Key areas of success for the improvement of the lives of women have been in t...

Key areas of success for the improvement of the lives of women have been in the spheres of political participation, education, and health. As we finalize results for our second parliamentary election, we recall that last month, millions of Afghans went to the polls to make their voices heard. In these recent elections, 406 out of 2,556 candidates were women. This compares with 328 women candidates from 2005, and ensures that women will at least fill all 68 seats, or 25%, allocated for women and will likely win additional seats. Women will fill at least a quarter of the Afghan parliament, nearing our MDG goal of 30%, and make up 18% of government employees. There are now over 1,000 women in Afghan National Security Forces. We plan to increase the number of women in the Afghan National Police to over 5,000 in the next five years. The presence of women in these crucial positions has made a significant impact. We are proud of their resilience and bravery in protecting our population.