On July 18th, 2013, the U.S. Institute of Peace and U.S. Agency for International development hosted an expert panel, which discussed efforts made by multilateral actors within the U.S. Government and internationally, in ensuring a commitment to the empowerment of women and girls in Afghanistan.

Research repeatedly shows that no nation can achieve sustainable peace, reconciliation, stability, and economic growth when half the population is marginalized. USAID and the U.S. Institute of Peace are fully committed to removing constraints on women’s potential — their contributions to Afghan society are imperative to lasting peace, stability and economic progress. This event took stock of progress thus far, of on-going commitments to the needs of women and girls, and explored the potential impact of new programming and partnerships beyond the political and security transitions in 2014.

This event coincided with the release of the USAID Request for Proposal, Promote, a five-year program for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. Promote is targeting the education, promotion, and training of a new generation of Afghan women, aged 18-30. With the goal of increasing women’s contributions to Afghanistan’s development, Promote strengthens women’s rights groups, boosts female participation in the economy, increases the number of women in decision-making positions within the Afghan government, and helps women gain business and management skills.

Here are the details about this expert panel:

• Welcome and Introductions: Jim Marshall, President, U.S. Institute of Peace
• Keynote Speaker: Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator
• Followed by a panel moderated by Carla Koppell, Chief Strategy Officer, Former Senior Coordinator on Gender, USAID. The panel included:
  Kathleen Kuehnast, Director, Center for Gender & Peacebuilding, USIP
  William Byrd, Afghanistan Senior Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace
  Naheed Farid, Member of the Afghan Parliament
  Rangina Hamidi, Founder, Kandahar Treasure
  Palwasha Kakar, Director of Women’s Empowerment and Development Programs, The Asia Foundation
  Hossai Wardak, Afghanistan Visiting Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace

Source: USIP