E/2002/27 E/CN.6/2002/13 European Union and the Government of Saudi Arabia, held in Tokyo on 21 and 22 January 2002, 24 Welcoming the Afghan women’s consultation held in Kabul on 7 March 2002 under the auspices of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the celebration of International Women’s Day in Afghanistan on 8 March 2002, as well as the holding of the workshop on human rights under the auspices of the Afghan Interim Authority and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Kabul on 9 March 2002, Welcoming also the efforts of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, which have hosted millions of Afghan refugees, especially women and children, and have provided humanitarian assistance in many areas such as education, health and other basic services, Welcoming further the role of the international humanitarian organizations in providing humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees, Encouraging the international community to continue providing refugeehosting countries with various forms of assistance and cooperation so that they can further assist Afghan refugees, Bearing in mind the desirability of a voluntary return of Afghan refugees to their country in safety and dignity, Welcoming developments in Afghanistan that will contribute to the creation of conditions that will allow all Afghans, especially women and girls, to enjoy their inalienable human rights and fundamental freedoms and fully participate in the reconstruction and development of their country, Welcoming also the commitment of the Afghan Interim Administration to the active participation of Afghan women in political, economic and social life, to the education of girls as well as boys and to the right of women to work outside the home, Welcoming further the inclusion of women in the Afghan Interim Administration and in the twenty one member Special Independent Commission for the Convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga, and stressing the importance of the full and effective participation of women in all decision-making processes regarding the future of Afghanistan, Welcoming the signing of the Declaration of the Essential Rights of Afghan Women, by the Chairman of the Afghan Interim Administration, Welcoming also the fact that the United Nations Immediate and Transitional Assistance Programme for the Afghan People 2002 reflects the needs of, and the importance of the role to be taken by, women and girls in the process of peacebuilding, reconstruction and development, Encouraging the members of the international community, including nongovernmental organizations, to continue efforts to draw attention to the situation of Afghan women and girls, Recognizing the importance of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, __________________ 24 4 See A/56/801-S/2002/134, annex.