Geography

SPECIAL ISSUE! Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA HR & Civil Society Newsletter – issues 100-101 year VII

Despite modern state building and good governance efforts began in 2001 in Afghanistan, traditional ways of conflict resolution, particularly those related to social issues are widely being practiced in the country. Some of these practices have positive impacts and are effective in finding solution to social disputes.

In an age when information equals power, Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA has created a powerful informative tool for Persian-speakers through its weekly thematic bulletins. Generally short of time, individuals usually cannot allocate much time to monitor news or various sources every day and keep abreast of the important political, social, cultural and human rights issues.

The International Women’s Film Festival-Herat launched its first edition, jointly organised by Armanshahr Foundation and Roya Film House at the historical Citadel of Herat in 2013. The Festival has the goal of promoting and encouraging […]

Finally, Afghanistan has a cabinet, pending parliament’s approval of course, three and a half months after Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah were inaugurated as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of a national unity government.

Within the local-to-global context of citizen action, many activists and scholars agree that we face a “crisis of discourse”. Words that once imparted radical visions of social change have been co-opted by more powerful groups, rendering them devoid of their original meaning or politics.

Afghan women have come a long way since the dark days of the Taliban regime. Yet a key obstacle to this progress continues to be high levels of violence against women. The legal system has failed to protect women when it comes to some of the most common crimes against them.

Millions of people’s lives have improved due to concerted global, regional, national and local efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which serve as the foundation for the next global development agenda, according to the report launched by the Secretary-General on 7 July 2014.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR on 6 January 2015 reported* that war in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere had uprooted an estimated 5.5 million people during the first six months of 2014, signaling a further rise in the number of people forcibly displaced.

Women’s rights have been high up on the agenda of the international community since the start of its intervention more than 13 years ago. How successful has it been? Where do Afghan women stand in 2014 – and where will they be in just a few years time?