A/HRC/22/37 Afghan women, men and youth – with the aim of developing local road maps which will form a local blueprint for achieving sustainable peace in Afghanistan. The road maps will be used for advocacy by civil society and widely circulated among and discussed with local and national policymakers in order to influence Government policies and plans. VI. Support to national institutions 49. Delays in the reappointment of commissioners of AIHRC appear have had a discernible impact on the institution. All nine commissioners have been working on an interim basis since December 2011. 50. President Karzai conducted multiple consultations with civil society on a process to nominate new commissioners, which resulted in NGO activists proposing names of individuals they considered suitable for AIHRC. This process became contentious among competing civil society factions throughout the first quarter of the year. President Karzai has not yet acted on the recommendations and no timetable for announcing appointments or the procedure for selecting new commissioners has been announced as of the time of writing. 51. Efforts by the international community, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have failed to resolve this situation. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and several embassies have continued to raise the need for a transparent process to promptly conclude the appointment of new commissioners, including in meetings and letters addressed to the President, in November and December 2012. For AIHRC to remain an independent and effective institution, the Government of Afghanistan must urgently resolve the question of appointments through a transparent process. VII. Conclusion 52. With support from the international community, the Government has made some positive strides in the promotion and protection of human rights. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing armed conflict and the security situation hinders access to justice, health care, education and other basic services. Concerns also remain about lack of due process, fair trial guarantees and mistreatment of conflict-related detainees. Institutions such as the police, prosecutor and courts need to be strengthened, to uphold and protect human rights. The Government authorities should ensure effective mechanisms are put in place to redress human rights violations and address issues of impunity. Afghan National Security Forces, including NDS, must be held accountable and subject to scrutiny by external and independent mechanisms, such as AIHRC. Civil society should be given a platform to promote and raise awareness about human rights, including women’s rights, including in the peace and reconciliation process. VIII. Recommendations 53. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recommends the following. 14