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When Meryl Streep chooses to be the moderator of a press conference, little wonder that almost all eyes, at least those of photographers, would rivet on the actress-activist rattier than on the speakers.
And that is what happened last month when the celebrity actress appeared as the moderator of a press conference of some women delegates to the recently concluded
Afghan Women's Summit in Brussels.
Even though the women articulated their demands as well as their hopes and aspirations that they would like to see fulfilled under the new Afghanistan government after a brief introduction by the moderator, Streep stole the show.
"These delegates met with members of the United Nations Security Council and asked for the implementation of the UN resolution 1325 that calls for women's full participation in the maintenance peace. The women delegates have four major demands," Streep said beaming as a battery of television cameramen and photographers vied with each other to capture every bit of her gesture.
"I think the Brussels Proclamation represents the hope and aspiration of Afghan women," she said.
Following her introduction, each of the five women spoke, some of them in Pushtu, as they shared with media representatives their perception of what should be the priorities in post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan and the role they wished to play in that effort.
"The special needs of women and girls, their rehabilitation, the problem of domestic violence, must be taken into account in the post-war reconstruction," said Leila Enayat-Seraj, director of the Afghan Art Project for Peace and co-founder of the Committee on the Prevention of Discriminatory Practices against Women in the UN. Seraj said the international community must make sure that those responsible for the genocide in Afghanistan and violence are prosecuted.
Besides Seraj, others who addressed the conference included Shafiqa Habibi, former broadcast journalist in Kabul, Adeena Niazi, a former professor at Kabul University, Soraya Paikhan, former professor of law, University of Kabul and Sahar Saba of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan based in Pakistan.
The four main demands of the women are deployment of international peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan, beginning of a process of disarmament of all the warring factions, guarantee and recognition of women's rights and giving significant portion of international aid to women.
The proclamation addresses four central components of Afghan society: education and culture, healthcare, refugees and human rights. The proclamation issued after the December 4-5 summit, noted that Afghan women are in dire need of education and information through the media and that women should fully participate filly in the current and future development of Afghanistan.
Habibi noted that even though the number of educated Afghan women is few, it was important that they participate in the political process of Afghanistan. "With all your support, hopefully we will be able to implement all the resolutions taken at the Brussels Summit," Habibi, who lives in Kabul, said.
Others like Saba, who wore a veil even at the press conference, made a forceful plea for women's participation in governance and policy making. "We Afghan women have to make a long and difficult struggle which needs sacrifices," Saba, who has moved to Pakistan, said. "We the women have the right and must have the right to decide the future of our society. We have to have courage," she said. "But we would not succeed without cooperation and support of the groups here," she added.
The delegates also met with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as well as Secretary of State Colin Powell and other political leaders in Washington before coming to New York to meet with Security Council members and address the press conference.
After the press conference Streep posed for photographs along with all the women. Among others present include Eve Ensler, founder of V-Day and Jessica Neuwirth, president of Equality Now.
