KABUL (SW) – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Japan have launched a two-year project that aims to strengthen women’s economic activity in the private sector in seven provinces of Afghanistan.
The project is funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and it will support the empowerment of Afghan women in both rural and urban areas. The UNDP said it will enable women entrepreneurs to have better access to finance, improved entrepreneurship and business management skills, and greater access to markets. The overall aim is to enhance women’s economic agency and their ability to contribute to their families and to the economic recovery of their communities.
At the signing ceremony for the official exchange of notes, Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan, Mr. Takashi Okada, highlighted how this project fits well with JICA’s long-standing priorities, saying, “Japan has been supporting women’s economic empowerment in Afghanistan for many years. We believe that this project will build on our previous support and create more opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from the economic recovery.”
Women in Afghanistan have been experiencing major backslides in their rights to education and work. The restrictions on women’s participation in the workforce and the overall economy aggravate the humanitarian situation, strain the economy, and increase vulnerabilities across the board.
The Government of Japan commits approximately 10 million USD to this new project which will support a total of 1,400 women entrepreneurs as well as 140 women-led small and micro businesses and will include the construction of 100 facilities to support capacity building and women’s economic empowerment activities. The selection of the seven provinces was based on the rate of female labour participation while taking into account the security situation and prevailing restrictions.
The provinces are in the East (Kunar), Southeast (Logar), South (Kandahar, Zabul), Northeast (Baghlan, Kunduz) and Central (Kapisa) region.
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