In the name of Almighty Allah
CSHRO Statement on the occasion of Chicago North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit
Kabul , Afghanistan , 13- May 2012
On May 20th and 21st the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit will be organized in Chicago. The summit will be hosted by the president of the United State. Important issues such as the Arab Spring, the issue of Libya, the international economic crisis and the issue of Afghanistan are core topics of Chicago summit. Therefore international attentions have been oriented toward Chicago international conference.
The Chicago summit is the continuation of NATO summit in Lisbon 2010 where the heads of the member states discussed the issue of gradually withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.
Chicago summit decisions have vital impact on the situation in Afghanistan . The summit will be held on the day after G8 summit in Camp David of United State. The conference will discuss the imperative role of international community in Afghanistan and upheavals of political situation of the region. That is why both gatherings have received a lot of prudence of international communities.
The Civil Society and Human Rights Organization (CSHRO) closely studies the situation and relevant events to the conference and voice its concerns regarding the situation of Afghanistan. CSHRO believes that the monitoring role of international community in the current situation and maintaining this role after 2014 when the NATO troops leave Afghanistan will positively affect the situation in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile in a common sense based all civil society institutions, human rights activists and defenders, women rights defenders and activists in the field of gender equality predict that dramatic decrease of support of international community as well as imprudently limitation of monitoring role of the international community endangers all gained achievements of Afghanistan. Consequently Afghanistan will face the crisis of legitimacy of the Afghan state.
The CSHRO calls upon the head of states of NATO summit in Chicago for the following elements:
- Withdrawal of international military forces should not limit the political support of international community in Afghanistan. We call upon NATO to create the mechanism of strengthening its political support to Afghanistan. This will be granted and ensured by an active representation of NATO in Afghanistan via an active office of NATO in Afghanistan. Coordination of NATO via its offices with security sectors of Afghanistan generates confidence and moral support for the Afghan people.
- The limitation of military role of international community should be organized in a transparent and understandable way. Still there are a lot of Afghans who do not know about NATO and its withdrawal strategy from Afghanistan. The Afghan civil society calls upon the political and military offices of NATO in Brussels to organize feasible and transparent programs about the NATO role in Afghanistan and it’s gradually withdrawal. These programs should be disseminated by the national and international Media in Afghanistan . Lack of such a program could be understood as defeat of NATO in Afghanistan and the enemies of Afghanistan will also misuse the situation.
- The Afghanistan civil society calls upon Chicago summit to support democratic institutions of Afghanistan. Afghanistan will organize presidential election during the implementation of withdrawal plan of NATO from Afghanistan. Upcoming presidential election should receive a lot of political and economical supports of international community to ensure Afghan people that international community do not leave Afghanistan alone.
- The Afghanistan civil society would like to ask the head of states of NATO to strictly stand for implementation of rule of law in Afghanistan. We ask NATO to advocate and urge the Afghan state on the implementation of rule of law in our country. Weakness of rule of law in Afghanistan profoundly affects the legitimacy of state in our country. Corruption is a major outcome of weak rule of law. People of Afghanistan do not intend to bear any more a state with no control on widespread corruption in the country.
- The civil society of Afghanistan would like to call upon the NATO summit to emphasis on human rights and humanitarian law, rights of women and strengthening of civil society in Afghanistan. We believe these values should form the main elements of NATO strategy for partnership with Afghanistan. The Afghanistan state as a member of united nation and as a state, committed to international human rights conventions, should respect and implement these values strictly.
The CSHRO as an umbrella for civil society and human rights actors, consist of 96 human rights institutions and work in 26 provinces of Afghanistan would like to appreciate the role of international community in Afghanistan and wish prosperity and successful summit for head of the states of NATO.
Civil Society and Human Rights Organization (CSHRO) the Network of human rights based civil society organizations in Afghanistan (13-May-2012) Kabul-Afghanistan.