WOMEN to be

Although the military component remains a security requirement for the present moment, Afghanistan’s stabilisation depends equally on strong and credible institutions, citizens’ trust in those institutions and socio-economic development. Indeed, Italy’s intervention in Afghanistan is distinguished precisely by the civilian component of its commitment. The Italian Development Cooperation has spent over € 414 million (of the approximately € 487 million approved) on funding major national development programmes that include building and restoring the Kabul-Bamyan road, national rural development programmes such as the National Solidarity Programme, national micro-financing programmes in the western region and the Herat PRT concentrated particularly in the sectors of governance, healthcare and agriculture. We are also among the top donors when it comes to criteria such as ownership, in that we earmark the majority of our resources for national Afghan-run programmes.
We are also on-site with programmes aimed at the defence and enhancement of Afghanistan’s cultural, historical and archaeological treasures (the ISIAO archaeological mission, ICR restoration courses, study grants) and in the field of higher education, with partnerships developing between Italian and Afghan universities.
Our civilian focus is also marked by efforts at promoting private sector relations between ››

Afghan and Italian firms, especially in Herat, in areas of mutual interest such as the marble and agri-alimentary sectors.
The conditions of women and defence of their rights have always been themes of particular concern for Italy, and have been even more pressing in the case of Afghanistan, given the Taliban regime’s terrible discrimination. We have, therefore, sponsored major interventions supporting the emancipation of women and their right to work and develop a professional identity. These have ranged from our Professional Training and Women in Business programmes in Kabul, to the promotion of women-run businesses at the “women’s garden”, also in Kabul, where activities run the gamut from stone-cutting to building photovoltaic lamps.
We have also made major contributions in the socio-healthcare sector, with the recent opening of a burn centre at the Esteqlal hospital in Kabul (that treats numerous female victims of acid and flammable liquid attacks) and the launch of an emergency relief programme for vulnerable populations in the provinces of Kabul and Baglan, with a special focus on access to basic maternal and neonatal care.
Italy has also funded a UNIFEM programme set up by the Ministry for Women’s Affairs (MoWA) to promote gender equality in the provinces, and experts from our Cooperation’s on-site Social Programme are supplying technical assistance.
We are developing major initiatives poised to foreground themes associated with of women’s rights in the Afghan legal and judiciary system: a) a Masters degree in law at the University of Perugia for young Afghan lawyers (to date, two female prosecutors have participated); b) a joint project with the High Judiciary Council of the Committee on Equal Opportunity in support of Afghan women judges, aimed at fostering true gender equality in the workplace; c) the establishment of a specialised Unit at the General Prosecutors Office to investigate crimes of violence against women and ensure application of the related legislation adopted in 2009 thanks to an Italian Justice Programme contribution; d) support for the newly-constituted Afghan Independent Bar Association (AIBA) through the National Council of the Italian Forensic Order; and e) support for NGOs that provide legal assistance to the society’s weaker segments, women and minors first and foremost.
Chief Prosecutor in Herat Maria Bashir, the first Afghan woman to hold a management position in a prosecutor’s office, has become a symbol thanks to Italy’s support—a symbol of the struggle to defend women’s rights and for their emancipation.
A final consideration: we must make the best use of communication. The media’s role in the process of Afghan stabilisation cannot be underestimated, not only in terms of the importance of the principle of freedom of expression in the process of democratic consolidation, but also for the contribution that it can make to the nation’s democratic life by becoming a carrier of messages of peace and tolerance.
Of crucial importance then is this initiative by the Fondiaria Sai Foundation, which carried out a masters programme in journalism for 15 Afghan women students from Herat University, in collaboration with Milan’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the University of Herat, the Defence Ministry and the PRT. Afghanistan is the shared responsibility and collective commitment of the entire international community. We therefore need to make a coordinated, global effort that, alongside the military component, is able to underpin those civil and economic actions aimed at strengthening institutions, ensuring the protection of fundamental rights, strengthening the rule of law and reforming justice. We have no other choice if we intend to offer Afghanistan and the region the key to a future of sustainable peace and stability. Close

hon. Franco Frattini
Minister for Foreign Affairs

Magazine Archive

N° 3 September 2010

Links

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Italy leader in
civil-military cooperation

CIMIC: helping people to have a “normal” life

by LTC Fabrizio Zacché

The “Allied Joint Doctrine” AJP-01(B) defines CIMIC (civil-military cooperation) as “The coordination and cooperation, in support of the mission, between the NATO commander and civil actors, including national population and local authorities, as well as international, national and non-governmental organisations and agencies” ››

Press Conference with Soraya Pakzad

by Shaheen

First of all I would like a summary about you and your office and its activities. As all of you know, I am the director of the Voice of Women Organization in Herat. There are about 150 people working in my office whome are mostly men. We are lacking in skilled women for our key posts and ››

Photogallery Archive

N° 1 July 2010

My experience at the Herat University

Stories through images

by Alessandro Belgiojoso

Thanks to the project promoted by Cattolica University of Milan in association with Fondiaria Sai Foundation, I had the privilege of sharing my experience as a photographer with female Afghan students in a photojournalism course at the Herat University. ››

A timeless craft:
the carpet making Industry

Skill in women’s hands

by Waheeda Ehari

A timeless craft: the carpet making Industry

This profession is one of the popular trades in Afghanistan and some people consider it as part of the culture of this country. There are different kinds of handmade carpets in Afghanistan which are very famous ››