QNA
Bali
Assistant Foreign Minister HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater has affirmed that Qatar is committed to the development and prosperity in Afghanistan, in a way that provide opportunities for both men and women.
This came as Indonesia, in partnership with Qatar, organised an International Conference on Afghan Women’s Education, in Bali on Sunday.
Qatar was represented at the conference by Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater. The conference was attended by more than 40 countries, in addition to a large number of educational organizations and institutions, the private sector and dignitaries.
Al Khater said the conference affirmed the commitment and coordination of efforts to support the people of Afghanistan.
In a speech, Al Khater said, "Education is an Islamic religious obligation that includes women and men, which we saw in the biography of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace.”
She said Islamic countries must reveal these facts about the sublime values and teachings of the true Islamic religion.
She explained that Qatar has so far pledged more than $75 million to support Afghanistan, underlying its commitment to a number of projects to support Afghan women, including scholarship programs, funding training programsin various fields, including the medical area, hosting the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Doha to continue its work, and supporting the reopening of girls’ schools in Afghanistan.
She stressed that these projects in themselves are not enough to make the difference that is intended to be achieved, noting the importance of the International Conference on Afghan Women’s Education, which she felt was an opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences and explore how to build a coordinated and comprehensive long-term strategy to support women in Afghanistan.
HE the Assistant Foreign Minister expressed her pleasure to hear more about the initiatives of other countries and stakeholders participating in the conference, and urged the participants to continue the important work they are doing and expand these projects.
Al Khater felt the statement of the International Conference on Afghan Women’s Education, which was announced, was an important step to highlight the commitment of the international community towards women’s education in Afghanistan and the need to find solutions to address the obstacles that limit the access of Afghan girls and women to education.
Al Khater warned that the Afghan people in general, not just women, face difficulties in various aspects of life, adding that the difficult economic situation the country is going through reduces opportunities for girls and boys alike, calling in this context on the international community to commit to helping the entire Afghan people and creating educational opportunities for girls and boys.
She stressed that Qatar will continue to defend the rights of everyone in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women, noting that it will continue to work with international partners for the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan.
Al Khater highlighted the efforts of the Education Above All Foundation and the Qatar Fund for Development, in cooperation with international organizations, to provide quality education for millions of Afghan children and finance scholarships, noting in this regard the announcement last September of the launch of the Qatar Afghan Scholarship Project (QASP), which received the 1st batch of 250 Afghan refugee students in US colleges and universities for the academic year 2022-2023.