International Conference on ”How to involve people in rebuilding Afghanistan”

Ede, 21 December 2008

Resolution

Following a series of annual conferences, in December 2008, the Federation of Afghan Refugee Organisation in Europe (FAROE) held a conference on participation of Afghan people in reconstruction of the country.

 

In this year’s conference that lasted from 19th to 21st of December 2008, more than 50 representatives of cultural, political and social organization, Sewish Committee for Afghanistan and tens of prominent Afghan personalities living in Europe participated.

Following the assessment of the current situation of the country, the conference expresses its deep concern over the serious status of security, political affairs, poverty and particularly, the growing number of civilian deaths by NATO and Anti Terrorist International Collation.

The conference also condemns the killings of civilians by suicide attackers, bermbombs and beheading of civil servants by the insurgents. .

The conference decisively supports the demonstration by mothers of the victims of three decades of war and violence which was held in front of United Nations office in Kabul.

Participants stressed on the following articles as urgent needs of Afghan society and ways of making the rebuilding efforts sensible for the people. Recommendations of this resolution are adressed to all parties, including Afghan diaspora:

1- Insist on and help with creating economic infrastructure and give full attention to creating job opportunities. Diaspora can assist this process through forming expertise groups of Afghans living abroad;

2- Gain trust of people through provision of fundamental public services on local and national level such as access to electricity, drink and irrigation water. Diaspora can contribute to this process through setting up health clinics etc

3- . Pay attention to spiritual reconstruction of Afghanistan through mass media to heal emotional injuries;

4- Media, including diaspora media should make sincere efforts to increase political awareness of people in order to attain national unity;

5- Campaign for implementation of transitional justice, removing from powerful positions and bringing to justice the war criminals and perpetrators of human rights abuses in Afghanistan;

6- Take part in campaign against corruption;

7- Inisist on basic social reforms to give women the chance of real participation in development of the country..

8- Forming Inter- Afghans Peace Jirga’s among Afghans living outside the country in order to put coordinated pressure on policy makers of the countries and organisations which are involved in development aid in Afghanistan;

9- Diaspora should provide facilities for making contact and sharing information between Afghan youth, teenagers and children who are living outside the country and those living inside Afghanistan.

10- Creating a diaspora information bank through a website by the help of FAROE to set database of capacities and talents;

 

The ten articles in the above resolution were agreed on unanimously.