Afghans Want Women’s Inclusion in Intl Decision-Making Forums : Survey
Kabul: The latest quarterly survey conducted between 17 and 29 April by UN Afghanistan indicated that the consulted Afghan women and men feel that the international community should put in place formal mechanisms to ensure women’s inclusion in international decision-making forums which discuss the future of Afghanistan.
The survey, which covered 888 people across 33 provinces (not Uruzgan) of Afghanistan is conducted by UNAMA, UN Women and IOM.
In the survey, participants have also been asked about their engagement with the local authorities on issues important to them indicating that 80 percent of the female participants have not engaged at least once in the first quarter, while men’s meetings with the authorities was three times more than women.
According to the survey’s findings, men’s access to both legal and illegal dispute resolution mechanisms was also higher than those of women.
“Women indicated that they are excluded from influencing their lives at all points of decision-making – unable to influence the rules imposed upon them, nor hold others to account for violations or enforce those few rights granted by the DFA,” the report reads.
The women consulted in the survey have asked the local authorities to prioritize inclusive community engagement in local decision-making processes and service delivery design.
They have also asked the international community to facilitate ways for women to talk directly with government officials.
