Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Women
Remarks by Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary for Global Affairs, US Department of State
November 7, 2024

Thank you for that introduction, Ambassador Hunt. I appreciate your invitation to address the Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace Colloquium.

In Afghanistan, Iraq, and other post-conflict nations around the world, we are making a determined effort to secure the rights of women. The Bush Administration recognizes that women are not incidental to democratization processes—they are a fundamental component.

The centrality of women’s issues to the global struggle in which we are now engaged was spelled out by Vice President Cheney in a September speech in which he said, “As we help the people of Iraq and Afghanistan to rebuild their countries, America and our allies have made a commitment. We will make sure that women have a place at the table in those societies. Working with new leaders, we are making sure that girls can be educated, that women have a voice in government and a chance to work and build businesses of their own. What is true in America is true in the Middle East and beyond. No society can succeed and prosper if it denies opportunity and justice to half its citizens.”

Therefore, we have pursued a variety of results-based initiatives to empower women in post-conflict societies around the world. Every situation is unique, as are the tools we use. The list includes literacy courses for girls and women; life skills, computer and vocational training programs; maternal and child health care clinics and education; micro-credit facilities and networking workshops for aspiring businesswomen; and exchange programs in civil leadership and public advocacy. All of these initiatives are directed at empowering women, which is the right thing to do, and helps foster a more democratic and stable society.

Some of our efforts to help women in post-conflict societies are highly developed and well into the implementation phase, while others are just beginning. In Colombia, for example, extreme economic hardship has made women vulnerable to sex trafficking. We have been pleased, though, by the Government of Colombia’s recognition of the danger and its vigorous response. As Colombian Vice President Santos noted at the State Department-sponsored International Conference on Trafficking in February, access to micro-credit, economic opportunity, and working with NGOs are vital to combating trafficking in Colombia and around the world. I couldn’t agree more. Our Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues, Charlotte Ponticelli, is currently visiting Colombia and other South American nations, meeting with NGOs, political leaders, and local women to see where the needs are greatest and how we can respond.

Middle Eastern women face various obstacles, some of which stem from recent conflicts. The Middle East Partnership Initiative, or MEPI as it is called, was launched by the Administration last December to address some of these problems. MEPI is a Presidential initiative founded to support economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the Middle East and champion opportunity for all people of the region, especially women and youth. MEPI’s four pillars are economic, political, educational, and women’s affairs.

In the women’s pillar, MEPI works toward economic, political, and educational systems where women enjoy full and equal opportunities. The establishment of a separate pillar for women’s affairs was important, although it should be noted that women’s issues are given attention in the other three pillars as well.

Noteworthy MEPI projects in the women’s field include a large-scale girls literacy campaign in Yemen, regional “political campaign schools” held in the Gulf for women candidates and activists, legal and constitutional workshops on women’s rights, a creative new micro-credit initiative, and family protection services in several Arab countries.

Two post-conflict nations where our efforts in supporting women are well under way are Afghanistan and Iraq. We believe the success of democracy in these nations is the key to their futures and the broader global aspirations of women. Moreover, any success achieved will also have the potential to spread across regions that generally have had dismal records on the treatment of women and the preservation of basic human rights.

In Iraq, we are working to empower women at the grassroots level. This starts with a true revolution in the education of Iraq’s younger generation. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, we have renovated approximately 1,000 schools in time for the new school year, which just began. We are also supporting Iraqi efforts to prepare school materials that will help teach the country’s youth about tolerance and individual freedoms, instead of the propaganda that was standard fare in Saddam’s textbooks.

In addition, we are hard at work rehabilitating maternal clinics in Baghdad and other cities, and women’s dormitories at Babylon University and elsewhere. Looking ahead, we are determined that women must be fully involved as planners and implementers as well as beneficiaries in the massive U.S.-funded reconstruction effort—over $20 billion during the coming eighteen months

At the formal institutional level, the Governing Council established in July included three women among its 25 members—one of whom, Aquila Al-Hashimi, was murdered for her selfless act of patriotism and courage. In Baghdad itself, the city council, like many others we have helped establish around the country, has drawn in the active participation of women. In fact, of the total membership of thirty-seven, six are women, and a woman is Vice Chair.

