Georgetown University

Washington, D.C. -- Highlighting the university’s ongoing commitment to the government and people of Afghanistan, First Lady Laura Bush today announced a formal partnership between Georgetown University and the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council. Over the next two years the Council will transition from its current home at the U.S. State Department to become fully integrated in the Georgetown community, Bush said in her remarks at Gaston Hall on Monday, Dec. 4.  

“This new partnership will expand and improve the Afghan Women’s Council,” Bush said. “It will increase the ties between America’s private-sector institutions and the people of Afghanistan, and it will strengthen the friendship between our countries. With the support of Georgetown, the Council will work to improve the lives of even more women in Afghanistan.”  

While the State Department and government of Afghanistan will continue to support Council initiatives, to achieve long term success the Council must become a sustainable institution independent from the federal government, Bush said.

The Council, established by President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in January 2002, promotes public-private partnerships between American and Afghan institutions and mobilizes private sector resources to help Afghan women. Georgetown has been engaged in bi-annual meetings of the council in a supporting role for several years.  

“Georgetown looks forward to contributing to putting the Council in the strongest possible position for the future,” said Georgetown University President John. J. DeGioia.  

According to DeGioia, School of Foreign Service Dean Robert Gallucci, Georgetown College Dean Jane McAuliffe and Phyllis Magrab, director of the Georgetown Center for Child and Human Development at Georgetown University Medical Center, will lead the campus effort to shape the future direction of the Council and the foundation for its ongoing work.  

Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, who serves as co-chair of the Council, cited extensive collaboration with Georgetown on projects related to Afghanistan and expressed enthusiasm for the new alliance.  

“We are especially thrilled to be able to launch a new partnership between Georgetown University and the U.S. Afghan Women’s Council,” said Dobriansky, a Georgetown alumna. “The partnership will strengthen the Council’s work in helping Afghan women, and indeed all Afghans, transform their lives for the better and will provide Georgetown University with an opportunity to apply the resources and expertise found in its various schools, centers and institutions to an area of such vital importance.”  

Bush, who received an honorary degree from Georgetown in 2003, referred to the university’s involvement in various initiatives with Afghanistan over the past several years as a sign of commitment to the country. In January 2002, just one month after he began his appointment as head of the transitional government of the country, Georgetown hosted President Karzai in an addressed to the campus community. Since Karzai's 2002 visit, Georgetown has continued its relationship with Afghan officials, nonprofit leaders and educators, convening two summits in 2002 and 2003, on recovery and reconstruction in Afghanistan.  

In 2003, the university hosted an Afghanistan-American student leadership forum. Currently, two professionals from Afghanistan are participating in the university’s Fellows in Foreign Service Program, a one-year, graduate-level program designed to broaden and deepen knowledge of international affairs. In September, Georgetown awarded President Karzai an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during his second visit to the campus.  

Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. Said T. Jawad also cited the university’s deep engagement with his country and thanked DeGioia for the support Georgetown has provided to Afghanistan.  

“The university has been a key partner in rebuilding Afghanistan,” Jawad said. “The new partnership with Georgetown will further institutionalize the work of the U.S. Afghan Women’s Council and open a new chapter of friendship.”  

To commemorate the occasion, DeGioia said Georgetown will provide a copy of the book Afghanistan Evolving by Caroline Firestone, a member of the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, to the libraries of nearly 200 area public and Catholic schools.  

“This moment in the global community makes significant demands on us all,” DeGioia said, “and it is a privilege for our university community to collaborate with Mrs. Bush, Ambassador Jawad, Dr. Dobriansky and the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council in responding to the need to promote justice, opportunity, peace and stability in Afghanistan.”      

About Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a major student-centered, international, research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on its three campuses in Washington, DC. For more information about Georgetown University, visit www.georgetown.edu.