Corporate best practices in a Post-Conflict setting
Remarks made by Ambassador Said T. Jawad
Mexico City, Mexico
06/24/2005
Distinguished panelists, ladies and gentlemen:
I am honored to be on this panel, addressing successful
business women from around the globe. I have never been in a
room with so many beautiful people. I would like to thank the
Global Summit on Women, especially my friend Irene Natividad,
for extending a very warm welcome to the delegation from Afghanistan.
As Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Mexico, I
am especially proud that Afghan women are participating in such
an important global event in Mexico City. Members of our delegation:
Mina Sharitol, Nilab Sadat, Sara Rahmani, Malaly Jawad, Laila
Arab and Mariam Nawabi are extraordinary women who have achieved
success despite colossal challenges. They lived through war,
violence and the Taliban rule, either inside Afghanistan or
as refugees. But they never gave up on their dreams. Today,
two years after starting their companies, they are looking at
how to export their products globally. They are living examples
of the determination and success for women all over the world.
Before I address the issue of good corporate practices
in post-conflict settings, please allow me to briefly discuss
the background of women’s social, political and economic
rights in Afghanistan.
The Soviet invasion of 1979 and the ensuing war
and violence were major setbacks for Afghan women. The war took
away their sons and their husbands and their human rights. While
we were able to push back the Red Army with the assistance of
the United States and the West, we fell victim to a parallel
invasion of extremism in Afghanistan. Many foreign sources and
institutions either actively propelled extremism as an instrument
to fight Communism, or simply ignored it. And in the midst of
all this, Afghan women endured unspeakable horrors.
After the Soviet withdrawal, the international
community pursued a policy of disengagement and the Afghan people
were left alone to deal with an enormous amount of weapons and
extremism infused into a small, devastated country. This policy
had costly consequences for Afghanistan and the global security.
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban took our people and our country hostage.
Afghan women were the prime victims of terror. They lost most
of their basic rights. The 9-11 tragedy brought about the reengagement
of the international community in Afghanistan.
The United States led the War on Terror with the
full participation of the Afghan people. Afghan women, in partnership
with the Afghan government and the international community,
started to regain their human rights and rebuild the country.
This partnership has significant results for our people.
Today, our schools are overflowing with boys and
girls eager to learn. 5.6 million boys and girls are going to
school and Afghan women are determined to acquire education
as is demonstrated by the Logar School. Women have returned
to the workplace. Our towns and villages are alive and flourishing
with activity and business.
As a result, over the last three years, our economy grew by
an average of 16% per year. We have introduced a new currency
and adopted new laws to enhance the rights of women and to attract
investment in Afghanistan.
Our new Constitution, which was drafted and adopted
with the very active participation of Afghan women, provides
for equal rights and full participation of Afghan women. Women
are once again serving as ministers, governors and commissioners.
38% of all voters in our first national election in over 5,000
years history of Afghanistan – were women. Dr. Masuda
Jalal made history by running for the presidency of the country.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for September
of this year. 5,950 candidates have registered for the parliamentary
and provincial elections, of which 617 are women. Under the
new constitution, 27% of Parliamentary seats are allocated to
women.
I was a member of a number of Grand National assemblies
that elected the President and adopted the new constitution
in Afghanistan. It was very evident that women were the most
democratic, the most patriotic, the most anti-war, and the most
anti-violence. The women of Afghanistan constituted the most
constructive and unified voting block in each assembly.
While the legal infrastructure to enhance the
rights of women are established, true gender equality can only
be achieved by providing women with education and proper access
to jobs and capital. Some of the cultural impediments that women
are facing cannot be changed by decree. It will, however, be
changed by education. Thus, Afghan women need more resources
for education and training.
We consider the private sector to be the driving
force of economic development. Women are an important part of
the sector. We have taken significant steps to promote private
investment. We have created the Afghan Investment Support Agency
as a one-stop shop to facilitate and promote investment. We
established three new industrial parks. We also passed new investment
and Banking laws. So far, more than eleven foreign banks have
opened offices in Afghanistan.
The Government of Afghanistan, with the assistance
of the United States Agency for International Development, also
established an Entrepreneurship Development Office for Afghan
women. Mrs. Mina Sherzoy, who is here with us today, was instrumental
in promoting female entrepreneurship. Under her leadership,
many Afghan women have been given access to computers, English
language and basic business training. Mrs. Sherzoy also helped
to establish the Afghan Women’s Business Association,
the first of its kind in Afghanistan. A number of similar business
women’s associations have now been launched and are emerging
into the Afghan Business Women’s Federation. Through this
organization, women will have an organized way to network, promote
good corporate practices and make their voices heard to policy
makers.
Good corporate practices are crucial for enhancing
the rights of women in post-conflict societies. A challenge
that most post conflict countries face is lack of good laws,
which can be easily overcome by adopting new laws.
The much bigger challenge is how to educate the
people about their rights under the new laws and how to implement
those laws. When corporations volunteer to either adhere to
the law, or even better, to provide protections above and beyond
the law – they truly safeguard all involved, especially
women in business.
Given the focus of this panel, I share examples
of how good corporate practices have made positive impacts on
womens’ economic and social development in Afghanistan.
A number of corporations have invested in Afghan women by creating
partnerships and business opportunities with them. Such partnerships
provide for a level playing field especially where legal protection
may not be adequate or simply ignored. Thus, industry self-regulation
and social responsibility are very important in order to truly
create a level playing field for women in Afghanistan.
Adopting fair labor standards is one example of
good corporate practices that have been implemented by a number
of companies and non governmental organizations. We have fairly
good labor laws. However, we can not enforce labor standards
due to lack of institutional capacity and resources. To fill
this vacuum, responsible corporations are becoming their own
enforcers.
Hiring practices is another example of how good
corporate practices have been increasing employment opportunities
for women. For example, Afghan Wireless and Communication Company,
which is one of the corporate sponsors of the Afghan delegation,
alongside with Bearing Points, is implementing a nondiscrimination
employment policy. They have trained and hired many Afghan women
as technicians and customer service representatives.
The last example I would like to share is the
use of employee benefits. A number of corporations provide for
in-job training and many include child care facilities in their
programs for women – which are not required by current
Afghan laws.
Our experience shows that many successful companies
have recognized that Afghan women faced monumental challenges
and were deprived of education and professional training under
the Taliban. Therefore, women need additional assistance to
become competitive. Companies volunteer to fully implement the
laws or even set standards that are better than those provided
by the laws of the country.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Despite the historic achievements, Afghan women are realistic
about their challenges. The Afghan women are not out of the
woods yet. The effects of massive destruction caused by 25 years
of war are very much present in our country. Afghanistan is
still among the poorest countries of the world. We have one
of the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality rates
and one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the world. We
have high levels of illiteracy, particularly among women. Although
millions of children are back in school, only 29% of schools
are in buildings – many are outside or under a tent. Women
can return to the workplace, but capital and investment is needed
in order to train them and create the jobs to re-absorb them.
The people of Afghanistan have placed their trust,
in the benefit of partnership, with the international community.
We greatly appreciate all of the assistance provided to us by
our friends all over the world – especially the United
States, Japan and Germany. With your support and through greater
private investment, public-private partnerships, more resources
for education and training and partnerships with companies owned
by Afghan women, we will overcome the challenges that Afghan
women are facing.
Thank You.
