A Review of Objectives, Activities, and Future Plans AWCCI, Organizational Document (V6) | Página 4

STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT
Ever since that day
in early March 2016
when I met with a
few
young
Afghan
women entrepreneurs,
members of LEAD, I
have been struck by their
determination and their
sense of purpose. Despite
the many obstacles they
were encountering they
remained positive in
their quest to build an
institution that would allow Afghan women to become
part of the economic scene in Afghanistan.
I admired their dedication and kept cheering them
on from the sidelines as they built a solid case for a
Chamber of Commerce for Afghan women and were
finally given the green light from the country’s High
Economic Council to establish the Afghan Women’s
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI) in
March 2017. I followed with interest their expansion
into the provinces and the opening of four branches,
in Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-e Sharif, and Jalalabad and
read with interest their monthly newsletter describing
their various activities.
One of the fundamental
objectives
of
the
International
Trade
Centre (ITC) is to
economically empower
women producers and
traders and support
them to become more
competitive.
In Afghanistan, our work
under the under the
European Union-funded
Advancing Afghan Trade initiative includes a strong
partnership with the Afghan Women’s Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (AWCCI) which, although
only recently established, has become a strong voice
for the community of Afghan businesswomen.
In particular, the ITC collaborated with the AWCCI
and others in the development of the Afghanistan
National Export Strategy (NES) 2018–2022. The
AWCCI mobilised women entrepreneurs and women-
led business associations to play an important role in
consultative processes for the NES throughout the
country, including in Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Kandahar
and Kabul.
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I also had the privilege of traveling with them to
two important conferences: RECCA, the Regional
Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan
which took place in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in
November 2017, and “She Trades Global 2018”
organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC)
which took place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in
June 2018.
At both conferences they displayed a level of
professionalism that made me proud.
Their
interventions on various panels were informed and
to the point, and they mingled with ease amongst
their fellow businesswomen from other countries,
exchanging information and building promising
relationships.
It is with great affection that I continue to watch
them grow into accomplished professionals. Their
contribution to the economic development of our dear
Afghanistan is increasing by the day. Internationally,
they also are valuable ambassadors for Afghanistan,
spreading abroad the trademark Made By Afghan
Women. May God bless their efforts and bring them
all the success they deserve!
– Her Excellency Rula Bibi Gul Ghani,
First Lady of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
I am delighted to
bring
my
personal
contribution to this
report by highlighting
the role Afghan women
can play in supporting
Afghanistan’s
socio-
economic progress and
its journey to peace and
prosperity.
There will be no
sustainable peace in
Afghanistan without inclusive growth and massive
jobs creation. Consistently, the EU has made
economic development a pillar of its engagement. This
priority cascades into various programs, and I wish to
underline the positive results of “Advancing Afghan
Trade”. Together with our implementing partner, the
International Trade Centre (ITC), we have reached
out to a number of key Afghan economic players in
support of the economic agenda.
Among them I can certainly single out the Afghanistan
Women´s Chamber of Commerce & Industry
(AWCCI) as one of the most dynamic actors in
promoting both women empowerment and economic
progress in Afghanistan. On a number of occasions
I could personally witness the energy, courage, and
professionalism of the AWCCI leadership and its
members.
Afghan entrepreneurs are facing multiple challenges,
and when these entrepreneurs are women the
challenges increase exponentially. Still, thanks to the
joint mobilization of major stakeholders – public and
private, national and international – the situation
is slowly improving, as suggested by the growing
number of businesses led by women. AWCCI is duly
saluted here for its contribution to improving the
status of businesswomen and female entrepreneurs in
Afghanistan.
I am therefore pleased to present this review of the
AWCCI’s objectives, activities, and future plans, which
was prepared with the active support of the European
Union. This document is another step towards further
improving the services of the AWCCI in support of its
members.
– His Excellency Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon
Head of the EU Delegation to Afghanistan
For Afghanistan to have truly inclusive growth and job
creation, the views of Afghan women must be taken
into account. I am pleased that these voices have been
reflected in the final NES, which provides a blueprint
for supporting this inclusive and equitable economic
growth.
Currently there are still a very limited number of
Afghan associations designed to enhance the role
of women in the country’s economic life. Therefore,
efforts must be made to support activities aimed at
enhancing the visibility and technical capacities of
these organisations, especially those in the field of
trade (including AWCCI), and to develop specific
export-ready capacity-building activities in those
economic areas where women predominate.
The AWCCI has been a valuable partner for us as we
work together to realise the goals of the NES. Our
shared aim is to strengthen the Afghan economy
and increase opportunities for both Afghan men and
women. Our collaboration with AWCCI in completing
this review marks an important step in this journey
and we look forward to future collaboration.
– Arancha González,
Director, the International Trade Centre
This strategic document was produced with technical support from the
International Trade Centre, and falls under the framework of the European
Union-funded ‘Advancing Afghan Trade: EU Trade-Related Assistance’ project.
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion
of the European Union.
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