afghan governments and that Afghanistan is a party to all major human rights conventions.

The meeting, attended by some 300 persons from the local Afghan community, the CUNY academic community, and human rights activists, heard presentations from a variety of experts on Afghanistan, and women’s rights activists in the United States.

Previously announced keynote speaker Sima Wali, President of Refugee Women in Development, could not attend because she was appointed by the former King of Afghanistan to join his delegation to the UN-sponsored talks in Bonn. While welcoming as a positive first step the fact that three women are serving as delegates in the negotiations, many speakers noted that much more needs to be done in order for women to be fully represented.

Zohra Yusuf Daoud, the first and only woman to be elected Miss Afghanistan, currently Director of Culture and Communications at Afghan Women’s Association of Southern California, gave the keynote speech; she was also a panelist on the first panel, entitled "The History of the Current Crisis". Other speakers were Sister Sanaa Nadim, Egyptian Qu’ranic scholar; Liz Gould and Paul Fitzgerald, journalists and authors specializing in Afghanistan since the days of the Soviet invasion; and Dr. Arlene Lederman, Fulbright scholar and specialist in Afghan art, co-founder of the Afghan Relief Committee. The panel was moderated by WAW member Homaira Mamoor. The speakers highlighted the freedoms enjoyed by Afghan women under the gradual modernization that was taking place prior to the Soviet invasion and ensuing civil war. They also noted the basic compatibility between Islam and human rights, including women’s rights, which had been manipulated and denied in pursuit of the political agendas of outside interests and tribal leaders.

Well-known feminist activists Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. Magazine, and Eleanor Smeal, President of Feminist Majority Foundation, participated in the second panel, entitled "The Role of the US Women’s Movement". The third speaker was Dr. Riffat Hassan, feminist theologian at the University of Kentucky. The panel was moderated by WAW co-founder Sunita Mehta. Speakers emphasized the need for Western activists to be sensitive to cultural and religious differences in promoting goals that are common to women everywhere, and to ensure that women in third world countries develop their own means of empowerment. It was also stressed that women can and should do more to exercise their influence on the global stage in order to end foreign policies that result in exploitation and underdevelopment.

The conference continues on Friday, 30 November, with panels on "Human Rights Today" and "Peace, State-Building, A Seat at the Table".