Afghan Women: Elections and the Constitution

Dean McAuliffe, thank you for the introduction. President DiGioia, I wish to express my gratitude to you and Georgetown University for organizing this important event. Minister Abdullah and your esteemed delegation, Ambassador, distinguished guests, it's an honor to be here with you, and in particular, with Minister Sarabi to assess the progress made and discuss next steps in establishing a constitutional order in Afghanistan, holding elections and ensuring full participation by women.

There is an Afghan proverb that says "a tree does not move unless there is wind." This is to say that great achievements do not come without determined efforts. What we have seen in the last two years is significant collaborative work by Afghans, Americans and the international community, and our efforts are paying of f-- we are achieving results. Yet, as we all know, there is still work to do.

The process of establishing a constitutional government in Afghanistan that began in Bonn has resulted in noteworthy successes. We are now approaching two major milestones of the Bonn Process -- the requirements for adoption of a new constitution and holding elections. Successful accomplishment of these two endeavors is critical for Afghanistan's democratic development.

On November 3rd, President Karzai publicly released the draft of the new constitution. This document will form the legal foundation for the government of Afghanistan. It addition to detailing the type of government Afghanistan will have, the constitution spells out the role of religion in the state and the status of women in Afghan law and society. A key element of the document is the inclusion of women's political rights, such as the right to vote and the right to hold office. It is critical that these and other inalienable rights, which provide for equality among all of Afghanistan's citizens, are part of the country's final constitution.

I am pleased that women have been involved in the constitutional drafting process. There were two women on the nine-member Drafting Committee of the Constitutional Commission, which prepared a preliminary draft of the constitution. There were also seven women on the 35-member Constitutional Review Commission, which approved the draft. One of the members of the Constitutional Commission is here today, Fatami Galani.

So as to make the constitutional process more broadly inclusive, the Constitutional Commission carried out public consultations throughout Afghanistan. Afghans provided their ideas on what specific matters they wanted addressed in the new constitution. Women, as individuals, and through various NGOs such as the Afghan Women's Network, were active participants during these consultations.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs collected many ideas about Afghanistan's future government from women. They also held community meetings in groups of 30-60 women to solicit their input for the Commission. On July 9, a meeting was held in Kabul with over 500 women present, along with members of the Commission. This group then fanned out to Afghan villages to raise women's awareness about the constitution.

The U.S. Government has funded several projects encouraging women's political participation and involvement in the process of drafting a constitution. One is Radio Rabia Balkhi in Mazar-I-Shari, which is received on 89.7 FM. This is a voice for women in the north. A majority of these women are illiterate, and the radio allows them to address women's issues that would otherwise be neglected. The station also has programs on women's political participation. Though Radio Rabia Balkhi currently broadcasts only for two hours a day, women are listening, and radio is a powerful way to reach out and open new worlds for them.

Other programs the U.S. has supported to help women participate in the constitutional process include grants to NGOs to run public meetings, seminars and workshops in provinces such as Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Baghlan, Sar-i-pul, Kapisa and Wardak. These programs allow illiterate rural women to participate in the political process through discussion groups, and they will support potential female candidates for the Constitutional Loya Jirga and the 2004 elections.

We are looking forward to the Loya Jirga that is to begin in December. Under the mechanism established by President Karzai, almost 20% of the 500 delegates will be women. Such participation in the Loya Jirga is nothing short of historic for Afghanistan.

Drafting a constitution is one challenge -- enacting it and ensuring that it is adhered to is another. We stand ready to assist the Afghan Government in guaranteeing that the rights enumerated by the new constitution are adequately protected, and that the document lives up to its promise to be the supreme law of the land.
We expect that women will also play a major role in the upcoming general election. Under the Bonn Agreement, a fully representative government is to be elected through free and fair elections held no later than June 10 of next year. We fully support the Afghan Government and the United Nations as they seek to meet this target.

Security is at the forefront of election concerns, and is a prerequisite for full participation. The security situation in parts of the country is still tenuous, and this is a challenge that particularly affects women. Security must be provided to protect voters and international election workers, to prevent intimidation, and to establish legitimacy for the outcome of the elections.

In addition, certain steps must be taken to assist women seeking to vote, as security concerns, for example, may inhibit many women from leaving their homes to go to polling places. Some of this is already being dealt with in the voter registration process. This is a new procedure for Afghanistan, as there has never been a voter registry there. The process poses many daunting obstacles, further complicated by the fact that no census exists.

Specific measures will also be required to register women, who in the past were excluded from the political process. Accordingly, the United Nations plans to field 305 registration teams of 12 Afghans each -- six men and six women. The plan calls for Afghans to receive a voter registration card that identifies them and their province of residence. Issues such as illiteracy among women pose a problem, so oral instructions and picture-based ballots will be essential. We are all working hard on these questions, and together, we will find solutions before the national elections.

We also believe voter education will be useful to inform the population about the importance of elections and the procedures for participating. The U.S. Agency for International Development is expending $8.86 million in election assistance, which will be used for such efforts as education and training for political parties and civic activists. Special programs will target women, educating them on the importance of voting and political participation, and training women candidates to run political campaigns and mobilize female members of political parties.

The June 2004 elections will be a watershed in the advancement of democracy in Afghanistan, marking the first time ever that Afghans select their head of state through competitive elections. It will be a particularly important milestone for Afghan women, who will have an opportunity to vote and establish a political role for women in a representative government that respects the inalienable rights of all of its people.

These elections and the constitutional process that makes them possible are outstanding accomplishments when you think of where Afghanistan stood in the beginning of October 2001. All Afghans, and especially women, have come a long way since then. There is still much to do, but the progress achieved, thus far, is remarkable when compared with other transitions toward democracy.