Four Women Were Just Approved to Join the Cabinet of Afghanistan’s Unity Government

Four Women Were Just Approved to Join the Cabinet of Afghanistan’s Unity Government


President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah of Afghanistan held their promise to appoint four women in the new cabinet, and the nation’s lower house of Parliament approved them along with the rest of the 16 cabinet nominees introduced by the Afghan government on Saturday. Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker for the lower house of parliament, confirmed on Saturday that there are four women among that the 25 member Cabinet of President Ashraf Ghani. This approval comes as a relief to Afghan women, who previously protested the lack of representation of women in the country’s parliament.

The newly appointed female ministers include minister of women’s affairs Dilbar Nazari, minister of counter-narcotics Salamat Azimi, minister of higher education Farida Momand, and minister of laor, social affairs, martyrs and the disabled, Nasrin Oryakhail.

Nominees for these positions of leadership for various ministries presented their policy agendas to lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday before final votes took place on Saturday. During her presentation, Nazari vowed that she would work to further women’s rights and opportunities in Afghanistan. “I commit that I will not hesitate from any efforts in order to increase the capacities of women,” she said.

All four women are highly accomplished and well suited for their positions as ministers. Nazari has been a member of parliament and worked with the United Nations. Azimi has been a University Chancellor and professor, and Momand is a doctor and has worked in several government hospitals. Oryakhail, too, is a doctor, and has been a medical instructor at the Kabul Medical University.

http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2015/04/20/four-women-were-just-approved-to-join-the-cabinet-of-afghanistans-unity-government/