A/HRC/4/98*
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VIII. TECHNICAL COOPERATION
67.
In addition to monitoring the human rights situation, often jointly with AIHRC as in the
campaign to reduce arbitrary detention, UNAMA Human Rights Officers, representing OHCHR,
provide technical assistance to the Government and organizations such as AIHRC and NGOs.
They also undertake awareness-raising about human rights with the population as a whole by
means of meetings and seminars throughout accessible parts of the country, as well as in the
media. On 10 December 2006, OHCHR and UNAMA published an illustrated version of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Dari and Pashto in both poster and booklet form.
These are being distributed nationwide, including to all schoolteachers. During the reporting
period, UNAMA Human Rights Officers have undertaken training programmes with AIHRC,
NGOs and ANP, as well as with the intelligence service. Support has been provided to training
other key officials, including the judiciary and prison guards. AIHRC has been given technical
assistance to develop a database and case management system.
68.
In line with the Afghanistan Compact, a project to assist Afghanistan resume its human
rights treaty reporting obligations is supported by UNDP, OHCHR and UNAMA. Coordinated
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project involves 16 ministries and has twin aims: to build
sustainable reporting capacity and to assist Afghanistan prepare up to six overdue reports. The
first of these, on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, is due to
be completed by April 2007, in order to bring a human rights perspective to the ANDS process.
Assistance is also provided to AIHRC and civil society so that they may play useful roles in the
treaty reporting and implementation process.
69.
Support to transitional justice activities is described above. In addition, OHCHR and
UNAMA supported Physicians for Human Rights to undertake a mission in June 2006 to assess
priorities for forensic investigation, including of mass grave sites, and build national capacity to
undertake forensic analysis. A three-day training course was held with AIHRC staff. The
mission will be followed up in 2007 with further training and support for a project coordinated
by AIHRC to map mass graves. Forensic investigation of selected sites will be conducted
in 2007, security permitting.
70.
OHCHR is implementing two projects jointly with other members of the United Nations
Country Team. A project with UNIFEM will provide a referral service for women victims of
violence in Parwan and Jalalabad, so that they may obtain protection and support. It is hoped
this service may be expanded to other areas in the future. Together with UNDP, OHCHR is
supporting a series of regular radio broadcasts on disability, aimed at informing the population
with disabilities, as well as the general population, about the rights of persons with disabilities
and the issues they face. It is planned that this service may be expanded to television
broadcasting in the near future. Another initiative in 2007 under the United Nations Action 2
programme will see several United Nations agencies combining to raise awareness of economic
and social rights among the rural population in two regions.
71.
Following agreement with the Ministry of the Interior, an adviser from OHCHR has been
selected to help strengthen the Ministry’s Human Rights Unit, which oversees the conduct of the
police.
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