Additionally, on the advice of Ambassador Bremer, a group of forty women that represent different religions, geographical areas, and ethnicities, elected a seven-member steering group to create a comprehensive outline of Iraqi women’s priorities. I met with this dynamic group when I visited Baghdad in July for the Voice of Iraqi Women Conference. During a series of workshops on everything from legal and constitutional reform to education and health issues, I had the opportunity to speak with these women candidly about their role in a new Iraq, and encourage them to make full use of all their talents and energies in every field. During Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz’s recent trip to Iraq, he carried the same message to the women in al-Hillah. He underscored the importance of women’s participation in the democratic process, and especially focused on the South Central region where women comprise 65% of the population due to deaths of so many men during the Iran-Iraq war.

In late June, our office arranged for a delegation of Iraqi women to attend the Global Women’s Summit held in Marrakesh, Morocco. This was the first time such a meeting was ever held in any Arab country—and the first time these free Iraqi women were able to attend such an international gathering of business and political leaders. One of the Iraqi participants later told us how moving it was for her and her colleagues to be welcomed, with a standing ovation, into the regional and global mainstream. That participant happened to be Nasrine Sideek Barwari who was later appointed Minister of Public Works.

At yesterday’s 20th anniversary celebration of the National Endowment for Democracy, the President described recent democratic developments across the Middle East and North Africa. Specifically, he cited King Mohammed’s laudable effort to extend rights to women in Morocco. The King asked Parliament, “How can society achieve progress while women, who represent half the nation, see their rights violated and suffer as a result of injustice, violence, and marginalization, notwithstanding the dignity and justice granted to them by our glorious religion?” President Bush noted that “The King of Morocco is correct: The future of Muslim nations will be better for all with the full participation of women.”

As we work to build a better future for Iraqi women and men, we remain committed to helping the people of Afghanistan. Earlier this year, I was in Kabul and met with Foreign Minister Abdullah and the Minister of Women’s Affairs Sarabi, as we are co-chairs of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council. I plan to be back in Kabul several times over the next few months.

Through the hard work of the U.S. and Afghan members of the Council, we are mobilizing public and private sector resources in vital areas such as micro-credit for Afghan women, mentoring programs, and education. As the First Lady announced just over a month ago in her speech to UNESCO, we are working to reestablish the American School in Kabul beginning next fall for Afghan children and for children of international families.

The U.S. has actively encouraged the participation of Afghan women in their country’s political life, with positive results. For the first time in Afghan history, women have participated in a Loya Jirga. Over two hundred women were delegates to the June 2002 Loya Jirga that created the current Afghan Transitional government. The Cabinet includes two women ministers—the Minister of Women’s Affairs and the Minister of Health. Dr. Sima Samar was also appointed to head the Human Rights Commission. Seven of the 35 members of the Constitutional Commission are women, and the draft they helped produce affirms their equal rights. Women will have full voting rights in the national election due next year.

We are helping Afghan women in other ways, from basic food and shelter, to extensive maternal and child health care projects, to vocational training. This year, with U.S. support, 40% of Afghanistan’s five million students are girls. That is two million girls in school—compared with the previous all-time Afghan record of just 350,000, even before the Taliban era.

There is still much work to do in both Iraq and Afghanistan. However, as challenging as these environments are, Afghan and Iraqi women are much better off than they were before our coalitions ended their former regimes.

Our task in these nations is not easy. We are committed to staying until the job is done. We are making steady progress in stabilizing these nations and helping them down the road to true democratic governance that secures the inalienable human rights of all Iraqi and Afghan citizens, women and men alike. As President Bush remarked in New Hampshire last month, “Our work in Iraq is essential…and no band of murderers or gangsters will stop that work, or shake the will of America.” We have an effective strategy to help women in post-conflict societies, and we are making progress.

The countries where women are treated with dignity, where they have a choice in how they live their own lives, where they have equal access to public life, and an equal opportunity to contribute to society—these are the countries in today’s world that are most peaceful, prosperous, and free. This is why our work for women’s political participation is so important, and why it is also a long way from being done. Let us continue to work together to give women and their children the chance to reach their full potential. Thank you for inviting me today, Ambassador Hunt. I congratulate you on holding this most timely and thoughtful conference.

return to top