KABUL - Outgoing United Nations envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide, during his last address in Afghanistan today, expressed concerns over the country’s amnesty law and a recent presidential electoral decree.

Later he was honoured by President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace with one of the country’s highest awards, the Mir Masjidi Khan Medal.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, who led the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for the past two years, has departed Kabul to return to his home in Norway.

Earlier in the day, addressing the International Conference on the Importance of Legislation for Women in Afghanistan, the Special Representative said he was “concerned when laws and decrees with far-reaching implications are adopted without a wide and inclusive consultation process.”

The amnesty law, which came to the attention of human rights groups in Afghanistan two months ago, “had been kept from the population for one year,” after having been gazetted, said Mr Eide. “The process and content gave reason for concern.”

“In my experience, amnesty is one way of healing the wounds of a country. But those wounds cannot be healed if there is no accountability, if it means the sanctioning of impunity and atrocities committed,” he added.

Additionally, Mr Eide said: “I am concerned about the recent decree on elections. The President has full right to issue decrees, but it would be much better if the legal framework for an electoral process, which affects all, would be the result of an inclusive process where the parliament and civil society would be fully involved.”

Mr Eide also repeated his urge for reconciliation as indispensible to the strategy to end conflict in Afghanistan, but he said he was concerned that women could be “victims of the process.”

Civil society and women’s organizations “must be given a prominent role,” he said. “I appeal to your political leadership to give you more strength.”

He echoed the opening remarks of Dr Sima Samar, Head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, that rule of law and human rights remain lacking in Afghanistan, especially for women.

Dr Samar said that women have not been part of the process that could lead to possible talks with the Taliban and that they would insist upon being at the negotiating table to “actively participate and work, not just for beautifying the programme in our Afghan dresses.”

Staffan de Mistura of Sweden will take up the post of Special Representative and Head of UNAMA later this month.

Website: Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission