Afghan Women's Network

The Afghan Women's Network (AWN) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which was created in 1996 by Afghan women following the World Conference on Women in Beijing and works to "empower women and ensure their equal participation in Afghan society." Executive board members have included Manizha Wafeq and the current executive director is Hassina Safi.

The NGO receives funding from donor agencies such as the French Embassy, ActionAid, UNHCR, and Roland Berger Foundation. AWN is made up of over a hundred different women's organizations and over 5,000 individuals. The Afghan Women's Network is a "foundation for the women's movement" which supports the growth of women's organizations throughout the country. It does work in both Pakistan and Afghanistan and is present in Kabul, Heart, Balkh, Kandahar, Bamyan, Paktia, Nangarhar, and Kunduz, among others. It coordinates with other women’s organizations on projects related to “gender-based violence, strengthening of youths, and education for girls”. It is not limited to one group of women as it aims to help "refugees, rural women and educated women". It has more than 3,500 individual members (exclusively women) and 125 women's organizations with memberships. Their Facebook page features up to date information on the most recent achievements, meetings, community work, government interactions, and more.

"The AWN envisions an Afghanistan in which women & men live in a justice and discrimination free society". The AWN's areas of focus are: Women, Peace and Security; Women's Political Participation and Leadership; and Women's Social and Legal Protection. They hope to achieve and improve on these three areas through advocacy and lobbying, networking and coordination, and capacity building.

The Afghan Women's Network was established in 1995. Women who had participated in the United Nation Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China decided that they wanted to create a network for Afghan women.

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