The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Enhancing Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Afghanistan (EGEMA) programme – implemented from 2016 to 2018 - proposed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices on gender equality among religious leaders specifically related to Friday sermons in order to determine religious leaders’ ability to positively contribute to the advancement of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

A survey with more than 180 religious leaders and more than 40 focus groups with community members were undertaken in Bamyan, Balkh, and Herat provinces by Thousand Plateaus Consultancy Services.