Events & exhibits

Educating and Empowering the Women and Girls of Afghanistan: A Conference on Education and Literacy

The conference highlights programs and partnerships that address the challenges faced by the women and girls in Afghanistan.

Event

March 19, 2010

10:15 am

James M. Collins Executive Education Center

Symposium, presented by George W. Bush Institute, U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, SMU Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development

President George W. Bush

The Conference on Education and Literacy identifies opportunities to promote comprehensive education and literacy training for all Afghan women and girls. Women and girls suffered under the Taliban regime, and, while significant progress has been made, they continue to face serious challenges today.

It is crucial to the success of the American investment in Afghanistan that women, who represent half the country’s human resources, have the skills to contribute fully to their nation’s development. Education and literacy must be the foundation for the future. The conference highlights programs and partnerships that address the challenges faced by the women and girls in Afghanistan.

Schedule

Sessions

  1. March 19, 2010

    Welcome by the Honorable James K. Glassman, Executive Director of the Bush Institute

  2. March 19, 2023

    Remarks by His Excellency Said Jawad, Afghan Ambassador to the United States

  3. March 19, 2010

    Remarks by Her Excellency Irina Gueorguieva Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO

  4. March 19, 2010

    Remarks by The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Co-Chair, U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council; Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State

  5. March 19, 2010

    Panel: Primary and Secondary Education

    Featuring:

    • Phyllis Magrab, Ph.D.
      Vice Chair, U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council
      Director, Center for Child and Human Development at Georgetown University
    • Shamim Jawad
      Founder and President, Ayenda Foundation
    • Julia Bolz
      Founder, The American Friendship Foundation
    • Andeisha Farid
      Executive Director, Afghan Child Education and Care Organization (AFCECO)
  6. March 19, 2010

    Panel: Adult Literacy

    Featuring:

    • The Honorable Paula Dobriansky
      Vice President and Head of Government Affairs (Americas), Thomson Reuters
    • Connie Duckworth
      Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ARZU, Inc.
    • Sakena Yacoobi
      Founder and Executive Director, Afghan Institute of Learning
  7. March 19, 2010

    Panel: Higher Education

    Featuring:

    • Anita McBride
      Chair, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
      Senior Advisor, George W. Bush Foundation
    • C. Michael Smith, Ph.D.
      President, American University of Afghanistan
    • Paula Nirschel
      Founder and Executive Director of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women
    • Zohra Safi
      Initiative to Educate Afghan Women Scholar
    • Rona Kabiri
      2009 Fulbright Scholar from Afghanistan
  8. March 19, 2010

    Adjournment: David Chard, Ph.D. Dean, SMU Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development