The Republic of Indonesia, in partnership with the State of Qatar, organized an International Conference on Afghan Women's Education, in the Indonesian city of Bali.
The State of Qatar was represented at the Conference by HE Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater.
The Conference was attended by more than 40 countries, in addition to a large number of educational organizations and institutions, the private sector and figures.
It saw the attendance of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the World Islamic Bank, as well as a number of officials, including HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Anniken Huitfeldt, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bisera Turkovic, HE Minister for Pacific Peoples and Associate Foreign Affairs Minister Aupito William Sio, HE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates Sarah Al Amiri, HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Walid Abdulkarim Al Khuraiji, HE Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Roza Otunbayeva, and HE Australia's Special Representative on Afghanistan Senator Fatima Payman.
HE Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater said that the conference affirms commitment and coordination of efforts to support the people of Afghanistan, noting that the State of Qatar is committed to the development and prosperity in Afghanistan, in a way that provide opportunities for both men and women.
In a speech before the conference, Her Excellency said that education is an Islamic religious obligation that includes women and men, which we saw in the biography of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, adding that Islamic countries must reveal these facts about the sublime values and teachings of the true Islamic religion.
She explained that the State of Qatar has so far pledged more than $75 million to support Afghanistan, underlying its commitment to a number of projects to support Afghan women, including scholarship programs, funding training programs in Afghanistan in various fields, including the medical sectors, hosting the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Doha to continue its work, and supporting the reopening of girls' schools in Afghanistan.
HE stressed that these projects in themselves are not enough to make the difference that is intended to be achieved, noting the importance of the International Conference on Afghan Women's Education, which she considered an opportunity to learn from each other's experiences and explore how to build a coordinated and comprehensive long-term strategy that will support all women in Afghanistan.
HE the Assistant Foreign Minister expressed her pleasure to hear more about the initiatives of other countries and stakeholders participating in the conference, and urged all participants to continue the important work they are doing and expand these projects.
HE Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater considered the statement of the International Conference on Afghan Women's Education, which was announced, an important step to highlight the commitment of the international community towards women's education in Afghanistan and the need to find strong solutions to address the obstacles that limit the access of Afghan girls and women to education.
She warned that the Afghan people in general, not just women, face difficulties in various aspects of life, adding that the difficult economic situation the country is going through reduces opportunities for girls and boys alike, calling in this context on the international community to commit to helping the entire Afghan people and creating educational opportunities for girls and boys.
HE stressed that the State of Qatar will continue to defend the rights of everyone in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women, noting that it will continue to work with international partners for the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan.
HE highlighted the efforts of the Education Above All Foundation and the Qatar Fund for Development, in cooperation with international organizations, to provide quality education for millions of Afghan children and finance scholarships, noting in this regard the announcement last September of the launch of the Qatar Afghan Scholarship Project (QASP), which received the 1st batch of 250 Afghan refugee students in US colleges and universities for the academic year 2022-2023.
For her part, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi stressed the importance of the Conference to review the development in Afghanistan and reaffirm the support for the Afghan people without exception, in addition to reaffirming support for women's rights, especially their right to education.
She explained that there are more than 11 million Afghan women and girls in dire need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, noting that the restrictions imposed on women may cost the Afghan economy $1 billion or 5 percent of the gross domestic product, according to the United Nations Development Programme, pointing out that Afghanistan ranks last among 156 countries according to the 2021 Gender Gap Index issued by the World Economic Forum.
HE referred to the efforts made by Indonesia and Qatar, which included the tripartite meeting of scholars from Indonesia, Qatar and Afghanistan in Doha on June. 14, pointing out that such participation with Afghan scholars will be maintained in the future. She stressed the need to encourage progress to establish an inclusive government that respects women's rights.
The representatives of Turkey, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Norway, Britain, the United States, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan thanked the State of Qatar and the Republic of Indonesia for organizing this conference, which sheds light on Afghanistan and put women's education at the top of its agenda.
For her part, HE Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Democracy and Demography Dubravka Suica expressed her support for the Qatar-Indonesia initiative on Afghanistan, stressing the Commission's aspiration to work with partners to enhance Afghan girls and women's access to education at all levels.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs