School bells from bombshells.

• Author: Muna, Maha
• Position: Women in Afghanistan

Information about Afghanistan--its history, its people and the combined effects of war and drought, particularly on women and children--is available today more than ever before. Yet, the media, policy papers and programme agendas fail to capture the power of the Afghan woman. Instead, they are often portrayed as victims of circumstance or government policy, or both. The Afghan mother who has carried her family through refugee flight is absent. So, too, is the Afghan woman who has built a local non-governmental organization (NGO) capable of managing annual budgets of hundreds of thousands dollars for humanitarian assistance. A trip to refugee camps in Pakistan reveals both types of women. Their work is the basis for optimism for a future of reconstruction, peace and security in Afghanistan.

As the world focuses attention on Afghanistan, with the aim of destroying a terrorist network within, eliminating a repressive regime notorious for human rights violations, including against women, and rebuilding the country, commitments made in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and in United Nations conventions and resolutions should inform decisions on women's rights and their role in post-conflict reconstruction. Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, passed unanimously, calls for heightened protection for women during armed conflict, their greater participation in peace negotiations and peace-building, as well as gender equity and the integration of gender perspectives in UN policies and programmes.

Women have already played a key role in peace-building in Afghanistan. Three women actively participated in the Bonn meeting that elected the Afghan Interim Administration, which includes two women in ministerial posts (for health and women's affairs). Three women NGOs attended the recent Ministerial Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan, held in Tokyo, Japan. However, there is still room for improvement. For example, only two women have been nominated to serve in the 21-seat Loya Jirga, mandated to pave the way for the new government of Afghanistan. In a recent interview, the Minister of Women's Affairs, Dr. Sima Samar, suggested 50 per cent of the Loya Jirga be women, but noted that since that was unlikely, at least 25 per cent would be preferable. The Beijing Platform for Action has established a precedent for at least 30 per cent representation by women. Along with Dr. Samar, Afghan women's...