Mainstreaming women`s human right to political participation

The United Nation`s approach in Afghanistan

by Julia K�hler-Olsen

This book discusses the relationship between the strategy of gender main-streaming and women�s human right to political participation. Women�s human rights, embedded in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) constitute the legal foundation for all policies and programmes implemented by the UN and its field operation. This book analyses the UN�s approach to promoting women�s political participation in the peace process in Afghanistan. The book explores whether and to what extent the UN and its field operation UNAMA (UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan) take the UN Women�s Convention into consideration in their efforts to promote women�s political rights in the peace process in Afghanistan. The research shows that the strategy of gender mainstreaming in peace-building in Afghanistan does not fully integrate the human rights based approach.