University Gender Training

Gender researchers Sogol Zand and Chona Echavez took part in teaching courses on gender at the Universities of Balkh, Herat and Kabul. Sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Gender Equality Unit, the initiative was aimed at training interested university lecturers on gender issues. At Kabul University, Sogol explored ideas of “power and empowerement,” and attempted to link theories on the topic with both recent research findings and participants’ everyday experiences. At Balkh and Herat Universities, Chona covered shifting understandings of gender in development thought, and the idea of gender mainstreaming, which emphasises the importance and economic significance of integrating gender-specific policies into mainstream national laws and strategies.