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Girls’ Education in Afghanistan – Press Conference | United Nations
Summary
2020seconds video
The text is a transcript from a press briefing led by Kent Page, who is the Chief of Advocacy for Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN’s Global Fund for Education in Emergencies. The briefing, occurring just before International Women’s Day, introduces the documentary “Rule Breakers,” focused on the Afghan Girls Robotics Team led by Samaya Faroukhi. The film celebrates their achievements despite the challenges Afghan girls face under the Taliban’s education ban. Yazmin Sharif, ECW’s Executive Director, emphasizes the importance of girls’ education in Afghanistan and highlights the fund’s $30 million program supporting Afghan girls’ education in defiance of the Taliban’s ban. The film, co-produced by Ilaha Mabub, aims to inspire action and raise awareness about the power of education, specifically for Afghan girls, amidst oppressive conditions. They encourage viewers to watch the film and urge governments, organizations, and the public to support girls’ education globally. The briefing concludes with a Q&A session discussing the current situation of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, divisions within the Taliban, and broader issues of women’s rights globally.
Full Script
Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Kent Page. I’m the Chief of Advocacy for Education Cannot Wait. That’s the UN Global Fund for Education in Emergencies. Tomorrow, as you know, is International Women’s Day, and I’m pleased to have here with us Yazmin Sharif. She’s the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait. And to her left is Ilaha Mabub, who is the co-producer and the writer of a film that is opening today in over 1,400 cinemas. It’s called Rule Breakers, and it’s about the Afghan Dreamers, the Afghan Girls Robotics Team. I happen to have seen a sneak preview of it. I had my Kleenex out. It’s very inspiring. It’s a feel-good movie. It’s a non-political movie. It’s beautiful, and I encourage you to see it. But over to Yazmin, who will give us a briefing on ECW’s work in Afghanistan and the situation of girls in Afghanistan. Yazmin? Thank you. Thank you very much, Kent. And thank you all of you for being here. It’s one day ahead of the International Women’s Day, so it’s a very appropriate time. And more than just commemorate the International Women’s Day, it’s important that we speak about the reality and try to do something about it. We need action. And I would really start by congratulating Elahamah Humbub, my dear sister from Afghanistan. I used to live in Afghanistan, and it’s so wonderful because you are the writer and the scriptwriter and co-producer of Rule Breakers, which you did together with film director Bill Guttentag. And of course, with Educator Cannot Waits Global Champion, Somaya Farouk, who was the chairperson or the head of the Afghan girls’ robotic teams. And their story as groundbreaking, change-making Afghan young girls with that power being able to win the best robotic team and on top of it, land support for a groundbreaking movie by Hollywood film director and our distinguished sister, Elahamah. It shows you can do anything. So for whatever we hear right now around us and see around the world, we don’t have money, we can’t do this, we are saying watch Rule Breaker, create a new path. The money is there, fund education because without education, this film would never have existed, this would never have happened. Now, on the sad part is that we today have one and a half million Afghan girls who cannot attend to secondary school because of a ban imposed by the Taliban. And every year that number goes up by 300,000. So we are going to be in the millions very soon, beyond the 1.5. And the ban has had a devastating impact on girls’ education, the empowerment of women as doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses that Afghanistan needs as well, like any other country, like any other Muslim country. Added to extreme poverty that Afghanistan is suffering today. And mind you, Afghanistan has been suffering for decades. The war in Afghanistan started at the end of the 70s. And there has been small pauses. And now we have this very dysfunctional governance where half of the population is not allowed to be part of rebuilding this long-suffering country. And I also would like to stress, because in January this year, 25, the Islamabad Declaration was proclaimed. It was an international conference on girls’ education in Muslim communities were brought together with ministers, ambassadors, and academics from 44 Muslim organizations and majority Muslim countries, including the Islamic Organization for Islamic Cooperation, the Muslim World League, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank. And they came up with the Islamabad Declaration basically stating nowhere in Islam does it state that girls should not have access to an education beyond second grade. On the contrary, it calls upon knowledge as a primary, primary path. And that applies both to girls and women and boys and men. So indeed, the