A/HRC/19/47 representation across society, including women, and that human rights and justice are upheld in all negotiations. 6. On 5 December 2011, a high-level international conference was convened in Bonn, Germany, to discuss the future of peace, security, reconciliation and development in Afghanistan. Foreign Ministers and Heads of States of several donor countries, international officials, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and members of Afghan civil society and the Government, including President Karzai, attended. Participants restated their commitment to ensuring the successful transition of security responsibility to national security forces, and the transformation of Afghanistan from a country at war to a successful developing country that respects its human rights obligations for all citizens, including women. The conference also reaffirmed that the human rights and fundamental freedoms, including women’s rights, enshrined in the Afghan Constitution and a thriving civil society are key to this transformation and to the success and stability of Afghanistan in the future.1 The Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (OHCHR/UNAMA) facilitated civil society participation in the conference, providing support for an inclusive process to select civil society representatives to attend the conference, assisting in the planning, drafting and distribution of documents on which participants could base their advocacy efforts. 7. Capacity-building of national human rights institutions and civil society organizations is key to the development of national human rights protection mechanisms. OHCHR/UNAMA continues to work closely, including through joint collaboration and technical support, with national human rights organizations, in particular the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), the Human Rights Support Unit (HRSU) within the Ministry of Justice and civil society organisations. II. Protection of civilians 8. Protection of civilians remained a major concern throughout Afghanistan. As the conflict intensified in the traditional fighting areas of the south and southeast and moved to districts in the west and north, civilians experienced a downward spiral in protection. Fighting between armed groups and national and international forces took place regularly in more than half of the provinces. Even those provinces not directly affected by the fighting endured roadside bombings, targeted killings and suicide bombings that negatively impacted protection of civilians. 9. Between 1 January and 30 November 2011, OHCHR/UNAMA documented a preliminary figure of 6,996 conflict-related civilian casualties (including 2,858 deaths and 4,138 injuries), an increase of three per cent compared to the same period in 2010. While the number of civilians injured remained statistically the same compared to the same period in 2010, the total number of civilian deaths increased by 10 per cent during the reporting period. Anti-Government elements (AGEs) were linked to 5,234 civilian casualties (75 per cent of the total number of civilian casualties), an increase of two per cent compared with the same period in 2010, while pro-Government forces (PGFs) were responsible for 1,344 civilian casualties (19 per cent of the total number), an increase of 65 per cent over the same period in 2010. For the remaining six per cent of civilian casualties, responsibility could not be attributed to either party in the conflict. A majority of civilian deaths resulted from the continued use of IEDs by AGEs and targeted killings. IED attacks were the single 1 See letter dated 6 December 2011 from the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan and Germany to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, annex containing the conclusions of the International Afghanistan Conference held in Bonn (A/66/597–S/2011/762). 5