Why are measures to promote peace in Afghanistan not succeeding? A significant reason is that in a fractured, impoverished society, there is no effective strategy to help Afghans deal with disputes peacefully. This Oxfam International Research Report calls for greater donor support for NGOs engaged in community peacebuilding and for the development of a national strategy. This could be realised by convening a national conference, attended by NGOs and experts from Afghanistan and overseas, government officials, religious leaders and United Nations (UN) representatives.
The nature, causes and effects of insecurity in Afghanistan vary widely, as do the most effective means to address insecurity. Often a range of steps are required in different degrees to strengthen the rule of law, build professional security forces, reduce poverty, or improve governance.
Evidence supports the need for a national strategy for community peacebuilding in Afghanistan.
- Most peacebuilding work has been at a political level, where there are links to warlordism, corruption, or crime. Or it has been target-limited, such as disarmament programmes. Other initiatives lack clarity and are primarily concerned with peace and reconciliation at a national level.
- The capacity of Afghan communities to resolve their own disputes and build peace has largely been neglected. Little has been done to try and ensure that families, communities and tribes get on better with each other.
- The recent deterioration in security is evidence that ‘top-down’ approaches are inadequate without nationwide peace work at a ground level.
- Decades of war have undermined social cohesion and exacerbated poverty. Local disputes are often related to resources. Family and tribal affiliations can be a source of stability, but also lead to rapid escalation of disputes.
- Disputes often have local causes and people turn to local institutions and individuals to resolve them. The Taliban, warlords, criminals and international and national security forces are perceived as threats.
- Community peacebuilding is a participatory, bottom-up approach. While implementation has been fragmentary in Afghanistan, the local peace and conflict resolution programmes which do exist have had a range of positive, interconnected outcomes.
There is a powerful case for greater donor support for NGOs engaged in peacebuilding, as well as the development of a national strategy. Key elements that could be endorsed by the Afghan government and national assembly and supported by an alliance of NGOs and civil-society actors include:
- phased capacity-building throughout the country, which is participatory, inclusive, and flexible;
- measures to ensure that peacebuilding is taught in all schools and is fully incorporated into teacher training;
- awareness-raising initiatives at national and local levels;
- mainstreaming peacebuilding in relevant sectors of government and in national programmes;
- mechanisms to monitor the consistency of local dispute resolution with the Afghan constitution and human rights, and to ensure reporting, research and monitoring of peacebuilding activities; and
- measures to clarify links between peacebuilding work and state institutions, in particular the relationship between informal justice and the courts.
