The US State Department said in a statement that AWER is a new public-private partnership between the Department of State and Boston University that aims to catalyze business, philanthropic, and civil society commitments to advance Afghan women’s entrepreneurship, employment, and educational opportunities in Afghanistan and third countries.
In his remarks, Blinken highlighted AWER’s first initiative, the Million Women Mentors Initiative for Afghan Women and Girls (MWMA), which aims to accelerate private sector and civil society commitments to mentor one million women and girls over the next five years.
According to the statement, Blinken noted Deloitte’s commitment to work with the Alliance’s first member Pod in mentoring 2,000 Afghan women under MWMA as an example of how AWER aims to foster economic opportunity for Afghan women and girls.
This announcement follows $1.5 million in additional Department of State funding for this effort, including funds from the Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund that supports the economic security of women and girls globally, to advance Afghan women’s access to business incubation and partnership with the private sector.
The launch event convened leaders from the private sector, civil society, the U.S. and foreign governments, and Afghan women entrepreneurs and business leaders, the statement read.
The event also featured a panel discussion on public-private opportunities to advance Afghan women’s economic security.
The State Department noted that AWER creates a pathway to generate sustainable, market-driven solutions to Afghan women’s economic security and underscores the United States’ deep commitment to Afghan women and girls.