world is trying to do what it can to move away from a very flawed interpretation of Islam. Now, at the education cannot wait. We are, as you know, and I’ve been with you many times, a global fund for education in the emergencies and protracted crisis. We are hosted by UNICEF. We serve all the UN system. We also serve civil society and working with host governments. What we do that is so particular is that we reinforce the reform program of the UN to have joint programming and coordination, which is so very important. So no taxpayers’ money are wasted. Everyone works together based on added value, comparative advantage. And two, this is the best way to be transparent and to make sure there is no corruption. All funding goes straight to the organizations that implement on the ground. Nothing goes to a crisis-affected government. Nothing goes to a crisis-affected government. So if there is any way for any strategic donor partner, public sector, public sector, to support what I will conclude with sharing with you, please do so now. Show that you are on par with Somalia Farrukh and the robotics team, the rule-breakers. Don’t sit and wait for better times. Don’t sit and wait for the storm to be over. Be that storm, because we need you more than ever. In Afghanistan, education cannot wait. We have invested $30 million in a multi-year program that is run at the community-based level by international partners in the most underserved areas. 65 percent of those who are receiving education are girls, not adolescent girls. So we are breaking the ban. We are breaking the rules. Because you have to do so if you want to do what is right in this particular context. So we have reached over 100,000, and as I said, 65 percent are adolescent girls. We have trained 3,500 teachers in mental health and psychosocial service, in social and emotional learning, safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation, and child protection. And the current program that we have that is working so very well runs through 2026. So I will conclude here by saying one thing to the Taliban, and I have lived and worked in Afghanistan as in many other Muslim countries, and the ban against 50 percent of your population so that you can break new ground and rebuild Afghanistan. You need 50 percent of the population to be the nurses and the teachers and the doctors. Two, all strategic public partners, donors, private sectors, please, please break their rules of your own minds and say, there is money. We can do this. They are breaking the rules and the bans in Afghanistan to make sure every girl gets an education, irrespective of that ban. And education cannot wait. It’s the vehicle, and we have great partners on the ground, and it’s happening. It’s not what we will do. It’s happening right now. Thank you very much. Over to my sister. Thank you. Thank you, Asamin. As a very honored to be here today and share a story that really means a lot to me, Rul Rikari is not just a movie, it’s actually a story of resilience, courage, and power of education that follow the story and journey of Afghan girl robotic team, young woman, who refused to accept the limitation was placed on them. And in a country where educating girls, seen as a rebellion, these girls dare to dream, they dare to build and prove that they belong in a statement on the Gulu Val stage. As a co-writer and executive producer, this film is deeply personal to me. My sister, Roya Mahbub, whose journey is also at the heart of this movie, and I have spent years in creating opportunities for women in technology. And it was very important for us to make sure that this film capture not only the struggle, but also the determination and then courage and hope and talent of these young girls. Too often the stories that we see about Afghanistan only focus on hardship, but Rul Rikari’s show another side, a side that’s filled with innovation and possibility. But while this film is a story about past, it’s message is more urgent than ever today. More than millions of girls in Afghanistan denied education, and this film is a reminder of what was possible and what must be fought for to, you know, what to fight for. And I hope Rul Rikari’s that is, you know, today is going to release the, and cinemas, an inspired conversation and action. And I invite you to watch and share and, you know, just raise awareness about the power of education. The more people see this film, the louder the message would be. Afghan girls and all girls they deserve to, and they have a right to learn and dream big and build a better future for themselves. Thank you. Great. Thank you, Laha. Thank you, Yasmin. We open to questions. Edith. Thank you very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondence Association for doing this briefing. My name is Edith Letera from the Associated Press. Two questions. First to you, can you give us an update on what the robotics team is now? Is it still acting as a team? They’re out of the country. Where are they? And secondly, to our good friend, you said that you’re breaking the rules in Afghanistan itself. What’s the reaction of the Taliban bin? Thank you. I can go first. So the