A/HRC/25/41 the lower 20 per cent quota for provincial councils after intense advocacy by women’s rights groups. During its July 2013 session, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women — commenting on the State report of Afghanistan under the Convention — expressed its concern regarding the election law, and the delegation made assurances that the women’s parliamentary quota would be preserved given that it is constitutionally mandated. V. Peace and reconciliation (including accountability and transitional justice) 49. On 18 September 2013, the Government of the Netherlands published a list of 5,000 victims who disappeared or were killed during the communist regime in Afghanistan between 1978 and 1979. The disclosure of this information, known as the “death lists”, compiled by Afghan authorities at the time and revealed through a criminal proceeding in the Netherlands, mobilized victims’ families, civil society and the President’s Office on transitional justice. Following a meeting with former Jihadi commanders, the Office of the President issued a public statement recognizing the pain and suffering of concerned families and announced two days of national mourning on 30 September and 1 October to commemorate the victims of that period. The families of victims and civil society held memorials and public rallies calling on the Government and the international community to provide justice for past crimes and to ensure that atrocities do not reoccur, that perpetrators are punished and the needs of victims and survivors are addressed. General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former militia commander who joined the current presidential ticket of Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as his vice-presidential candidate, issued a public apology to victims of years of conflict in Afghanistan without accepting any personal responsibility. This episode underscores the importance of the Government receiving and accepting the “conflict mapping report” prepared by the AIHRC and publicizing and acting on the report’s findings and recommendations. 50. During 2013, UNAMA/OHCHR continued to support the Afghan People’s Dialogue on Peace initiative. The project promotes a rights-based approach to peace and reconciliation efforts by enabling ordinary Afghans, including women, men, youth and minority groups, to express their views on prospects for peace, reconciliation, security, economic development, human rights, justice and the rule of law. The project has been implemented in two phases; Phase I from October to December 2011, and Phase II from June 2013 to mid-2014. By the end of 2013, approximately 6,500 Afghans had been consulted across the country. In line with the principle of Afghan leadership and ownership of peace-building initiatives, UNAMA/OHCHR has played a facilitation role, supporting civil society to lead in promoting this inclusive, rights-centred process that enables the voices of ordinary Afghans to be heard and considered by all policymakers. 51. Phase II of the People’s Dialogue anticipates developing local road maps for peace by holding around 200 focus group discussions with community and religious leaders, women, youth representatives, former armed opposition and beneficiaries of development projects. The consultation process is expected to result in the production of 34 local road maps for peace — one for each province. Reports from focus groups so far indicate that Afghans are concerned about entrenched impunity, pervasive corruption and abuse of authority. Participants identified these factors as the main reasons for the insurgency’s strength, which weakened the legitimate authority of government institutions, the rule of law and the protection of human rights. 13