KABUL - Civil society organizations throughout the country are holding elections today to select delegates who will attend a special preparatory conference in Kabul where they will create a platform and messages for the upcoming Tokyo Conference where issues of development in Afghanistan will be discussed. Selected delegates will gather in Kabul on May 29 and 30.

Each province is electing four representatives, of which two must be women. Another 100 representatives of civil society will also attend the Kabul meeting. The so-called Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan will be held on July 8.

The aim of the two-day preparatory meeting in Kabul is to develop strong messages to echo the voices of the people of Afghanistan on vital national issues. At that meeting they will also select 30 people from among the group to represent Afghan civil society at a separate sideline meeting in Tokyo. Only two representatives from the Kabul meeting will be chosen to attend the main Tokyo Conference where representatives from international donor nations will meet.

Mohammad Nafi Frozanfar, a Development Officer at UNAMA, said the process of electing civil society representatives in the provinces as well as the organizing of the Kabul conference is taking place under the auspices of Civil Society’s Joint Advocacy Committee (CSJAC).

“The Committee consists of 13 umbrella organizations of civil society organizations in Afghanistan and these organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding to work collectively on women’s rights, human rights, peace process, rule of law and other national issues,” said Farozanfar.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) along with few other organizations, is acting as an observer of the entire process in order to ensure transparency and effectiveness. UNAMA has played a lead role in raising funds for this process.