Afghan girls, like most of our team members, are outside of Afghanistan right now. So mostly are in the U.S. studying their undergrad here. And we still have teams in Afghanistan, but we are educating them online. I can also add that Samaya Faroukhi, who is the captain of the Afghan girls robotics team, who’s portrayed in the film as Tara, she’s studying in California, and she’s studying mechanical engineering. So we’re in touch with her all the time. And if you ever want to interview with her, happy to set that up for you. Yes? Oh, sorry. Oh, I’m sorry. Pardon me. I’m used to you. So you know, I’m a lawyer, and I’m a humanized lawyer. So when I say breaking the rules, I don’t say it lightly. Okay? And I love the title of your movie because I did once, many years ago, when I was in the war on the Balkans, and I gave a lecture on human rights. And I said, if this is the law, and the law says or the ban that girls cannot go to secondary school, girls cannot get educated, girls cannot be seen, girls should only be cooking food, I as a lawyer, human rights, would say this is the worth of that law. It’s worth this much. Okay? And breaking the rules means that the ban is illegal. The ban is illegal against the UN Charter. It’s illegal against not only the Universal Declaration for Human Rights, but the UN Covenants on Human Rights. The child and the child convention has a right to an education. I mean, it’s one of the most basic rights a human being can have. Now if somebody comes and decides to create a ban or an addict saying that if you’re a girl and you cannot continue on to second grade, you are in severe breach of international law. So you have actually broken the law, and your law or your addict is not even worth the name of being a law or part of any legal framework. So I would like to apply that because what is important these days is that there’s a lot of financial pressure around the globe today. But there are rule breakers everywhere that believe that we still have to help the world. And I’m saying please help us help the Afghan girls to get their education. Because I’m sure that everyone agrees that this is a fantastic way of doing something that will impact all of us and not just them one day, get the girls educated. We are not aware of any case where there has been any repercussions. Now the programs in Afghanistan are run by organizations who live there and work there for many decades. They know the communities. They often know the commanders who are from the area. And as you know, there is also the vision now within the Taliban movement. So there will be commanders and there will be members who want their daughters to go to school. And they will turn the blind eye and let it happen. That’s another way of breaking the rule. Lovely. Please. Thank you very much. And congratulations on the film and the work. It’s Pamela Fogg from US News and World Report. For the ED, there have been stories, I haven’t been able to verify it, that there are some divisions in the Taliban leadership about moving forward with some girls’ rights. Have you seen that at all? And what would your message and al-Ahazwal, what would your message be about pressure points? What’s the next step to pressure the Taliban to give more rights so they can make this movie and return to Afghanistan? I’ll let you start. And also just how has the reception been around the world? How has the reception been around the world? I mean, I would say for the movie itself, we have received a great reception. There are so many positives there on that, just because you have never seen a movie that focused on girls from Afghanistan. It’s not about only tragedy, but more about their courage and talent and just see these girls actually leading in Afghanistan. That’s what we have lost today. And for me, I would say the message is that I really hope that government and organizations, by seeing what we have lost today, they consider Afghan girl education and their agenda of a Taliban and making sure, beside the humanitarian, helps that they pressure a Taliban to allow them. Education is basic, right? It’s not a privilege. This is something very important that girls, if they want to participate and be part of a society, they get educated. So I really hope that’s something that hopefully coming from this movie as well, because not that many people have seen the side of Afghanistan and that they raise awareness and work toward like making sure the girls in Afghanistan go back to schools. Thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. I have spoken during our all women mission to Afghanistan just after the Taliban took over with Taliban, so we’re part of the de facto government. And already back then, some of them, they were highly educated, who were father of daughters. They said, we want our daughters to go to school. They said it, and these were very sophisticated, intelligent, educated, they’ve been educated abroad. And they were part of the Taliban movement to fight for an independent Afghanistan, which has always been the history of Afghanistan. However, it’s not been the history of Afghanistan to have this kind of governance where you have edicts