Forum: Human Rights Council

Question Of: Promoting the Role of Women and Girls in Afghanistan

Main Submitter: India
The Human Rights Council,
Alarmed by the continuing grave violations of the human rights of women and girls, including all
forms of discrimination against them, in all areas of Afghanistan, particularly in areas under the
control of the Taliban;
Noting with deep concern the restrictions on womens access to health care and the systematic
violation of the human rights of women in Afghanistan, including the restrictions on access to
education and to employment, freedom of movement, and freedom from intimidation,
harassment and violence, which has a serious detrimental effect on the well-being of Afghan
women and the children in their care;
Bearing in mind that only 32% of women in Afghanistan are literate and that a vicious circle of
lack of education, poverty, illiteracy, sexual abuse and violence and insecurity fuel the highly
patriarchal society including fundamentalism and militancy which still characterize Afghanistan
today;
Noting further that although womens rights and freedom in Afghanistan have finally appeared
on the international radar and that there have been many endeavours to elevate women and
improvements have been observed, the foundations of discrimination against women have not
been uprooted.
1. Calls Upon collaboration with relevant United Nations organizations such as but not
limited to UNESCO, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment
of Women, the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations Development
Programme, to adopt certain measures through means not limited to:
a) Assist in strengthening strategies to target resources to women of all ages, especially
those most disadvantaged, and thereby work towards the elimination of illiteracy of
women of all ages,
b) Accelerate the participation of women in literacy programmes, particularly in areas
pertaining to the improvement of their socio-economic condition, including legal literacy
and income-generating and skill-building activities,
c) Increase training guidelines and materials on the protection, rights and the particular
needs of women, as well as on the importance of involving women in all peacekeeping
and peace building measures, as well as HIV/AIDS awareness training into their national
training programmes for military and civilian police personnel in preparation for
deployment, and ensure that civilian personnel of peacekeeping operations receive
similar training,

d) Increase the number of tutors and trainers with the necessary qualifications, to maximize
their efforts to reach women and to increase the participation of non-governmental and
private volunteer organizations, particularly women's organizations, in the
implementation and management of literacy programmes and in policy and programme
development,
2. Encourages the UN Women to document a Special Rapporteur of the Commission on
Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan giving special attention to
the human rights of women and girls and fully incorporating a gender perspective in his
work; this rapporteur will give the current situation of Afghan women and whether the
current aid provided by non-government organizations have helped them,
3. Recommends the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN Women) to implement new programs aimed at promoting the role of
women in peace and security through ways such as, but not limited to:
a. Setting up a conflict mediation training center in major hotspots in the world in
order to increase the role of women in providing constructive advice to the parties
concerned,
b. Raising awareness of the importance of the role of women through public service
announcements, radio and television broadcasts, newspaper placements, posters,
etc.
c. Ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in
national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the
prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.
d. Create an independent Women's Advisory Board on National Security, which will
have the responsibility of advising governments and other third-parties on matters
of security and peace,
4. Further recommends that all United Nations activities in Afghanistan are carried out
according to the principle of non-discrimination against women and girls, and that a
gender perspective and special attention to the human rights of women and girls are fully
incorporated into the work of the civil affairs unit established within the United Nations
Special Mission to Afghanistan through means but not limited to,
a) Ensure that all United Nations-assisted programmes in Afghanistan are formulated and
coordinated in such a way as to promote and ensure the participation of women in those
programmes, and that women benefit equally with men from such programmes, and to
that end encourages such measures as the establishment of culturally sensitive
programmes to sensitize Afghan officials, ministry staff and technical departments
concerning international principles of human rights and gender equality,

b) Equal rights of women to work and their reintegration in employment in all segments of
the Afghan society, as well as through the United Nations system and human rights and
humanitarian organizations operating within Afghanistan,
c) Respect for the right of women and girls to security of person, and ensure that those
responsible for physical attacks and sexual abuse on women and girls are brought to
justice and given the necessary punishment,
d) Promote programs focused on placing women in positions of political authority, and
which emphasize the kinds of leadership skills required to navigate a challenging social
terrain and develop consensus on issues,
e) Promote womens leadership through government; Afghan women can also be
empowered throughout the bureaucracy; they can be given leadership rights in distinctive
positions through means but not limited to,
i)
Womens leadership in the civil service; this is crucial because the civil service and
sub national governance are the face of the state to communities at the local level,
ii)
Appoint women to senior decision-making positions through a credible process that
ensures their legitimacy in the eyes of the public this will ensure that women will
have a legitimate leadership role in government,
5. Requests the creation of specialist schools for disadvantaged girls which will receive
extra funding to provide advanced teaching in a specialist area - such as technology,
music, modern languages or sports; these schools rectify poor literacy and prevent
school dropouts. Specialist schools will also provide training programmes which teach
job-relevant skills that will help girls get better-paid jobs once they have completed their
education,
6. Urges intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to continue to support
efforts to promote the role of women and increase women literacy in Afghanistan
through means but not limited to,
a) Educating families about the importance of women literacy and encouraging them to send
their girls to schools, as well as to provide safe transport system and harassment free
society, workplace, and educational institutions,
b) The Government and UN Women ensure that the Taliban or other extremists organizations
do not further harm women and ensure necessary protection to schools and other womens
educational institutions,
c) Provide non-formal education and vocational training to girls whose families do not allow
them to go to school and at same time strengthen the synergy between the Literacy and
Non-Formal Education (LNFE) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET),

d) Build stronger schooling systems for girls with clear learning standards, good teachers,
adequate resources, and a proper regulatory environment,
e) Use technology to educate girls. Technology can help disadvantaged women grasp the
necessary knowledge that they need in science, economics, etc,
7. Calls on the United Nations Human Rights Council to incorporate elements of the
resolution adopted by the Security Council on 31 October 2000 (S/RES/1325); The
resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of
conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and
in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation
and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and
security. By incorporating elements from resolution 1325 the resolution will be more
effective.