Supporting Afghan Women Peacebuilders (March-April 2011)

Women peacebuilders from 12 insecure provinces in Afghanistan gathered at a March workshop in Kabul, hosted by Afghan nonprofit The Liaison Office and Women Waging Peace Network member Palwasha Hassan, to explore Afghan women’s perspectives on the peace process and develop recommendations for enhancing women’s inclusion in the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program. Inclusive Security's Program Specialist Michelle Barsa traveled to Kabul to observe the workshop, conduct one-on-one interviews with the participants, and provide input to the final report. Recommendations ranged from women’s promotion of reintegration by reaching out to women family members of fighters, to family-focused—rather than fighter-focused—reintegration assistance packages, to advancing women’s inclusion in mediation efforts. Additionally, workshop participants brainstormed to identify women in their respective provinces who are resolving conflicts in their communities or could be engaged to do so.

Hassan and longtime Network member Rangina Hamidi later traveled to DC, where they participated in a panel discussion at George Washington University on women’s role in reconstruction in Afghanistan. The Institute also connected Hassan with policymakers from the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and with Republican leadership in the House of Representatives to discuss women’s inclusion in reconciliation and reintegration efforts.

For more information about Inclusive Security's work in Afghanistan, please contact Michelle Barsa.