and bans passed against girls and women literally every Friday. And there are those in the Taliban movement who have openly said, we don’t. And to me personally, I want my daughters to go to school. I am absolutely devastated by this. But I think what we see now in the last months is now in the hierarchy or further up politically, reducing resistance and political actors or part of the administration in Afghanistan speaking up. And some have left the country. But we knew about this division in Afghanistan for a long. We knew it’s been under the surface. But they didn’t want to show the division to the world. Of course, that will weaken you. But now it’s becoming so explosive. So there are those are fleeing the country. And eventually, eventually, because you are very hopeful, we were discussing outside. Eventually it may turn around. It will turn around. Afghanistan has a longer history than the Taliban. Thank you. Please. Yes, should I do with China Central Television? Ms. Sharif, this question is for you. Just now you mentioned you urge people to donate for your program. We know that recently USAID as well as many other countries, they cut funding for many projects. Has this cutting, funding cutting affected education cannot wait especially the program in Afghanistan? Thank you. As I said, we currently have a $30 million program in Afghanistan that is fully paid for. On our commitments, we are able to meet them. But then when they reach a closure, so this one in Afghanistan will come to a close in 2026. And if we don’t renew it with an additional 30 million or 50 million or even 100 million, it can reach every million, you will reach so many more. Yeah, then it has to close down. And then we have missed an opportunity. We miss an opportunity. And it’s not opportunity, it’s not just financial, it’s political, it’s going to have repercussions on all of us. I mean, in total, we have 234 million children today, it’s almost a quarter of a billion who cannot go to school in conflict affected areas as refugees or in climate disasters. A quarter of a billion. Very soon it might be one billion, two billion, three billion. We may end up having 50% of the world population not going to school. So whoever has the ability with your government, private sector to hold that back and be that pioneering change maker, this is the time, this is the time. But as I said, our program is under control for now, it’s fine, but we appeal to all public sector, private sector partners, you want change, you want to be a change maker, you want to make a difference. Well, here it is. We take care of everything for you. You just have to step up and support us with the financial means. Everything else is in place. You’re making a huge difference for humanity. And it’s in everyone’s national interest. Thank you. Yes. Thank you very much. It’s Noreen Hussain with IPS News. My question actually is for Ilaha and I wanted to ask more about your role as the producer and as the screenwriter. In the process of writing the screenplay, what did you think was critical to include? What did you want to include that the audience had to see to know about this story? Thank you. Question. What was really, really important for me was that usually when we talk about Afghanistan or Afghan women, either it’s around tragedy or either you see Afghan women as just merely victim of conflict, which is part of the story, but they’re not a full picture or full story of what life has been for women or life has been in the last 20 years in Afghanistan. And for me, it was really important that we show a side of Afghanistan that you have never seen in the media and in any movies that there were progress. There were so many courageous women and men that they were trying to build their future in Afghanistan. And even though you see there, you will see in the movie that there are so many challenges, societal expectations and limitation for these girls, but they didn’t sit back and then they never gave up on their dreams. So they were actually actively working toward that dreams. And for me, it was important to show Afghan women as like changemakers, as innovators, the people who actually not just sit behind and let other to decide for their future, but they actually actively participating in the government and in the society to build their own future. So that was really important for us to show in this movie. Thank you. Yes, please. Yes. First, congratulations to Ilaa for the film. Thank you for the work that you do. My question is for you as one of the writers of the film. And I’m very curious about your writing process. How in particular, did you depoliticize the writing process and how did you extract the inspiration and information from the lives that have shaped this film? So for me and for my other two co-writers, both Bill and Jason, it was very important that we, even though like, you know, saturation in Afghanistan, like, you know, there are bar and there are like, you know, tragedy going on. We at the start of this movie, we wanted to just focus on the girls, their work and like what has, you know, how they inspire others. And for us, we just want to create