20 June 2012 – Leaders of Afghan civil society met today with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Ján Kubiš, and expressed their concerns about important national issues. The Special Representative of Secretary General told the group that the United Nations believes that a healthy civil society is essential for Afghanistan to continue on the path of democratic transformation and establish a prosperous society.
“We do and continue to support the civil society of Afghanistan,” said Mr. Kubiš. “We are preparing our contribution to the Presidential Elections in 2014 and the United Nations family stands ready to support a free, fair, transparent election.”
He also quoted President Hamid Karzai’s recent statement that elections should take place in full conformity with the constitution of the country and should be free, fair and transparent and with full integrity.
Mr. Kubiš also stressed the importance of strengthening the independence of elections institutions so that results would be viewed as legitimate.
Speaking about the ongoing peace and reconciliation process, Mr. Kubiš said that UNAMA is not only working with political leaders throughout the country but is also accelerating its engagement with civil society organizations to generate a strong wave of public support for the peace process.
“It must be Afghan led, Afghan owned and be an inclusive peace process where all parts of the society should have a place, particularly women,” said Mr. Kubiš.
Mr. Kubis spent some time explaining why protecting the rights of women and children is so critically important. He mentioned the Afghan Constitution, which is the supreme law of the country, which has provisions that protect human rights, particularly the rights of women and children. He said it was the responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan to ensure these rights are protected.