A/HRC/13/62 building of local authorities is one of five core priorities. Participants were members of the Dai Kundi Provincial Sectoral Working Groups on Social Protection, Education and Health, responsible for their five-year development planning process, linked to the ANDS and the Dai Kundi PDP. While there was improvement in the capacity of the sector working groups to undertake analysis, follow-up on the planning processes will be essential to achieving a more sustainable development programme for the province. VIII. Conclusions 67. The year 2009 proved to be a challenging one, in which limited gains for human rights in some spheres were offset by reversals in others. Afghanistan now stands at a watershed. The new Government faces complex challenges to improving the human rights situation, as part of a necessary foundation for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. Long-standing human rights concerns such as entrenched impunity, lack of accountability, justice and the rule of law, extreme poverty and discrimination against women, need to be urgently addressed as never before, if confidence in the Government is to be restored and Afghanistan transformed into a peaceful and democratic society. 68. Both the new Government and the international community must demonstrate genuine commitment to advancing human rights in Afghanistan. Human rights should be a central plank in ongoing and future strategies to bring about peace, security and democratic reform. New impetus is needed to attain the Afghanistan Compact benchmark on governance, rule of law and human rights and bring closer to realization the full respect and enjoyment of human rights for all the citizens of Afghanistan. IX. Recommendations 69. The High Commissioner recommends that: (a) The Government of Afghanistan assumes with serious commitment its responsibilities to meet its human rights obligations, as laid down in the Constitution of Afghanistan and international human rights treaties to which it is a party. The Government and its international partners should ensure that any negotiations relating to national reconciliation and Afghanistan’s institution-building process include human rights priorities as part of its central platform. The participation of women and other relevant stakeholders and representatives of Afghan civil society should also be ensured; (b) Parties to the armed conflict should promote measures to secure compliance with international humanitarian law and respect for the protection of civilians, including women and children. Pro-Government forces should pursue and strengthen procedures in place to mitigate the impact of the conflict on the civilian population, improve systems of due process and accountability with respect to the arrest and detention of individuals in armed conflict, and harmonize and raise public awareness of condolence schemes. Influence should be brought to bear on antiGovernment elements to desist from attacks on civilian targets, and against humanitarian operations and their personnel; (c) The Government should take all necessary steps to end discrimination against women, including through public condemnation of all forms of violence against women and girls, and prosecution of crimes of sexual violence. The Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women should be strengthened so that it meets its 16 GE.10-10230