UNAMA welcomes Afghan civil society’s call for sustainable peace

17 Jan 2015

UNAMA welcomes Afghan civil society’s call for sustainable peace

KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomes important progress made by civil society groups and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in developing and promoting local road maps for peace.

As part of the civil society-led Afghan People’s Dialogue for Peace initiative conducted over the past three years, some 6,000 Afghans from all walks of life shared their grievances and aspirations, identified the main drivers of conflict and proposed solutions to achieve sustainable, inclusive and just peace. As a result, Afghan civil society organizations and the AIHRC produced 34 provincial-level road maps for peace.

A national conference held on 15 January in Kabul presented 12 of these local road maps for peace and provided an important chance to develop advocacy strategies so that provincial and national policy makers act upon their findings.

“The national conference was a unique opportunity for civil society to develop their advocacy plans to ensure that the voice of the Afghan people is heard. This advocacy could not be more important or timely,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom. “The United Nations stands ready to support this in any way it can.”

Participants highlighted the need for strengthening security institutions, promoting responsive state institutions, ending corruption, promoting human rights and women’s rights, rule of law and tackling impunity, disarming illegal armed groups and providing employment opportunities, particularly to the youth, as the main priorities for addressing the root causes of the conflict and achieving durable peace.

The work on the local road maps for peace builds on the June 2014 public report on the national findings of the second phase of the dialogue process. The report included a 10-point national road map to peace and 33 recommendations.

UNAMA welcomes the advocacy strategies for the implementation of the provincial road maps and the 10-point national road map, identified by participants, which includes conducting advocacy with Governmental authorities and anti-Government elements.

“In peace and reconciliation processes, UNAMA is firm that human rights must not be sacrificed and that women must play a strong and active role in any peace negotiations - both are critical for a sustainable peace,” said Mr. Haysom. “The youth of Afghanistan are the country’s future and their views must also be heard.”