International aid agencies flag up Afghanistan concerns

A group of 28 international aid agencies working in Afghanistan, including ActionAid, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Save the Children and War Child will today present an open letter to the UN Security Council delegation currently visiting the country.

The letter draws attention to increasing insecurity and violation of human rights in Afghanistan and the harmful effect this is having on nation building. The agencies urge the international community to redouble its efforts in support of security, the rule of law and constitutional reform, protection of the most vulnerable and long-term support to development.

ActionAid Afghanistan’s policy and partnership manager Philippa Sackett, who will be part of the group presenting the letter to the UN security delegation, says: “The international community has an essential role to play in bringing security to Afghanistan. They must help ensure that the economic, social and cultural needs of the most vulnerable are placed centre stage.”

Agency letter

In December 2001, the Bonn Agreement laid plans for the building of a new Afghan state. Today, persistent insecurity threatens to derail this state building process. The victims of this insecurity are the Afghan people. Across the nation, human rights (both civil and political, and economic, social and cultural) continue to be violated with impunity. There is a need to recognise that state building cannot come at a cost of human rights ­ rather the two must go hand in hand.

As a group of long standing non-governmental organisations engaged in Afghanistan, the undersigned agencies urge the Security Council Ambassadors, as representatives of the international community, to re-focus their attention on the right of all Afghans (women, men, girls and boys) to live with dignity. Specifically, we recommend that the international community work in partnership with the Afghan state on the following issues:

Security sector

• Security sector reform: sustained financial and technical support must be delivered by the international community to the Afghan state for effective security sector reform ­ including support for police reform, the Afghan national army, and the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process ­ human rights awareness-raising must be integral to all of these processes
• International security assistance force: mandate should be amended to include protection of human rights ­ where possible, this should include intervention in ongoing factional fighting to stop abuses that occur during hostilities
• Provincial reconstruction teams must continue to shift their focus to security, thereby creating an enabling environment for all Afghans to better enjoy their human rights.

Rule of law and the constitution

• Justice system: sustained financial and technical support must be delivered by the international community to the Afghan state for effective reconstruction of the justice system, which must adhere to international law, with the principles of human rights at its core
• Human rights monitoring: sustained financial and technical support must be provided to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) for it to maintain an adequate field capacity at all times, thereby ensuring appropriate monitoring, documentation and response to violations of human rights as according to international law
• Afghan independent human rights commission (AIHRC): sustained financial and technical support must be forthcoming from UNAMA and the donor community to strengthen the developments of the AIHRC
• Constitution: the international community must advocate for adequate reflection of international human rights principles and norms within the new constitution; the constitution must encompass due process of law, and recognise the rights of marginalised groups, including women, children and minorities, without discrimination; special efforts are necessary to ensure inclusion in, and ownership over, the constitutional process by all sections of Afghan society, irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, language, geography, etc.

Protection of vulnerable and marginalised groups

• Role of local governance: the international community and the Afghan state must recognise and support the vital role of local governance processes and institutions in fostering the rights of vulnerable and marginalised groups.
• Women: the international community and the Afghan state must act with urgency to protect women from violence, coercion and deprivation ­ measures to protect the rights of women must be built into legal and constitutional reform, and integrated into policing and criminal justice processes
• Children: the international community and the Afghan state must increase mechanisms to protect girls and boys from all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination ­ legal and community-based mechanisms must be developed to address issues such as child labour, child trafficking, military recruitment, children in detention, early and forced marriage
• Returnees and internally displaced persons: the international community and the Afghan state must ensure and provide conditions for a dignified and safe return for refugees and internally displaced persons ­ return should be based on an informed and voluntary decision; the Afghan state with support from the international community should make sure that returnees and internally displaced persons are not discriminated against in access to basic assistance and reclaiming private property, as well as focusing especially on the protection of returning minorities.

Development and assistance support

• Long-term support for economic, social and cultural rights: the international community must make a firm moral and financial commitment to long-term programmes that will enable all Afghans to enjoy a full range of economic, social and cultural rights because Afghanistan continues to exhibit some of the lowest socio-economic indicators in the world.
• Long-term support for social protection and social welfare: the international community must make greater efforts to ensure long-term adequate support and funding for social protection and welfare (of women, men, boys and girls) through strengthening relevant ministries and civil society.
• Equity and humanitarian access: the international community must make all efforts to equitably implement programming across the nation ­ specifically, immediate attention is required to ensure humanitarian space is not lost in the south, where communities are in danger of losing basic rights to water, food, shelter, etc.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we remind the international community not to default on its existing commitment to Afghanistan. Instead, all efforts must be made to broaden and deepen this commitment.

Signing agencies

• ActionAid
• Care Afghanistan
• Children in Crisis
• Christian Aid
• Concern
• Development and Peace (Caritas Canada)
• GOAL
• Handicap International Belgium
• Handicap International France
• HOPE Worldwide - UK
• ICCO
• International Human Rights Law Group
• Intersos
• Madera
• Medair
• medica mondiale e.V.
• Mercy Corps
• Norwegian Afghanistan Committee
• Norwegian Refugee Council
• NOVIB (Oxfam Netherlands)
• Ockenden International
• Oxfam GB
• Rights and Democracy
• Save the Children UK
• Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
• Tearfund
• War Child UK