QALAT - The peace process and infrastructure development were among the topics addressed by a UNAMA team during a series of meetings with local authorities and community representatives in Zabul province.

Discussions took place in Qalat, the capital of southern Zabul province, located 135 kilometres east of Kandahar. The province, which neighbours four other Afghan provinces and shares a border with Pakistan, is considered one of the most underdeveloped in the country.

Anti-government elements reportedly have a strong presence in Zabul, contributing to insecurity, civilian casualties and displacement.

UNAMA officials discussed several issues with the Provincial Governor and the Director of Women’s Affairs, along with Provincial Peace Committee members, exchanging views on the latest developments in the province.

“The people of Zabul are peace-loving and denounce insurgency,” said Haji Ghulam Farooq Tokhi, a member of the Provincial Peace Committee, during the meeting. “We visit all areas of the province to raise awareness among the people about the peace process.”

The Committee provided an update on major achievements during past few years, including that a number of armed fighters had put down their weapons and joined the peace process. Meeting participants also discussed approaches to encourage further local support for the peace process.

In a separate meeting, Zabul Provincial Governor Mohammad Anwar Eshaqzai highlighted key challenges to development, including insecurity and a lack of accessible drinking water, and identified the ongoing partnership with the United Nations as a viable solution to several challenges the province is facing.

In a meeting with female members of the Provincial Peace Committee and the Director of Women’s Affairs, the UNAMA team addressed women’s rights issues in the province.

UNAMA is mandated to support the Afghan Government and relevant international and local non-governmental organizations to assist in the full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a State party, in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights.