Afghan Women News Agency Organization (AWNAO) - International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)

Country - Afghanistan

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Afghan Women News Agency - International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)

Afghan Women News Agency Organization (AWNAO) is a nonprofit, non-political, and non-governmental organization that supports women’s participation in social activities. Its work amplifies women’s voices through news and magazine publications, advocacy, capacity building, and education. AWNAO strives to contribute to a progressive Afghanistan by promoting equal rights and peacebuilding through its advocacy work, with a special focus on women and marginalized groups. AWNAO engages in awareness raising for topics such as election participation, women’s rights, peacebuilding, and women’s empowerment.

AWANO works with organizations to deliver projects that promote peace at the community level, support women in the media, engage in research and training on conflict and peacebuilding, advocate for government accountability, and promote the rule of law. AWANO also trains female journalists to report on gender, peace, and women’s role in Islam. ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund has supported AWNAO since 2017. AWNAO joined ICAN’s She Builds Peace campaign in 2020.

Core Areas of Work:

Peacebuilding
Strengthening democratic governance and institutions
Women's rights

The international community should support women journalists and women-led news agencies in Afghanistan, we know that women’s narratives about their situation is very different from the narratives given by a man.

– Humaira Saqib Director, Afghan Women News Agency Organization (AWNAO)

Stories & Features

PRESS RELEASE: An Interactive Event and Exhibit Honoring the Resilience of Afghan Women Peacebuilders

PRESS RELEASE: Watan e Ma – وطن ما – Our Homeland: An Interactive Event and Exhibit Honoring the Resilience of Afghan Women Peacebuilders

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Read Post PRESS RELEASE: An Interactive Event and Exhibit Honoring the Resilience of Afghan Women Peacebuilders

Watan e Ma – وطن ما – Our Homeland

This Winter Will Also Pass   O coldness of winter,    Within you, thousands of springs lie hidden.  The fire of love, within the ice,    Will create the warmth of life.    Be patient, O soul,    For beyond this long night,    The light of dawn waits for you.  ~ Rumi  این زمستان نیز خواهد گذشت ای سردی زمستان،    در دل تو هزاران بهار نهفته است    آتشِ […]

Read Post Watan e Ma – وطن ما – Our Homeland

Breaking from the Status Quo: Afghan Women’s Creative Resistance Through Art, Culture, and Heritage

In a powerful departure from traditional advocacy, ICAN—guided by our Afghan partners and women peacebuilders—hosted the event “Watan e Ma – وطن ما – Our Homeland: Women of Afghanistan Keeping the Flame of Freedom Alive” on March 17, 2025 at Blue Gallery in New York City. Held during the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the event celebrated Afghan cultural heritage and the resilience of Afghan women peacebuilders, who persist in their leadership for peace, justice, and equality under the Taliban’s regime of gender apartheid.

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Read Post Breaking from the Status Quo: Afghan Women’s Creative Resistance Through Art, Culture, and Heritage

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