On the 5th of March, the Ministry of Public Health together with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, commemorated the International Women's Day. The celebration gathered more 400 participants, the majority of them women, under the theme "Equality for Women: Progress for All".

Representatives of the Government, Parliament, Ministry of Public Health and other ministries, national and international organizations, and members of civil society were present at the ceremony.

UNFPA Representative, Dr Annette Sachs Robertson, delivered a speech on behalf of the UN system, highlighting the role of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Women's Affairs addressing the various faces of inequality women face in Afghanistan.

"The Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Women's Affairs have been at the forefront of promoting equality for women and girls. Empowered women contribute to the health and well-being of families and communities improving the prospects for the next generations to come. However, when women don't enjoy equality and can't exercise their rights, they face many forms of discrimination and the whole of society suffers", said Robertson.

Gender-based violence, access to sexual and reproductive health care and early marriage were some of the issues addressed by Dr Robertson during her remarks at the ceremony.

It is estimated that around 87 percent of Afghan women suffer at least one for of physical, sexual or psychological violence, while around 60 percent of them experience multiple forms of violence.

"The right of Afghan women and girls to live free of violence depends on a strong chain of justice. In this regard, the UN family welcomes President Karzai's recent decision to refuse to pass into law without amendment the new draft Criminal Procedure Code that would effectively deny women and girls legal protection from domestic violence and early marriage", said Robertson.

In terms of access to reproductive health, Afghanistan has experienced an almost four fold decrease in the maternal mortality in the past 12 years. However, every two hours a women still dies in childbirth or from a pregnancy related complication.

Early marriage remains a burden to women and girls, with an average of 20 percent marrying before the age of 15, according to the 2010 Afghanistan Mortality Survey.

"Early marriage denies a girl of her childhood, disrupts her education, limits her opportunities, increases her risk of violence and abuse, and jeopardizes her health through early childbearing", said Robertson. "UNFPA and UN sister agencies, including UNICEF, WHO, UNWOMEN and UNDP, strive to raise awareness of the social and health consequences of early marriage and teenage pregnancies in communities across the country".

The Deputy Minister of Public Health, Dr. Najia Tariq, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Muzhgan Mustafawi, the Director of Marie Stopes International for Afghanistan and the United States ambassador's wife, Leslie Genier, also addressed the audience highlighting Afghanistan's progress promoting women's rights and the challenges ahead.

Letters of appreciation to several staff from the Ministry of Public Health were hand in to participants, closing the event.

SPEECH - International Women's Day

Dr. Annette Sachs Robertson, UNFPA Representative
5th March 2014, Ministry of Public Health