JALALABAD - Representatives of civil society, religious scholars and minority groups from the eastern provinces of Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar and Nuristan met in Jalalabad on Thursday to discuss the ongoing peace efforts as part of the United Nations’ efforts to include opinions from local communities in high-level discussions. It was the seventh such meeting held this year.

“This is a good way of getting views from different civil society representatives on the Transition and Peace and Reintegration processes, so the UN can provide recommendations on what should be done according to people’s views,” said Mohammad Safar Safi, a participant from Kunar province.

He joined about 150 members from the local Provincial Peace and Reintegration Committees (PPRC), small groups comprised of tribal elders, religious leaders, women and other groups who are meant to speak directly with their community members – including former Taliban members – and bring their views into the discussion.

The discussions included numerous religious leaders who are members of the PPRC.

“These Ulamas are conducting public awareness campaign and doing public advocacy during prayers so that people understand the value of peace,” said Mehtrlam, the head of Laghman’s PPRC.

The idea is that PPRC members outreach into the local communities, but bring ideas and concerns they hear in their regions to the Government and international organizations, such as the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which coordinated the meeting.

“These meetings are meant to provide a forum for Afghans to air their views on the implementation of Transition and APRP (Afghan Peace and Reintegration Process). It is part of our mandate to support the Government of Afghanistan in the implementation of these processes,” said Ismail Balla, a political officer with the Easter Region UNAMA office.

Among the questions discussed in the dialogues was whether Afghan security forces are sufficiently prepared to take over security duties from international security forces.

“When the time comes, we want them to be ready to resume our security responsibility. It means our forces have to be well trained and professional with sufficient resources,” one of the participants answered.

Group members also discussed challenges with communication and access to the High Peace Council members, and security risks associated with outreach.

Seven dialogue sessions have been held in the region so far. More discussions will follow later in the year.

By UNAMA Jalalabad