The International Center for Afghan Women’s Economic Development (Women’s Center) is pleased to welcome its new Director, Ms. Zakia Soleiman. Ms. Soleiman has 10 years of senior management experience in international and national organizations, working on women and youth empowerment, education, and gender equality programs.
Her work has focused on institutionalizing mechanisms to advance Afghan women’s and youth’s capacity and empowerment. She has worked with the Afghan Parliament, the United Nations, and the deputy Ministry of Youth Affairs, as well as many international organizations, advising on gender issues and developing practical policy and implementation mechanisms.
Most recently, she worked with the UN Development Program to advocate the establishment of a specialized court to uphold the elimination of violence against women (EVAW) law and build the capacity of law enforcement officials. She also worked with the women’s commission of the Afghan Parliament to conduct a gender-sensitive budget analysis of the 1393 national budget, as well as working with the deputy Ministry for Youth Affairs in drafting the nation’s first Youth Policy. Ms. Soleiman is a 2010 graduate of the American University of Afghanistan.
As Director of the Women’s Center, Ms. Soleiman will help guide the strategic vision of the center, manage research activities, and supervise the implementation of programs.
“I am delighted to welcome to our team an individual as capable, experienced, and committed to women’s issues as Miss Soleiman,” said Ms. Nilofar Sakhi, CEO of the Women’s Center. “I look forward to working with her to further expand the Women’s Center’s programming and continue to ensure it remains a hub for cutting-edge research and practical programming to increase women’s economic participation.”
The AUAF Women’s Center is a pioneering institution dedicated to advancing the role of women in Afghanistan’s economy. The center functions as a headquarters to incubate female-led small and medium-sized businesses, provide business training to female entrepreneurs, funnel investment capital to promising women-run businesses, and provide women access to all the business and information technology assets at AUAF. As a permanent, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to women’s economic empowerment, the center functions as a national hub coordinating and connecting both public and private sector entities that share the goal of fully integrating women into the Afghan economy.
Ms. Soleiman commenced her role at the Women’s Center on January 5, 2015. For more information, contact the Women’s Center at AUAF, wc@auaf.edu.af.
http://auaf.edu.af/news/zakia-soleiman-joins-auaf-womens-center-director/
