Women, Peace and Security in Afghanistan: Prospects on the Way Forward

The Embassy of Finland together with the U.S. Institute of Peace cordially invite you to a panel discussion on Women, Peace, and Security in Afghanistan: Prospects on the Way Forward.

Since November 2010, Finland and Afghanistan have cooperated closely to build a solid, inclusive and transparent coordination among the relevant ministries, and to eventually prepare an Afghan National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. Finland implemented its own National Action Plan in 2008. Most recently, an Executive Order was signed by President Obama instituting a U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to accelerate, institutionalize, and better coordinate efforts to advance women's inclusion in peace negotiations, peacebuilding activities, and conflict prevention; to protect women from sexual and gender-based violence; and to ensure equal access to relief and recovery assistance.

Please join us on Thursday, February 16, 2012 from 10:00am to 11:30am for a panel discussion that will offer a timely follow-up to the International Afghanistan Conference held in Bonn in December 2011. The panelists representing the governments of Afghanistan, Finland and the United States, as well as Afghan civil society will examine ways to better ensure an active role for women in the current peace processes and reconstruction efforts.

To register for this event, please contact Ms. Tarja Thatcher at Tarja.Thatcher@formin.fi at the Embassy of Finland.