Civil Society and Human Rights Organization CSHRO initiated the working program on the United Nation’s Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 so called “Strengthening Gender Equality” in Afghanistan . The goal of the program is to encourage the role of women in Afghan society in peace, security and stability in Afghanistan . Meanwhile CSHRO advocates for the promotion and implementation of UNSCR 1325. The program is supported by Ambassador’s Small Grand Projects of US (ASGP). The programme has 7 month duration March-September 2011. According to the program CSHRO designed a working program to disseminate broad information about UNSCR 1325. The program covers three provinces of Afghanistan Kabul, Parwan and Bamyan.
In each province 100 women are identified according to their educational level. Amongst 100 of women 25 of them are educated and employed in the state and non state institutions and 75 of them are educated but unemployed women. The first group which consists of 25 women is called “Advisory Group”.
The group which consists of 75 women is called “Advocator Group”. Additionally CSHRO involved other stakeholders and established another group by the name of “Support Group” which consists of directors and key persons of state and non state organizations.
CSHRO has fife strategic key result areas – 1: coordination -2: capacity building -3: public awareness -4: Monitoring -5: Advocacy. This project was designed based on fife strategic key result areas of CSHRO.
1- In the field of key result area Capacity building:
At the beginning of project CSHRO organized training workshops on UN resolutions particularly on UNSCR 1325. The purpose of the training workshops was to increase the knowledge of participants about UN resolutions, content of UNSCR 1325 and obligations of state in regard with UN resolutions. Consequently for the “Advocator Group” CSHRO educational section organized a series of training workshops on the meaning of advocacy and how to do advocacy. The purpose of these training workshops was to train the unemployed women with different approaches and techniques of advocacy.
During the last seven months (March-September 2011) the “Advisory Group” organized monthly debates. The purpose of these monthly debates was to enhance the skill of employed women on how to debate on burring issues of human rights of women. Therefore the “Advisory Group” tried to collect information about the policies and mandates of their organizations to find challenges and problems. This information helped the “Advisory Group” to debate on challenges and problems and find out the issue of advocacy in the respective region.
2- In the field of Key result area coordination:
After each two months CSHRO coordinated the “Advocator Group” with “Advisory Group” to pick up an issue for advocacy and make an action plan for doing advocacy in the respective regions. The statement of Bamyan women on transition of power to national forces is a good example of doing advocacy of these women.
CSHRO was responsible to organize bimonthly meeting of support group. In the “Support Group” meeting the directors and key persons of state and none-state organizations received the finding of the project. The purpose of this meeting was to keep the key persons of state and non state organizations informed about the challenges and problems that women faced in the regions. On the other hand CSHRO made the ground to coordinate employed women with unemployed women as well as generate a synergy among women of different regions and link them with state organizations, civil society organizations and media.
3- In the field of key result area Public awareness;
One of the very important components of the project was to disseminate information on the role of women in peace, security and stability by radio programs. CSHRO identified three local radios in Kabul, Bamyan and Parwan provinces. The purpose of radio programs was to aware Afghan people about the UN resolutions particularly about UNSCR 1325 and the role of the Afghan state in implementation of the resolution. According to the programme CSHRO broadcasted fife monthly radio programs through Kabul , Parwan and Bamyan local radios. Additionally these radio programs were the tribune for 100 women in the region to raise their voice and talk with local communities.
4- In the field of Key result area Monitoring;
The Civil society and Human Rights Organization CSHRO organized a base-line study on the role and capacity of main stakeholders on UNSCR 1325. The base-line study examined the level of understanding of local human rights activists about the international standards. The aim of this base line study was to know about the knowledge of Afghans and stakeholders about UNSCR 1325. However this base line study tried to map the stakeholders and identify the key players of UNSCR 1325 and their projects. A final study will be conducted at the end of the project to find the changes which have been made because of project. These changes will be found by comparing the base line study with the final study. Recommendations will be developed and distributed for all stakeholders to accelerate the process of establishing a proper context for implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Afghanistan.
Secondly the “Advisory Group” was appointed to collect information about the policies, mandates and projects of state and non state organizations in their respective regions. The analyze of compiled information directed the “Advocacy Group” to monitor the implementation of the policies and projects in the ground and compare with the information and find the differences and give specific suggestions in the “Support Group” meetings for the key persons of state and non sate organizations.
5- In the field of key result area Advocacy;
CSHRO by comparing the base line study with the final study will develop specific recommendations and submits to the relevant state and non state organizations. Follow up of recommendations for the sake of implementation of these recommendations will have a good effect on shaping policies and strategic plans for the benefit of implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Afghanistan.
Issue based advocacy of 100 women in their respective regions generated a synergy among the employed and unemployed women of different regions to keep their coordination, use their gained knowledge and advocate for the benefit of women rights in their region. Statement of Bamyan women on transition of power to national forces and establishing of committee consisting of trained women and representative of Parwan people in the parliament to monitor jointly the work of institutions in Parwan province are good example of issue based advocacy of women.
Finding of the project;
– Systematically and programmatically focus on awareness raising programs to aware people and stakeholders about the state obligations in regard with UNSCR 1325 and importance of UNSCR 1325 for peace and stability in Afghanistan;
– Capacity building programs in the field of advocacy and different tactics of advocacy is an essential felt need element to deploy more women to advocate for the benefit of implementation of UNSCR 1325;
– Capacity building programs on developing of draft of National Action Plan of UNSCR1325;
– launching programs to advocate for establishing of a system to ensure economical rights of women and job seeking and job security of women;
– advocating for streamlining and applying positive discrimination policy to secure and strengthen gender equality;
– Advocating providing adequate resources and long term partnership of international communities for the favor of strengthening Afghan civil society and empowering Afghan women.
