Since the Taliban took power in 2021, the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan has deteriorated dramatically. They are largely denied access to education, public spaces and medical care, which also places a heavy burden on the Afghan diaspora. The humanitarian crisis is hitting women and children particularly hard.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Afghan Cultural, Integration and Sports Association (AKIS), the association is organising a conference with an evening reception in cooperation with the VIDC and the Vienna Chamber of Labour (Department for Women and Equality Policy). The event will kick off with a half-day conference, culminating in a formal reception hosted by Vienna's Mayor, Dr Michael Ludwig, at Vienna City Hall.
Program
14:00 – 18:00: Conference
Admission and registration in the hall from 13:30
Moderators: Friba Charkhi (AKIS) and Maryam Singh (Counseling Center for Migrants)
• 14:00: Welcome (Wappensaal) (Languages: German and Farsi)
Short presentations: Şafak Akçay (city councilor), Ghousuddin Mir (chairman of AKIS), Palwasha Kakar (former deputy minister in the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Afghanistan) and Friba Sadeq (Banu magazine)
• 14:30: Parallel workshops (Wappensaal and Steinsaal II)
o Workshop 1: Strategies for promoting the education of Afghan girls and women (Farsi) Moderator: Najla Zamani (AKIS), contributions from Rafi Ahmadi (ÖIF) and Saida Tolo (Banu magazine), among others
o Workshop 2: Education and labor market integration of Afghan women in the diaspora (German). Moderator: Maryam Singh (Counseling Center for Migrants), contributions from Vera Glassner (Vienna Chamber of Labor Vienna), Elisabeth Kerndl (ÖGB Federal Women's Department), and Golchera Naim Yaftaali (women's rights activist, Netherlands), among others
• 15:45: Feedback from the workshops and presentation of the Rabia Balkhi Award (Wappensaal)
• 17:00 – 18:00: Networking, snacks (Steinsaal II)
18:00 – 22:00: Reception (Wappensaal)
Moderators: Gawhar Musleh (AKIS) and Michael Fanizadeh (VIDC)
• Short dance performance
• Opening: Representation of Mayor Michael Ludwig
• Video message: from Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Federal Minister for Women, Science, and Research
• Welcome speeches: Ghousuddin Mir (Chairman of AKIS), Sybille Straubinger (VIDC), Vera Glassner (Chamber of Labor) and Manizha Bakhtari (Ambassador of Afghanistan to Austria)
• Short inputs from Nargis Mommand Hassanzai (FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics & Management, Germany) and Forozan Wakili (student): Voices for justice – women in Afghanistan and the call for recognition of gender apartheid
• Speech by Evelyn Regner, Member of the European Parliament
• Short film: 30 years of AKIS
• Laudatory speech by City Councilor Marina Hanke: 30 years of AKIS
• Group photo AKIS and BANU
• Musical accompaniment , and dinner
Goals of the conference:
1. Raise awareness: The discussion about educational restrictions and challenges faced by Afghan women and girls aims to raise awareness of the urgent need for support.
2. Promoting dialogue and cooperation: The conference provides a platform for deepening exchange and cooperation within the Afghan diaspora and with actors from institutions and NGOs.
3. Develop solutions: Strategies and measures to support Afghan women and girls will be developed jointly.
4. Building bridges: The knowledge and resources of the diaspora will be used to create an effective link between Afghanistan and the EU countries hosting refugees.
Conference topics:
1. Gender apartheid in Afghanistan: Analysis of the current situation and challenges.
2. Raising awareness: Promoting awareness of the barriers to education faced by Afghan women and girls.
3. Promoting dialogue: Deepening exchange and cooperation among the Afghan diaspora in the EU and Austria.
4. Developing solutions: Working out joint support strategies.
5. Building bridges: Utilizing the knowledge and resources of the diaspora to connect Afghanistan and the EU/Austria.