TORONTO, February 21, 2002 -- The International Women’s Rights Project (IWRP) at York University has partnered with the Afghan Women’s Organization to host a three-day leadership training session this weekend for Afghan women living in Canada who want to contribute to the reconstruction of their country after the defeat of the Taliban.

Twenty Afghan women ranging from high-school students to professionals from across Canada will attend the session. Guests and speakers at the closed meetings include: Canada’s Minister for International Cooperation Susan Whelan, members of parliament Maria Minna and Carolyn Bennett, Senators Lois Wilson and Mobina Jaffer, and award-winning Canadian author and journalist Sally Armstrong who has just returned from a meeting in Afghanistan with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Responsible for Women’s Affairs, Dr. Sima Samar.

"We expect this to be a mutual learning experience for all," says project director Marilou McPhedran, noting the strong leadership qualities of the Afghan women attending. Designed by the IWRP and the Afghan Women’s Organization of Canada, the training will include briefings by Canadian government officials on current activities related to Afghanistan and opportunities for returning to help in Afghanistan through Canadian government programs. Discussions with scholars will include the problems of women in conflict zones, cultural sensitivity in skills-building, gender bias in public policy, and opportunities for national and international advocacy. There will be a question and answer session with parliamentarians.

The project is supported by the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency, the Afghan Women’s Organization, and three research centres at York University: the National Network on Environments and Women’s Health NNEWH , the Centre for Feminist Research, and the York Centre for International and Security Studies.

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For further information, please contact:

Marilou McPhedran	Susan Bigelow
Executive Coordinator	Media Relations
NNEWH	York University
416-736-2100, ext. 55941	416-736-2100, ext. 22091
marilou@yorku.ca	sbigelow@yorku.ca

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