Following is a fact sheet released by the Department of State's Office of International Women's Issues on the goals and composition of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. Building upon an agreement between President Bush and Interim Authority Chairman Hamid Karzai, the U.S. government and private sector experts, working through the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council, are coordinating resources in order to improve the future of Afghan women.

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U.S. Department of State
Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues
July 9, 2002

FACT SHEET

U.S.-Afghan Women's Council

Background President Bush and Afghan Interim Authority Chairman Karzai announced the establishment of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council on January 28, 2002. The Council was created to:

-- Promote private/public partnerships between the countries; and

-- Mobilize resources to enable Afghan women to obtain the skills and education they were deprived of under the Taliban.

Targeted programs will:

-- Complement the U.S. Government's bilateral aid program in Afghanistan

-- Respond to the priorities set forth by the Afghan Minister of Women's Affairs at the first Council meeting held in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 2002

-- Ensure that women are planners, implementers and beneficiaries of the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The Council is co-chaired by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and Afghan Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Women's Affairs.

Council Priorities

The Council seeks to help reintegrate women into Afghan society and to prepare them for positions of management and leadership. Its work will focus on:

-- Education and training

-- Promotion of civil society, including the encouragement of non-governmental organizations

-- Capacity building, including the enhancement of English language skills

-- Access to and improvement of women's health care

-- Micro-credit and business development

-- Political participation

-- Ensuring that women's rights are observed and protected

-- Support for a free media including women journalists

Overall Council Goals

The Council is the only U.S. public-private partnership aimed entirely at assisting Afghan women.

The goals of the Council are to:

-- Mobilize resources, expertise and networking capabilities across governments, NGOs and private companies;

-- Establish practical, creative projects focused upon the aforementioned areas of main concern; and

-- Execute specific programs to bring both short- and long-term benefits to the women of Afghanistan.

Council Membership

The Council will be comprised of representatives from the United States and Afghanistan:

-- Universities

-- Medical institutions

-- Businesses

-- Media

-- Other sectors.

Council members include:

-- Constantine Curris, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)

-- Connie Duckworth, Committee of 200 Chair

-- Patricia Harrison, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs

-- Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of PBS

-- Marin Strmecki, Vice President of the Smith-Richardson Foundation

The Council operates from the Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women s Issues. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs provides principal funding.

Women In Government

The first formal meeting of the Council approved the formulation of a program for Afghan women employed in mid-management positions in the Afghan government to visit the United States under the State Department's International Visitor Program. They will learn:

-- Computer skills

-- Grant development

-- Leadership skills

Organizational efforts to implement the project include:

-- Training by member universities of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities

-- Collaboration with the private sector to secure the donation of laptops, printers and other computer equipment to ensure that Afghan women go home not only with knowledge and skills, but also hardware.

The long-term objective of the computer education program is to allow these women to train others in the Afghan government. To achieve this, follow-up programs will ensure that American trainers:

-- Remain in touch with these women to assist them in the development of Afghan programs,

-- Provide enhanced training to these and other women in Afghanistan.

President's Message On the occasion of the first Council meeting, President Bush stated:

"During Chairman Hamid Karzai's visit, we jointly pledged to build a lasting American partnership to help Afghanistan forge a future free from terror, want, and war. ... Today Afghan women are enjoying new freedoms and opportunities. Now is the time for America and the world to demonstrate more than just sympathy for past injustices. We must work together to offer [the women] real support for a better future. I am proud that the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council is off to a promising start in addressing this vital challenge."

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