Research Briefs for the 2011 Bonn Conference

As international attention focuses on Taliban negotiations, Painful Steps: Justice, Forgiveness and Compromise in Afghanistan’s Peace Process argues the need for a peace process based on the desires of the Afghan people.

This Kabul man, photographed in 2007, saw many changes in Afghanistan during his life. In failing health, his eyes tell stories most could never imagine. Salem-News.com photo by Tim King

(KABUL) - Ten years after the first Bonn conference attempted to lay the foundations for Afghanistan’s reconstruction, Afghan and international actors at Bonn II will meet to discuss the post-2014 handover of security responsibility to the Afghan government and the nature of the international community’s ongoing commitment to the country.

To coincide with the event, AREU is releasing a package of policy notes based on its recent and ongoing research on topics of relevance to the conference, including governance, development and justice. In doing so, it hopes to ensure that decisions on Afghanistan’s future continue to be informed by an in-depth understanding of the reality on the ground that reflects the needs and desires of Afghans themselves.

As the deadline for transition approaches, the efficiency and legitimacy of local government in the country is likely to become an ever more important issue. Local Government for Local Needs provides an overview of existing mechanisms and offers recommendations for better coherence at both government and donor level.

In relation to this, Practicing Democracy in Afghanistan provides a valuable run-down of how Afghans themselves experience representative governance as internationally-supported efforts to expand democratisation continue.

As international attention continues to focus on negotiations with the Taliban, Painful Steps: Justice, Forgiveness and Compromise in Afghanistan’s Peace Process argues the need for a peace process based on the desires of the Afghan people.

With the amount of foreign aid supporting development programmes likely to decrease in the run-up to transition, Rethinking Rural Poverty Reduction in Afghanistan argues for a move away from poverty reduction strategies focused on markets and inputs and toward mechanisms that can help tackle the social and economic structures which keep many Afghans locked in cycles of poverty.

Afghanistan Looking Ahead: Challenges for Governance and Community Welfare is available for download at www.areu.org.af, with hard copies available from AREU’s office.

About AREU

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) is an independent research organisation based in Kabul. AREU’s mission is to inform and influence policy and practice through conducting high-quality, policy-relevant research and actively disseminating the results, and to promote a culture of research and learning. To achieve its mission AREU engages with policymakers, civil society, researchers and students to promote their use of AREU’s research and its library, to strengthen their research capacity, and to create opportunities for analysis, reflection and debate. AREU was established in 2002 by the assistance community working in Afghanistan.