A/HRC/34/41 consultations with over 4,500 Afghans. Efforts were made to achieve gender balance during consultations but the results of those efforts were uneven across the regions. Overall, 67 per cent of the participants in the consultations were men and 33 per cent were women. Committee members reported, however, that the deteriorating security situation impeded their rights to freedom of movement and freedom of expression. Specifically, their access to many districts and communities was hindered and their ability to advocate freely for accountability and human rights protection was affected. Acting as the secretariat of the Afghan People’s Dialogue on Peace, UNAMA/OHCHR provided technical assistance to the civil society provincial advocacy committees and the national steering committee for the finalization of the 34 provincial road maps for peace, which have led to progress in good governance in some provinces and have the potential to pave the way for a sustainable peace. 60. Furthermore, UNAMA/OHCHR continued to support civil society, to monitor the situation of human rights defenders, civil society and media workers and to work with the Government to encourage measures to ensure that civil society space is preserved, protected and respected. In partnership with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, during 2016 UNAMA/OHCHR conducted 11 capacity-building workshops across the country that were attended by 203 civil society representatives (both men and women) on how to engage effectively with international human rights mechanisms. During the workshops, civil society actors raised concerns about the diverse challenges to their work, including: the lack of recognition and respect from local authorities; political interference; decreased funding; threats, intimidation and other forms of abuse by antigovernment elements, warlords and, on occasion, local authorities; and the lack of adequate protection and redress for such abuses. Moreover, the armed conflict further impeded civil society access to areas outside major administrative centres and restricted freedom of movement and freedom of assembly. 61. In addition to those challenges, which disproportionately affected women, women’s rights activists reported that they were often stigmatized and harassed by members of their communities, including their own families, for promoting or defending women’s rights. The space for women’s participation, already limited owing to the traditional norms of a male-dominated society, has been further restricted by the many obstacles to civil society activism. 62. UNAMA/OHCHR continued to support the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. A key challenge faced by the Commission in 2016 was staff retention, as a significant number of qualified staff members left to join government offices or seek betterpaid opportunities. In an effort to enhance the capacity of the Commission, UNAMA/OHCHR invited three Commission staff members to participate in a training workshop organized together with the International Institute for Criminal Investigations. The workshop, which was held in Doha from 21 to 25 August, was aimed at developing the investigation and documentation skills of Afghan human rights monitors dealing with violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international crimes. IX. Safety of journalists and media workers 63. During 2016, parties to the conflict displayed a lack of respect for the rights to freedom of expression and to receive and impart information. UNAMA/OHCHR noted with concern that armed conflict, coupled with direct threats and attacks on media workers and the lack of State protection, not only deterred journalists from exercising fully their right to seek and disseminate information, but also allegedly often led journalists to censor themselves in order to avoid reprisals or to relocate to seek safety or protection. 13