UNIFEM has been in close consultation with Afghan women and the government of Afghanistan since 2002 in order to best to meet the needs of women in the context of their country’s history and culture. more »
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03 Jun | UNIFEM Receives Funds from UN Spouses Committee to Protect Women and Girls in Afghanistan
On 2 June UNIFEM was among the three recipients to receive funds from the UN Spouses Bazaar for Women in Conflict Areas that raised more than US$34,000 in mid-May. UNIFEM received a third of the proceeds, which will go to a non-governmental organization that protects women and girls in Afghanistan. more 
02 Jun | Women Peace & Governance Newsletter [PDF]
In this issue: (1 May 2009)
- New Resource Centre for Women in Politics Opens!
- A Tribute to Sitara Achekai: Afghan Women’s Human Rights Defender
- Afghan Women Defy Odds to Gather in their 1000’s to Call for Peace with Justice in Afghanistan
- Shia Personal Status Law Debate Succeeds in Galvanising Afghan Women and Men Around Women’s Rights
- 324 Women File to Run for Provincial
Council seats, 2 women stand for President,
7 women stand as Vice President.
07 May | Afghan Women’s Rights Advocate Suraya Pakzad among TIME’s 2009 Top 100 People
TIME Magazine has recognized Afghan women’s rights advocate Ms. Suraya Pakzad as one of its top 100 people in 2009. The international news magazine praised Ms. Pakzad, who founded the Voice of Women Organization (VWO) and works in close cooperation with UNIFEM Afghanistan, for her courageous and tireless work in providing Afghan women with shelter, counseling and job training, and raising awareness on gender-based violence in her country. more
03 May | Press conference by Dr Sima Samar, Head of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission and Kai Eide Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan
"I request you to play your role in strengthening press freedom and freedom of expression especially in encouraging women to run in presidential elections as well as in provincial council elections. Unfortunately, a very small number of women have registered as candidates for provincial council elections..."
Read the full transcript
Eliminate Violence against Women
The Special Fund for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Afghanistan was launched on 7 March 2008 to support ongoing activities to stop violence against women.
Latest from UNIFEM International
A Life Free of Violence: Unleashing the Power of Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, Strategy 2008-2011 [June 2009]
To advance UNIFEM's work and accelerate progress in implementation and upscaling, the organization's vision and future directions are set out in this 2008-2011 Strategy, A Life Free of Violence: Unleashing the Power of Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality. It looks at seminal reports, worldwide initiatives, and expert consensus and emerging issues in academic, advocacy and policy circles. It also provides an overview of UNIFEM-supported programming, work in progress at other UN agencies in the context of UN reform and other opportunities available to accelerate progress, such as the Secretary-General's campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women.
UNIFEM Annual Report 2008-2009 [May 2009]
The Annual Report documents UNIFEM's work to foster women's empowerment and gender equality around the world. The 2008-2009 edition highlights the efforts at the grassroots and policy level to improve women’s safety and security, advance political participation and economic empowerment, and further women’s access to justice and land.
Progress of the World's Women 2008/2008 [Oct 2008]
Focuses on five key areas where the need to strengthen accountability to women is urgent: politics and governance, access to public services, economic opportunities, justice, and the distribution of international assistance for development and security.
Gender Equality Now: Accelerating the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals [Oct 2008]
This resource pack makes recommendations on: accelerating the achievement of the MDGs; the costs of prioritizing, planning and budgeting for gender equality, as well as the costs of failing to do so; the link between violence against women and the MDGs ...
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Factsheet on Women in Afghanistan 2008
Child and Forced Marriage
UNIFEM