Benchmarking Women’s Participation in Afghanistan’s 2005 and 2009/10 Parliamentary and Provincial Council Elections: Balkh, Bamiyan and Kabul

This was the final event of AREU’s UN Women-funded research project exploring women's participation in Afghanistan's 2005 and 2009/10 parliamentary and provincial council (PC) elections. The half-day workshop brought together a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from the Independent Election Commission, the Ministry of Women's Affairs, UN Women, international NGOs including the National Democratic Institute, the US Institute for Peace, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and several MPs and PC members. UN Women's country director Ms.Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir gave the keynote address, after which AREU’s research team of Farid Bayat, Dr. Chona E. Echavez,  Zia Hussain, Reyhaneh Gulsum Hussaini, Massouda Kohistani, and Oliver Lough presented the study’s findings. These were then followed by group discussions, feedback and reflection. Simultaneous translation was provided between Dari and English throughout.