Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KABUL1903
2007-06-10 04:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kabul
Cable title:
MINISTER OF WOMEN'S AFFAIRS OUTLINES CURRENT PRIORITIES
how-toVZCZCXRO0701 RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHPW RUEHYG DE RUEHBUL #1903 1610432 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 100432Z JUN 07 FM AMEMBASSY KABUL TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8592 INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4152 RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS KABUL 001903
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
STATE PASS TO U/S PAULA DOBRIANKSY
NSC FOR HARRIMAN
OSD FOR SHIVERS
CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-82 POLAD
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS
E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM AF
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF WOMEN'S AFFAIRS OUTLINES CURRENT PRIORITIES
WITH AMBASSADOR
REF: A) KABUL 800, B) KABUL 4409
UNCLAS KABUL 001903
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
STATE PASS TO U/S PAULA DOBRIANKSY
NSC FOR HARRIMAN
OSD FOR SHIVERS
CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-82 POLAD
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS
E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM AF
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF WOMEN'S AFFAIRS OUTLINES CURRENT PRIORITIES
WITH AMBASSADOR
REF: A) KABUL 800, B) KABUL 4409
1. (SBU) During a June 2 meeting with the Ambassador, Minister of
Women's Affairs Hussn Ghazanfar highlighted her main priorities as
fostering women's and girl's education, bolstering Afghanistan's
fledgling women's handicrafts industry, and establishing mental
health centers for women. She announced the completion of the
Ministry's 10-year plan, which she anticipates will be approved by
the Cabinet within the next month. She also mentioned plans to
lobby the international community to fund more activities outside of
Kabul, where she says most programming for women is currently
concentrated. Ambassador Wood and Minister Ghazanfar also discussed
the effectiveness and security of the Ministry's provincial
Departments of Women's Affairs (DOWA's).
2. (SBU) Among the priorities mentioned, Minister Ghazanfar seemed
most enthusiastic about her desire to establish mental health
clinics tailored towards women's needs both in Kabul and throughout
the provinces. Decades of conflict coupled with the relative
invisibility of women outside the home and social customs such as
forced marriages, honor killings, and the bartering of women to
settle disputes have taken a particular toll on the mental state of
many Afghan women, who often feel they have nowhere to turn.
Ghazanfar noted her plans to lobby USAID and other donor countries
for funding of these clinics in the near future.
3. (SBU) Ambassador Wood raised security concerns at the Ministry's
provincial Departments of Women's Affairs, or DOWA's. In late 2006
USAID and its German equivalent, GTZ, proposed conducting a security
assessment of DOWA offices as a result of last year's heightened
threats to several DOWA directors throughout the southern and
eastern provinces (reftel A) and the murder of DOWA Director Safia
Amajan in Kandahar on September 25, 2006 (reftel B). At that time,
Minister Ghazanfar said she needed to seek broader GOA approval,
particularly from the Interior Ministry, to do the assessment. When
asked whether she had raised her security concerns in the Cabinet,
Ghazanfar simply mentioned that the MOWA had recently completed its
own assessment of the effectiveness of DOWA offices (she did not yet
have a summary of results),but did not mention security as a
concern. Minister Ghazanfar stated that in the provinces she has
been focused on establishing women's shuras, using traditional
mechanisms to discuss and propose solutions to the problems faced by
women. Ambassador Wood indicated an interest in making meetings
with local women's shuras a regular feature of his visits to the
provinces.
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
STATE PASS TO U/S PAULA DOBRIANKSY
NSC FOR HARRIMAN
OSD FOR SHIVERS
CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-82 POLAD
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS
E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM AF
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF WOMEN'S AFFAIRS OUTLINES CURRENT PRIORITIES
WITH AMBASSADOR
REF: A) KABUL 800, B) KABUL 4409
1. (SBU) During a June 2 meeting with the Ambassador, Minister of
Women's Affairs Hussn Ghazanfar highlighted her main priorities as
fostering women's and girl's education, bolstering Afghanistan's
fledgling women's handicrafts industry, and establishing mental
health centers for women. She announced the completion of the
Ministry's 10-year plan, which she anticipates will be approved by
the Cabinet within the next month. She also mentioned plans to
lobby the international community to fund more activities outside of
Kabul, where she says most programming for women is currently
concentrated. Ambassador Wood and Minister Ghazanfar also discussed
the effectiveness and security of the Ministry's provincial
Departments of Women's Affairs (DOWA's).
2. (SBU) Among the priorities mentioned, Minister Ghazanfar seemed
most enthusiastic about her desire to establish mental health
clinics tailored towards women's needs both in Kabul and throughout
the provinces. Decades of conflict coupled with the relative
invisibility of women outside the home and social customs such as
forced marriages, honor killings, and the bartering of women to
settle disputes have taken a particular toll on the mental state of
many Afghan women, who often feel they have nowhere to turn.
Ghazanfar noted her plans to lobby USAID and other donor countries
for funding of these clinics in the near future.
3. (SBU) Ambassador Wood raised security concerns at the Ministry's
provincial Departments of Women's Affairs, or DOWA's. In late 2006
USAID and its German equivalent, GTZ, proposed conducting a security
assessment of DOWA offices as a result of last year's heightened
threats to several DOWA directors throughout the southern and
eastern provinces (reftel A) and the murder of DOWA Director Safia
Amajan in Kandahar on September 25, 2006 (reftel B). At that time,
Minister Ghazanfar said she needed to seek broader GOA approval,
particularly from the Interior Ministry, to do the assessment. When
asked whether she had raised her security concerns in the Cabinet,
Ghazanfar simply mentioned that the MOWA had recently completed its
own assessment of the effectiveness of DOWA offices (she did not yet
have a summary of results),but did not mention security as a
concern. Minister Ghazanfar stated that in the provinces she has
been focused on establishing women's shuras, using traditional
mechanisms to discuss and propose solutions to the problems faced by
women. Ambassador Wood indicated an interest in making meetings
with local women's shuras a regular feature of his visits to the
provinces.