Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s new government should prosecute officials and commanders whose serious human rights abuses have long gone unpunished, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. US officials should press President Ashraf Ghani to take up justice for past abuses as a top priority during Ghani’s expected March 2015 visit to Washington, DC.

This has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones.

Two reports were released on Wednesday reprimanding Afghanistan on its state of human rights. The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) annual report on torture in detention, states that one-third of the 790 conflict-related detainees interviewed have been tortured or otherwise mistreated.

For a variety of reasons the micro and small-sized enterprises (MSSEs), senfs, anjomans, and the etehadia have persisted, some for hundreds of years and despite the recurring periods of turmoil and instability and continued to add net value to the Afghan economy.

Afghan civil society gained momentum on Tuesday with the formation of a national, independent organization designed to promote high standards among civil society institutions through a comprehensive certification process.

It was subtle, but telling: One of the immediate consequences of the new Afghan president taking office was that everyone around him turned into a note taker. Members of the powerful political elite, accustomed to 13 years of casual politics characterized by grand postures and long-winded speeches, all scribble in Ashraf Ghani’s presence.

Evidence – if more was needed – of the intensification of the Afghan war has come in the United Nations’ annual report on civilian casualties. 25 per cent more civilians were killed in the conflict in 2014 than in 2013, almost all Afghans by Afghans.

The Afghan state, Afghan civil society and the international community must adapt key Afghan social, religious, economic and cultural-normative structures and institutions in ways that are favorable to women’s enduring empowerment and development.

Source: HBS Mobility has long been a survival strategy for many Afghans during the past decades of conflict and economic uncertainty. This article discusses the impact of a deteriorating security situation, international security transitions, a […]

In June 2005 President Karzai signed the new Law on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to replace the Taliban-era regulation on NGOs. Under the Taliban-era law the many private sector contractors delivering services and humanitarian aid were listed as among some 2,400 NGOs.