Mechanisms to promote the advancement of woman
National Machinery. The Bureau of Women's Affairs, set up in December 1991 in the President's Office, promotes the advancement of women in all cultural, social and economic spheres. Among the projects it has recommended for implementation are the formation of rural women's cooperatives by the Ministry of Agriculture, research on rural women and basic data collection on rural women's activities.
WID Units or Focal Points in Technical Ministries. The Bureau of Women's Affairs has representatives in governmental offices and organizations. These women's units depend on the various ministries for funding. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has created the Rural Women's Development Office, the director of which is one of the four top executives of the Ministry's Extension Department. This office designs and implements training programmes for rural women. A Rural Women's Cooperatives Office has been set up in the Central Rural Cooperatives Organization, and a Rural Women's Planning and Study Group in the Center for Planning Studies and Agricultural Economics, in MOA's Planning Department. The Minister of Agriculture's Counsellor in Women's Affairs is responsible for coordination of planning activities for women. The Minister of Jihad-e-Sazandegi (MOJ), which is responsible for rural development, has also established a Women's Affairs Office.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Major NGOs include: the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee which assists the urban and rural poor; the Islamic Women's Society which promotes women's status in society and sponsors rural activities and training for women; the Women's Society of Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development which promotes awareness building and research; and the National and International Marketing Centre for Women's Produce.
