The UNAMA Human Rights Unit plays an important role in the promotion and protection of human rights in Afghanistan. It has been mandated by the UN Security Council to assist Afghanistan’s institutions in protecting and promoting international human rights standards, as well as to help the UN integrate human rights into its work.
The human rights situation in Afghanistan faces many challenges after three decades of conflict. Long-standing human rights problems such as a culture of impunity, weak governance and extreme poverty are compounded by deteriorating security conditions that are hampering the Government’s ability to deliver essential services, security and justice.
The Human Rights Unit has national and international officers deployed in the mission’s eight regional offices in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, Herat, Bamyan, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Gardez. They are involved in monitoring and investigating human rights concerns as well as human rights capacity building and promotional activities.
The Human Rights Unit focuses on the five priority issues of protection of civilians, violence against women, transitional justice, freedom of expression, poverty and human rights and assistance and support to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).
Throughout the year the Human Rights Unit and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva publish reports on the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
The expression “Transitional Justice” was coined in 1992 to indicate forms of social and political justice adopted by societies transforming themselves after a period of pervasive human rights and humanitarian law abuses. Transitional justice deals with how societies that are moving from war to peace, or from repressive rule to democracy, can address past human rights abuses.
A 2004 country-wide consultation by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) revealed that 69 per cent, of the nearly 7,000 people interviewed, identified themselves or their immediate families as direct victims of serious human rights violations, including unlawful killings, torture, disappearance and displacement, during the 23-year conflict
On the basis of these findings, the President’s Office convened a working group, including representatives of AIHRC and UNAMA, to draft a national action plan for transitional justice in Afghanistan. The Government approved the Action Plan on Peace, Reconciliation and Justice on 12 December 2005.
The Action Plan on Peace, Reconciliation and Justice is a Government-approved strategy for addressing past atrocities in Afghanistan that responds to the needs of victims, ensures accountability and promotes reconciliation. It also focuses on reforming state institutions in order to strengthen rule of law, foster good governance and to prevent future violations of human rights. The main goal of the Action Plan is to promote peace, reconciliation, justice, rule of law and to establish a culture of accountability.
The Action Plan identifies actors that should be involved in the detailed design and implementation of the various actions contained in the plan. The actors include: the President and the President’s Office, relevant Ministries, Provincial and District Councils, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the Civil Service Commission, the Supreme Court, and civil society stakeholders including religious leaders, academia and the media. The United Nations as well as donors and international experts are also included in the implementation of the Action Plan.
KEY DOCUMENTS AND LINKS
Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan, January 2010
(Executive Summary: Dari - Pashto)
Joint Monitoring of Political Rights; Presidential and Provincial Council Elections
Third Report, 1 August – 21 October 2009 - English - دری - پشتو
Joint Monitoring of Political Rights; Presidential and Provincial Council Elections
Second Report, 16 June – 1 August 2009 - English - دری - پشتو
Mid Year Bulletin on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 31 July 2009
Joint Monitoring of Political Rights; Presidential and Provincial Council Elections
First Report, 25 April – 12 June 2009
Silence is Violence - End violence against women in Afghanistan (دری - پشتو)
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Afghanistan pages
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Annual Report on Afghanistan to the Human Rights Council, March 2009 (دری - پشتو)
Kabul Declaration on freedom of expression - 30 March 2009 - دری - پشتو
Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Afghanistan, January 2009
(Executive Summary: Dari - Pashto)
Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict in Afghanistan, November 2008
Armed Conflict and Civilian Casualties: Afghanistan Trends and Developments, 1 January - 31 August 2008
Arbitrary Detention in Afghanistan Volume 1 - English - پشتو - دری
Arbitrary Detention in Afghanistan Volume 2 - English - دری