Invitation to the First Joint UN-House Public Forum on International Women's Day 2002

Women Today: Realities and Opportunities - Women in Afghanistan

International Women's Day has been celebrated since the beginning of the 20th century by many organizations on 8 March. Since 1975 - the United Nations (UN) International Women's Year - the UN has observed this day as an occasion to promote further the empowerment of women as equal members of society. In 2002, UN organizations located in the UN House, Tokyo, will for the first time jointly commemorate International Women's Day with a public forum. The forum will focus on the situation of women in Afghanistan, which is the theme chosen by the UN for International Women's Day 2002. Experts from academia, the non-governmental sector and the media will present their insights and views on the realities and opportunities of women today with a particular focus on the situation of women in Afghanistan, both from the perspective of immediate reconstruction efforts and long-term human development. All UN agencies joining this event will set up booths to display their activities on gender and Afghanistan on the 2nd floor of the UN House in an event called "Information Market Place". A photo exhibition of Keiko Kawasaki on Afghan women will be held on the 3 rd floor from 8 to 14 March.

Armed conflicts, natural disasters, and policies of marginalization over the past quarter of a century have eliminated Afghan women from public, social and political life. Over the past six years in particular women have been subjected to violence, denied access to health, banned from education, and denied opportunities of participating in economic and political life. Only the events of 11 September, however, placed Afghanistan in the forefront of international attention. The International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan held in Tokyo in January 2002 emphasized the centrality of restoring the rights and addressing the needs of women, the primary victims of conflict and oppression. The Conference further called for the reconstruction process to fully reflect women's rights and gender issues. Despite the hardships, Afghanistan has a firm precedent for women's leadership and rights. Today there is a critical mass of women professionals inside and outside the country upon whom rebuilding the potential of the vast majority of society hinges. The recently concluded 26th session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted a formal statement that emphasized equal participation of women and men in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. In light of the international community's resolve to play a critical role in the rebuilding of the country, the first UN International Women's Day event in Tokyo aims at spreading the word on the plight of Afghan women and men, and at helping to forge solidarity with and support for women in Afghanistan active agents for rebuilding their society.

Programme

All interested members of the public are cordially invited to attend the forum. Please download the answer form to register your participation by March 6th. For inquiries, please contact Ms. Tanaka, UNU (Tel: 03-3499-2811, Fax: 03-5467-1308, Email: womens.day@hq.unu.edu). Simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation will be available.