Gender Advocacy

ASGP is working closely with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) to build cohesion among grantees and other organizations. This mutual support is important to building and sustaining a viable civil society network. Established Afghan partners will serve as advocates in framing this larger purpose.

Through capacity building, mentorship, and technical support, ASGP is supporting CSO networks to:

• Provide direct advocacy for or identify inadequacies in existing institutions, systems, procedures, or laws in areas that affect the quality of life for women, and propose a set of responses that will lead to specific, concrete, and lasting improvements;
• Reach out to broad constituencies of citizens, government officials, NGOs, and the private sector to build a common vision of the active and participatory role of women in a democratic society;
• Support the application of research and analysis toward strengthening efforts to promote women’s rights and more accountable governance through actions as well as words;
• Promote monitoring of the government’s commitments to reforms affecting women at all levels to achieve greater accountability;
• Conduct clear and comprehensible information campaigns on issues of concern to women; and
• Support networking and coalition building activities that link organizations with similar agendas to maximize impact

The Afghan Women’s Advocacy Coalition (AWAC) was formed to advocate for women’s rights nationwide and now includes 30 Afghan CSOs and individual members. AWAC works with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to build cohesion among Afghan civil society organizations and improve women’s social and political participation. AWAC leads a national and local level advocacy efforts that focus on three primary themes:

• Women and Girls’ Access to Education
• Women’s Access to Justice
• Women’s Political Participation and Leadership

For more information visit AWAC website