Kabul, Afghanistan – Indonesia and Qatar co-chaired the International Conference on Afghan Women’s Education in Bali, Indonesia on Thursday, according to sources, to garner support for Afghan women education.
Last month, a group of Afghan women staged a protest in Kabul to express their concerns over the ongoing ban on female students despite repeated calls by the international community to reopen girls’ schools above sixth grade.
The conference is the first such meeting to take place since the Taliban takeover last August, gathering representatives of 38 countries, international organizations, NGOs and academics.
Indonesia has made Afghanistan one of its priority foreign aid commitments, with assistance directed mostly to support women’s empowerment and education.
“We cannot choose to remain idle, we must do something,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference, Arab News quoted.
“I firmly believe investing in women means investing in a brighter future, given the opportunity women can make a critical contribution to society.”
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The foreign minister of Pakistan, who attended the conference, exclaimed an investment in female education is an investment in the future of the nation, giving Pakistan as an example of “women’s equal right to education”.
“The constitution of Pakistan recognizes women’s equal right to education, we are convinced that an investment in female education is an investment in the future of the nation,” Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, at TOLOnews quoted.
Speaking at the conference, the foreign minister of Pakistan also mentioned offering scholarships to Afghan students.
“4,500 fully funded scholarships will be offered for eligible Afghan students to study in Pakistan. 1,500 of these scholarships have been reserved for Afghan women,” said Zardari.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that it will expand education opportunities across Afghanistan.
“In 2023, we’re expanding education opportunities across Afghanistan,” UNICEF tweeted. “We’re repairing classes so they’re safer & more conducive to learning.”
Despite repeated calls by the international community and world leaders, the Islamic Emirate has previously said that it’s leadership is committed to all the rights of women in Afghanistan within the framework of Islamic law.
In March, the Islamic Emirate on a formal decree banned female students of grade six and above from attending classes in schools throughout the country.
The decision by the group has triggered a backlash among international communities and the United Nations, including foreign ministries of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., urging for immediate reconsideration of girls’ education.