that complexity of their emotions and then all the challenges that they face. Like, you know, everything together, the norms and cultural norms that happen in Afghanistan and families, like, you know, I would say, families very important in Afghanistan and how they kind of like have to convince them to let them to go to, you know, to the classes for robotics. So I would say it’s difficult. I was, you know, it was difficult process, but like, we all wanted to stay true to that, you know, complexity of their, you know, how they lived in Afghanistan and how today they are where they are. And so yeah, it’s just like, you know, we all like agree on the fact that we want to bring a true story to viewers too, that they actually feel that connection with them and not like really focus so much on politics or religion, even though they are naturally like, you know, you can see those effects, you know, with them and the movie. So, you know, once you see it, like, you can, you know, see that hopefully we deliver that message and, you know, the message of hope while still like, you know, those things are going on in Afghanistan. Thank you so much. Any other questions in the room? Are there any questions online from the journalists who are joining online? Yeah, please go ahead. Can I have a question? Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. Thank you for this briefing and thank you for this enlightening film about women in Afghanistan. But I always raise the issue of other oppressed women. And of course, women have the right for education, but also they have the right for life. And there are women who are denied their lives now in Gaza, in Kashmir, in Myanmar, in many places. So, why you don’t also highlight this suffering of women in different parts of the world? Thank you. Yeah. My question is to just, yes, Meen. Thank you so much. You’re absolutely right. I mean, women are. I’m from the Arab Daily. I’m from the Arab Daily. You’re absolutely right. There are women in all the places you mentioned and elsewhere in the world. And I know that as far as we are concerned, my education cannot wait. We do regular briefings here from different parts of the world. Our UN colleagues in other parts of the UN system are up here on the podium briefing about the situation of women who are affected in particular. When women play an instrumental role in that UNICEF plays an instrumental role, but also families, children around the globe, because the ban against girls’ education in Afghanistan is probably, you can never compare suffering. And I said it so many times from sitting here, because suffering and injustice is not up to us to compare, but because the ban is so outrageous, like everything else. I can’t compare it. But because the film, Rule Breakers, is just having a word premiere, it shows that an Afghan girl who is educated can go for a dream. So Maya started in her father’s garage in Herat, Western Afghanistan, where you are from as well, and was so driven to be educated. And she goes out and creates the robotic team. And eventually that becomes a worldwide released movie by a very great script writer and also Oscar-winning film director. So we thought that this is happening all at the same time. Let us use this International Women’s Day to focus that on the girls in Afghanistan, so that they do not get forgotten. We cannot forget them. So that’s the reason. But by no means, the humanitarian imperative, Mohammed, is that we are here to alleviate suffering and help all based on the principles of humanity and impartiality. So and human rights and international humanitarian law applies like any law in any country equally on everyone. There are no exceptions. We never break those rules. Those rules I can say as a lawyer, we don’t break. They are imperatives not only for national laws, but for national laws as well. But today it’s about the girls of Afghanistan. No one else is forgotten. Just a quick follow-up, final question, personal question. As the ED said, someday this will change. To you, to the girls on the robotics team, does everyone want to go back someday if it changes? Thanks. I mean, it’s our country, obviously. When I moved to U.S., like Anasadhi here, I had that in mind that one day I can be back and make changes there. But that has been taken away from us. I believe for us, when we came and being in Afghanistan, there were so many opportunities that we had, right? And then I’m here today because of those opportunities. And yeah, we wish that one day if things go back to normal and girls be able to go to work and education. Why not? That’s the least that we can go and give back to our country. Any other questions online? I do not see any hands. Thank you all very much. Wishing everyone a very happy International Women’s Day tomorrow. And I would encourage you to go and see this film, Rule Breakers. It opens tonight, opens today. I’m going with my daughter and my wife. And I saw a preview of it the other day, and it’s really, truly an inspiring film. Thank you, Yasmin. Thank you, Ilaha. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Thank you.
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