Conference on Afghan Women in Montreal, Oct. 23-25, 2002

Rights & Democracy is contributing $10,000 to help defray the travel costs of five Afghan women participating in an international conference on the role of women and international organizations in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The conference, organized by Development and Peace and SUCO (Solidarité Union Coopération) - with the support of Rights & Democracy, will be held in Montreal on October 23-25, 2002.

The conference follows on from the general acknowledgement by the international community in Brussels in December 2001 after the fall of the Taliban that women should take a key role in Afghanistan's reconstruction and thus create new models of gender equality in the region. It will provide a forum for Afghan women's organizations to pinpoint areas of intervention and develop strategic alliances with international organizations.

On the agenda for discussion are issues including the changing political situation in Afghanistan and bordering countries, refugee women, women's evolving legal and political status, the transition from relief projects to ways to promote long term development, as well as the development of gender equality policies in women's organizations.

Conference organizers aim to raise public awareness (October 23 evening public lecture), provide specialist information for Canadian and Quebec international development professionals (Conference on October 24) and stimulate discussion among Canadian and Quebec organizations already active in working with women in the field in Afghanistan (Round Table discussion on October 25.)

See http://www.devp.org/testF/programmes/afghanistan.html or www.suco.org for the complete programme.