Afghan women draft agenda for action ahead of International Woman's Day

A consultation among Afghan women from across the country is "proceeding well" as they work to draft an agenda for action to be presented to officials during Friday's commemoration in Kabul of International Women's Day, according to a United Nations spokesperson.

"From all accounts that I have been hearing the conference is really going extremely well," Stephanie Bunker told reporters in the Afghan capital today.

Illustrating the spirit of cooperation prevailing among participants, she said when it came time to write their ideas, " women who were illiterate, sat there with their heads down, feeling embarrassed that they could not contribute" but soon "all the other women noticed that they were unable to contribute, so they all came around and helped them so they could get their ideas down on paper also."

Formally called the Afghan Women's Consultation, the meeting brought together representatives from a variety of professional backgrounds and geographical regions, including rural and urban areas. The talks were organized by the Afghan Minister of Women's Affairs and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), in cooperation other UN agencies.