The UN Women office has announced that 90 percent of Afghanistan’s carpet weavers are women, yet despite their crucial role, they receive the lowest income in the industry.
In a report published on Wednesday, 10 December, the agency said women play an essential role in Afghanistan’s carpet industry, an industry that is sustained largely through the labor of Afghan women.
According to the report, to strengthen women’s economic opportunities, UN Women held a technical workshop this week with Afghan carpet-industry partners and several regional trade representatives.
“The workshop was held in the Airitom Free Economic Zone in Uzbekistan, near Balkh Province, an area that supplies 70 percent of Afghanistan’s carpet production,” the UN Women office said.
Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, stated that supporting women at every stage of the production chain, from wool processing and spinning to weaving, payment, and trade development, is essential for the sustainable growth of the carpet industry.
UN Women emphasized that it will continue its efforts to strengthen women’s leadership and expand their role in the country’s carpet sector.
