KABUL - Nearly 250 representatives of Afghan civil society from all over the country came together at a two-day national conference to brainstorm key national issues and develop strong messages to be delivered at an international conference on Afghanistan that will be held in Tokyo on the 8 of July. The gathering was held at the Safi Landmark hotel in downtown Kabul.

“Our objective is to collect views from civil society on national issues and reflect them at the international forum in Tokyo, since it could be the last chance for Afghan civil society to engage in international advocacy,” said Azaryun Matin, a member of Transitional Justice Coordination Group.

Four participants from each province, 2 women and 2 men, who were elected through an election process in their provinces, are attending the conference in Kabul. Another 120 representatives from women’s and human rights group are also attending the conference.

The first day of activities revolved around informing the participants about the agenda and importance of the international conference in Tokyo. This was followed by a review of the achievements and of the last ten years and an examination of the challenges ahead. Then those gathered broke off into smaller groups to discuss key national issues, including good governance, peace and reconciliation, sustainable development, capacity and commitment of Afghan civil society, commitments of international community after 2014 and women rights, human rights and access to justice.

Women made up about 40 percent of the participants at the conference. Each of the 12 working groups had five to six women members.

“This is very heartening that women participants from throughout the country are part of this national event; women participants even came from the far-flung and high risk areas such as Nimroz Province,” said Mirwais Rahimzai, Director of Civil Society Coordination Centre.

Today’s session concluded with the presentation by the working groups. These presentations will become the basis for a draft document to be written by another technical group of civil society members.

The participants at the Kabul conference will elect 30 representatives in tomorrow’s session for a parallel civil society conference in Tokyo to be held on 7 July. They will also select two other representatives to read out their message in the main international conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo on 8 July.

“The process of preparing for the Tokyo Conference started six months ago in Kabul under the auspices of 25 umbrella organization of Afghan civil society and then transferred to provinces to make it fully inclusive and comprehensive,” said Siddiqullah Fahim, a civil society activist.