Peace X Peace Post-Election Reception
Remarks by Ambassador Said T. Jawad
Embassy of Afghanistan
10/18/2004
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the Embassy of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s first presidential election
was a historic achievement with phenomenal scenes that Afghans
will cherish for years to come.
Success in Afghanistan is helping the world become
a safer place. Afghanistan’s transition and successful
advance on the path to democracy and state-building will impact
the expectations and the aspirations of the people all over
the world.
Women played a very crucial role in success of
the lection. With about 20% of the vote counted so far, the
preliminary results show that nationally 41% of voters were
women. In Daikundi 53% of voters were women. In Nuristan surprisingly,
56% of the voters were women, and in Faryab 52% were women.
The lowest participation of women was in Helmand, Zabul and
Uruzgan at 2 to 11%. These are areas infested with terrorists
and Taliban.
In addition to their participation, women were
also involved in managing the process of the election.
How has this rapid transformation occurred?
In just three years since the Taliban fell, the
women of Afghanistan from being the most oppressed women in
the world are emerging as a very important force for security,
peace and democracy in Afghanistan. They have clearly made gigantic
strides in their quest for equal rights.
Women are the prime advocates of peace, because
they have the greatest motivation to seek peace. They lose everything
in the war, and gain nothing.
Women and children are prime victims of war. In
World War II civilian casualties were 65 percent, now 80 to
90 percent of casualties are civilian, and 80 to 90 percent
of these are women and girls.
Out of the 35 million refuges and displaced persons
in the world, 80 percent are women and girls.
In the post conflict societies, it is often women-
and children-led families who constitute the majority of the
population, such as Afghanistan, where approximately 54 to 60
percent of the population is female.
It is often left to women to gather any remaining
family and seek safety and shelter under threat of violence.
When the family is secured, women’s attention
turns outward to the community where they organize themselves
to provide schooling, medical care, and support groups for traumatized
persons.
In Afghanistan, women often went underground at
great risk to themselves to help the community.
Afghan women have greater self-confidence now.
Women have always been on the frontlines in post-conflict situations.
War brings demographic shifts which force women to shoulder
decision-making responsibilities.
The post-conflict period generally is the best
window of opportunity to effect changes in the political, economic,
and social climate of the country. When the fabric of society
is destroyed, it can be rewoven in a better way to provide for
gender mainstreaming.
International organizations and donor community
have also played a constructive role. NGO’s, such as Peace
by Peace, lobbied for the rights of Afghan women on the international
and national scene and provided Afghan women’s organizations
with financial, logistical and educational assistance. Donors
earmarked funds for women.
Now that the Afghan and the women have made their
contribution, the new President will enjoy a very strong mandate
and robust support of the people.
It is up to the new President to deliver and live
up to the fair expectations of the people. Afghans have high
expectations for the future. They want to elect a president
who is committed to improve security, enhance rule of law, fight
narcotics and corruption, dissolve private militias and rebuild
our war-shattered country. Afghans are asking for good governance,
transparency, and accountability.
President Karzai is expected to win with a wide
margin. This election has no loser except for the Taliban and
Al-Qaeda. Afghan people have won this election.
The new President cannot achieve these goals without
the continued engagement and accelerated support of the international
community.
In six months, Afghans are going to the
polls to choose their parliament. By then, Afghans must feel
the tangible results of their first investment in democracy.
There are many warlords and drug lords vying to make their way
into our future parliament.
