MEDIA NOTE
Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Leads Members of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council to Afghanistan
Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky traveled to Afghanistan November 19-20, to hold formal discussions with Afghan President
Hamid Karzai, Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, and Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs Dr. Hosni Banu Ghazanfar concerning the transition of the
U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council to its permanent home at Georgetown University.
First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush announced the formal partnership between the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council and Georgetown University in December 2006.
Traveling with Under Secretary Dobriansky was a delegation of distinguished Americans from the private sector and philanthropy: Dr. Phyllis Magrab, Director of the Center for Child and Human Development at Georgetown University, Jeff Fahey, philanthropist and actor, Tim McBride, Co-chair of the Ayenda Foundation, and Shamim Jawad, wife of the Afghan Ambassador and Co-chair of the Ayenda Foundation.
The Council, which meets in Washington, DC and Kabul every year, was created by President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2002. Its mission is to help empower Afghan women to play a critical role in the reconstruction of their nation. The Council promotes public/private partnerships between U.S. and Afghan institutions and mobilizes private resources to help Afghan women gain the skills and education they need to improve their status and economic well-being. It also seeks to improve women’s access to health care and reduce the adult illiteracy that impedes Afghan women’s progress.
In Afghanistan, the Council also traveled to Bamiyan Province to visit a number of Council-sponsored projects assisting Afghan women and children.
For more information contact the Office of International Women’s Issues, 202-312-9664.