United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan
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UNITED NATIONS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR AFGHANISTAN
Output 3.1: Formal and informal governance mechanisms, community-based institutions, and
decision-making platforms are more inclusive, responsive, accountable, and better able to
contribute to social cohesion and reconciliation.
The UN will support relevant policy platforms to ensure that all Afghans, particularly women and other
groups excluded from national and local decision-making processes, can influence policymaking
impacting Afghanistan's future. Enhanced coordination across platforms - particularly those bringing
Afghan women, youth, and other excluded groups together and ensuring that various forums inform
international decision-making - will be key.
Interventions will advocate advancing inclusive participation in decision-making processes through
formal institutions and informal platforms at all levels, to enhance responsive, inclusive, transparent,
and accountable governance. This will include strengthening the capacity of Community Development
Councils, among others, to enable transparent and gender-equitable decision-making and delivery of
aid and promotion of rights.
The UN will promote and support the establishment of local, inclusive mechanisms to build social
cohesion within and across communities, including within displaced communities, and address drivers
of conflict and social inequalities. Social cohesion will integrate gender across all areas of work to
ensure that all activities and interventions create spaces for women to participate and for gender
equality concerns to be addressed.
Output 3.2: Justice institutions, including customary and traditional community systems, are better
able to provide accessible, effective, equitable, inclusive, transparent, and timely services, and
these services are increasingly provided in line with international norms and standards, benefiting
all communities, especially vulnerable groups such as women, children, and minorities.
The UN will lead, support, and amplify coordinated advocacy initiatives that promote adherence to
the rule of law and access to justice in Afghanistan, including by advocating for processes that clarify
legal and constitutional frameworks that uphold international norms and standards, especially human
rights. Given the absence of women's access to justice across the country, special emphasis will be
placed on addressing severe gender gaps.
Support will create legal awareness among communities, focusing on women and girls, and sensitizing
them on their human rights and access to justice mechanisms. Special focus will be placed on
supporting gender and age-sensitive access to and meaningful participation in the justice system and
reducing the impact of harmful and discriminatory practices against women, children, persons with
disabilities, and minority groups.
Flexible, long-term funding will be provided to civil society - especially women-led civil society - in
strengthening bottom-up approaches to social cohesion and inclusion, access to justice, protection,
and the promotion of human rights while ensuring transparency and accountability. The UN will
further advocate for legislation, institutional frameworks, and policies that comply with the United
Nations Convention Against Corruption.View entire presentation