A/HRC/10/23 page 17 Disability (NPAD), which was concluded in 2007, my Office provided a grant to a local disabled people’s organization (DPO) to carry on the media programming project and extend it further to television programming and broadcasting into the more remote provinces of Afghanistan. In addition, early 2008 saw the completion of projects undertaken by three DPOs which were given grants under the fifth phase of the Assisting Communities Together scheme established jointly by OHCHR and UNDP. 68. The Government has put in place a Steering Committee to ensure the widest consultations with all relevant government stakeholders and civil society in preparation of its report under the Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review scheduled for February 2009. IX. CONCLUSION 69. Throughout 2008, efforts to transform Afghan society were seriously undermined by the intensification of the armed conflict, growing lawlessness, widespread abuse of power, violence against women and their persistent marginalization, and a significant clampdown on freedom of expression. These worrying trends are exacerbated by the lack of political will to address these deeply engrained problems. Impunity prevails. Abusive structures of society and the leeway given to traditional power brokers have further limited prospects for the realization of human rights, in particular for vulnerable groups. 70. It is widely recognized that the conflict cannot be overcome by military means alone. But the call for an integrated civilian-led strategy to ensure Afghanistan’s long-term peace and security, opening the way to development, has yet to yield concrete results. The human rights challenges identified in this report need to be addressed rapidly and in a systematic and comprehensive manner. Delivering basic services cannot be dissociated from the imperative to hold accountable those in positions of power who violate human rights; the deep-rooted discrimination against and marginalization of women and girls and of minorities cannot be separated from alleviating the appalling levels of poverty. More should be done to strengthen national institutions’ capacity to effectively deliver on their human rights obligations. Ultimately, this is the responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan but, in the Afghan context, the international community has particular responsibility to assist the Afghan authorities deliver on its commitments and to support civil society actors. X. RECOMMENDATIONS 71. The High Commissioner recommends that: (a) Further efforts should be made to integrate a human rights perspective into the implementation phase of poverty reduction and development strategies, both at the central and provincial levels, in particular with a view to addressing the situation of groups who face persistent discrimination. The implementation of the ANDS should be consistent with, and informed by, the Government of Afghanistan’s national and international human rights obligations. These obligations must be expressly referred to in the ANDS’ operationalization and in related monitoring and evaluation activities. Accordingly, the requisite budgetary allocation must be dedicated to ensure that groups marginalized by