HRW urges foreign donors to press Afghan Govt. to address rights issues

Foreign donors should press the Government of Afghanistan to address the country's persistent human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today.

Delegations from more than a dozen countries will gather in Kabul on September 5 for the Senior Officials Meeting to discuss humanitarian and security commitments to Afghanistan. The meeting is a follow-up to the December 2014 London Conference and the 2012 Tokyo Conference.

"Afghan officials and foreign donors need to put human rights front-and-center in all discussions of ongoing and future support for the Afghan government," said Phelim Kine, Deputy director at Human Rights Watch for Asia. "They should recognize that human rights gains since 2001 remain extremely fragile and in some areas have reversed, putting at risk the rights of all Afghans, particularly women and girls," Kine added.

Despite Afghanistan's important improvements in human rights, many serious abuses persist. The Afghan Government and its international donors should strengthen their support for the protection and promotion of human rights in Afghanistan through continued emphasis on the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (the "Tokyo Framework"), Human Rights Watch said.

However, there are indications that the Afghan Government's Realizing Self-Reliance paper, presented by President Ashraf Ghani at the December 2014 London Conference, will be the centerpiece of the September 5 meeting's agenda.

The paper reaffirms Afghanistan's human rights commitments, including its obligation to carry out the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) Law, but lacks specific goals and measurable benchmarks for progress on human rights.

"The Senior Officials Meeting provides the Afghan Government and its international supporters an important opportunity to recommit to specific, measurable steps for protecting the rights of the Afghan people," Kine said. "The fundamental rights of Afghans are at real risk without international support and pressure, and genuine commitment from the Afghan government.