Page 27 - Empowerment and Protection - Stories of Human Security

by the withdrawal. The most dificult transition is the security sector, with signs that some warlords may arm their militias again, as they feel the Afghan army is incapable of providing security against the Taliban.13 It begs the question whether these critical transitions will be able to achieve the scale of good governance, economic growth and stability that
are needed to ensure human security in the next chapter of Afghanistan’s history.
Recommendations
While the regional and international dimensions of the current conlict in Afghanistan clearly demand additional recommendations to address the more acute, physical human security challenges, these recommendations are based on the underlying security concerns that people identiied in this chapter, which are relevant to ensure a holistic approach to Afghanistan’s human security challenges.
▪ The government and international organisations such as the UN should work
to promote a sense of physical security by working towards demilitarisation. While the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) currently stands at 350,000, more efforts are needed to improve public security. For example, decreasing the use of personal security apparatuses, ending the misuse of weapons, and eliminating illegally held weapons would improve public safety.
▪ The government should improve state legitimacy. Afghanistan has been in transition from conlict to peace since 2001. A durable peace is dependent upon consensus building
and participatory processes, otherwise it will be deemed illegitimate. The government must earn peoples' trust by improving governance, providing adequate public services, developing mechanisms to access justice, and ighting corruption. Integrity must return to public ofices.
▪ The government and civil society organisations should continue and increase efforts to reduce illiteracy. Illiteracy is the root cause of inadequate political, economic, social and cultural freedoms. Illiteracy in Afghanistan is not only leading to self-censorship by the literate minority but it is also preventing the illiterate majority from enjoying their basic rights
the authors work for the Afghanistan Justice Organisation (AJO) an Afghan-led, non-proit, and non-partisan organisation inspired by Afghanistan’s youth—the next generation of Afghans responsible for Afghanistan’s continued social and economic development. AJo seeks to empower youth to take ownership of their country and to make a difference in the lives of others through public awareness campaign, application of the law, and freedom of choice. furthermore, AJo is organised exclusively for the purpose of promoting reform through education and training and to advance free markets and individual liberty under the laws of the government of the Islamic republic of Afghanistan. AJo is a member of the south Asia network of the global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed conlict (gPPAc).
and freedoms. Comprehensive awareness and education programmes are needed to reach all 34 provinces and bridge the gap between the literate and illiterate.
▪ The government and international aid
groups should prioritise Afghan economic participation by encouraging local investment and local participation in development design and implementation. Many of Afghanistan’s development programmes have not taken existing individual, institutional or societal capacities
into account and have imposed programmes on local populations. Therefore, individuals’ skills, knowledge, and needs should be identiied to provide a better context for both the Afghan government and international aid groups. Ensuring local participation in this process is crucial in developing entrepreneurships and a sustainable economy.
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