C.S. - Afghanistan - Global Governance of HR in an area of conflict

Case study of strategies for global governance of human rights in one area of conflict to illustrate: • •  contributions and interactions of different organisations at a range of scales from global to local, including the United Nations, a national government and an NGO • •  consequences of global governance of human rights for local communities

Case study of strategies for global governance of human rights in one area of

conflict to illustrate:

• •

 contributions and interactions of different organisations at a range of

scales from global to local, including the United Nations, a national

government and an NGO

• •

 consequences of global governance of human rights for local

communities

Introduce Afghanistan (where is it)

Afghanistan is a landlocked, mountainous country that is located in southwest Asia.

What countries is it bordered by?

It is bordered by Pakistan to the south and east and Iran to the west.

What was its HDI in 2013

0.468

What percent of the population live on less than _ a day?

65% live on less than $2 a day

What percent of the labour force are employed in agriculture?

80% employed in agriculture

What percent of women over 25 had recieved a secondary education?

Only 5.8% of women over 25 had received a secondary education

What percent of the population live in urban areas?

1/4 of the population live in urban areas

How long has Afghanistan been engaged in some form of conflict?

The past 38 years

The UNAMA - united nations assistance mission in afghanistan - recorded _ war-related civilian deaths in 2017

3,400 war-related civilian deaths in 2017

AO1 about torture in police custody

• The Kandahar police were the worst perpetrators

• Tortured 91% of prisoners

• e.g. forcibly pumped water into their stomachs

When was the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation created?

NATO was created in 1949 by the U.S.

What are NATOs two main roles?

Political role - promotes democratic values and allows its member states to discuss security issues

Military role - member nations can vote to use military force if diplomatic efforts fail. NATO considers an attack against any of its member states an attack against all NATO states

What was NATO’s biggest mission in Afghanistan?

Leading the ISAF (international security assistance force)

This was to strengthen Afghan security forces and reduce the risk of terrorist attacks following 9/11 (an attack on a member state)

When was the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led?

From 2003-2014

_ troops from _ different nations were enlisted for the ISAF

130,000 troops from 50 different nations being enlisted

Impact of the ISAF

• Provided security, particularly in Kabul and surrounding areas

• Helped facilitate the 2004 general election to take place

• As they expanded into Eastern / Southern regions in 2006 there was rising Taliban insurgency leading to higher casualties

• By the time ISAF concluded its mission, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) had reached 352,000 soldiers and police

What did NATO do after the ISAF?

Launched the RSM in Jan 2015 to train and assist Afghan security forces

AO2 about the RSM?

NATO is training Afghan soldiers to protect the country from the Taliban, but these extremist groups have said that they will not cease attacks until all foreign troops have left the country

What does the International Money Fund aim to do?

The IMF aims to reduce global poverty and encourage economic growth through international trade and financial stability

When was the IMF set up and how many member countries does it have?

Set up in 1944, has 189 member countries

How much does the IMF have to lend?

A total of $1 trillion

What is the IMF’s interest rate on loans to LICs?

0% interest rates for LICs

What is the IMF’s currency

SDR - Special Drawing Rights - it’s own currency based on a basket of 5 weighted currencies: US, Chinese, Japanese, EU, UK

How much does Afghanistan have from the IMF

Over $370 million, but it cannot access it as the IMF froze all aid after the Taliban took over on 15th August 2021

What is UN Habitat doing?

Working to coordinate the Afghan government, local councils, and funding from the Japanese government to upgrade neighbourhoods in the 33 provincial capitals

What’s at the centre of UN Habitat’s project?

The election of Community Development Councils (CDCs)

• Locally elected

• Plans are submitted to meet the needs of the area e.g. upgrading housing, infrastructure

How many household does each CDC serve?

200-250 households each

Positives / Negatives of this

Yay:

• More women engaged in projects

• Provides employment opportunities

• Improves roads, drainage, etc.

Nay:

• Afghanistan is still an LIDC so may not have enough money to carry out these projects

• Only some of the CDCs are mixed gender

• UN Habitat only works in urban areas (where only 25% of the pop live) so majority of population will not benefit

What medical assistance did an IGO provide?

UNICEF provided mobile health teams to rural Afghan areas to vaccinate children and provide maternity services

What organisation did the Afghan government join?

The Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO)

• Joined in 1992

• An intergovernmental body facilitating trade and development across 10 regional nations

What did the Afghan government do to ensure independent elections?

Passed three main electoral laws in 2004, 2005, 2021.

AO2 about the independent elections

However, in 2018, 400 civilian voters were killed

What did the Afghan government do to protect women?

Worked with UNAMA to implement the Violence against Women Elimination Act in 2009

AO2 about the 2009 Violence Against Women Elimination Act

• The Afghan gov decreased the quota for female parlimentarians from 25% to 20%

• 92% of women still believe it’s okay for a man to beat his wife

• 87% of Afghan women have experienced some form of violence

How many children were attending school in _ v.s. _

6 million children attending school in 2014

v.s. 1 million in 2000

What percent of these 6 million children were girls?

40% of the 6 million children in 2014 were girls

How has MMR changed since _?

MMR has halved since 2001

How did life expectancy change?

Increased from 55 in 2000

to 61 in 2013

How has access to primary health care changed?

In 2000s, less than 10% of the population lived within a one hour walk of a primary health facility

In 2016 this number was 67%