The United Nations peacekeeping chief today reaffirmed the world body’s unwavering commitment to stand by Afghanistan.

The Security Council stressed that the process of transition should entail the assumption of the leadership responsibility by the Afghan Government and that this should be followed with strong partnerships and commitments between the Government and the international community.

Read more here.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he says 2011 will mark a turning point in the 10-year-old war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Kabul for a visit with troops and a first-hand assessment from the man who commands them, General John Allen.

Read the rest of the article on Voice of America.

We, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the International Community, met today in Bonn to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2001 Bonn Conference, which laid the foundation of the ongoing partnership between Afghanistan and the International Community, and to renew our mutual commitment to a stable, democratic and prosperous future for the Afghan people. We honour all those, from Afghanistan and abroad, who have lost their lives for this noble cause. Afghanistan expressed its sincere gratitude for the steadfast commitment, solidarity and the immense sacrifices of its international partners.

Read the full text here.

Taking part in this delegation to European capitals (Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London) to present the messages and concerns of the Afghan people was impressive, interesting and, at the same time, a great learning process as it was my first time both visiting Europe and taking part in such high level meetings with policy and decision makers and journalists.  It has proved to be very useful for my Afghanistan work in as well.

When I was presenting our information about the humanitarian ground realities in regard to health, education and other development issues to these stakeholders, my confidence and ability to convince improved with each meeting.  Despite being a non-native English speaker, I definitely found my audiences very keen and good listeners to the messages that come from the grassroots people of Afghanistan.

As Alama Eqbal, the famous poet and philosopher, said, Western Europe reached the highest peak of growth and development because of the knowledge and the tirelessness efforts of its nations. In Europe,  I saw that people  of all backgrounds have access to the basics of life, which isn’t the case in Afghanistan.

I found German people to be very generous and very hospitable towards our Afghan delegation. In London, we met very knowledgeable, analytical and evidence orientated people.  In order to convince them one had to provide strong reasons and evidence.

Seeing the British parliament grabbed my attention and brought to mind the past grand history of Great Britain. Parliament’s decorated walls show that once in the history of Britain, religion and politics both played a significant and integral role in the prosperity and well being of its citizens.

Last but not the least, when a foreigner visits Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London, seeing the sculptures alongside the roads will easily tell you how today’s developed European countries fought among themselves and how they destroyed each other’s houses but finally they resolved their conflicts.

Anne Garella, Director of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), has been a part of the delegation throughout its European tour.  As the only non-Afghan on the delegation, Ms Garella’s experience of working in Afghanistan for the last three years brings a different and important view to the table.  She has previously worked with French NGOs Action Contre la Faim and Medecins Sans Frontieres and has a comprehensive grasp of humanitarian and development issues in contemporary Afghanistan.  Looking back at the delegation, Anne says she is confident about the international community’s long-term support of Afghanistan but has concerns about the immediate future.

After many struggles getting visas to travel to Europe, we in the Afghan civil society delegation headed to Brussels, Berlin, Paris and finally London. We would have loved to head to the US, where the foreign policy trends of the major western countries are being shaped, but unfortunately our attempts to secure visas failed.

Brussels is the heart of the European Union, and I should say that it seems to be beating now very much in favour of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, bringing all the actors involved in the warfare to the table of negotiations. The people we talked to are also very much aware that civilian assistance must be committed for the long run, although troops will be leaving soon: the need to de-link civilian assistance from military or politic objectives seemed well understood by our EU interlocutors, as it is the only way to effectively address the needs of the poorest in Afghanistan.

The visit to the NATO Secretariat, revealed the gap in perceptions in the security situation: according to the opinions of the Afghan people we interviewed across the country in recent months, the conflict is spreading, violence is growing and more civilians are dying and are fearful – despite the rosy narrative which depicts the number of incidents as decreasing.

In Berlin, government officials and members of parliament were very interested to hear about traditional structures in maintaining community cohesion, and that those structures should be empowered, modernized and standardized as part of a strategy for sustainable good governance. They paid a lot of attention to our recommendations on the need to combine the traditional structures and the centralized ones, in order to address critical issues such as extending women’s rights, especially in regards to access to fair gender-sensitive justice.

London, our last stop on our Afghan Voices European Tour, showed growing awareness of many of those we met of the need for more action in favour of a peaceful settlement of the conflict. It also seemed that the  many we met were not convinced that the Bonn conference would make a critical change in that direction. A lot more was needed, at least some MPs told us, to find a way towards peace in Afghanistan.

The lobby tour was satisfying in  that we really felt we were able to bring something to our interlocutors and that they were keen on taking those new ideas on board.  We also felt that there was a genuine commitment from the German, French and UK governments, as well as from the EU institutions, to stay engaged from a civilian and development perspective in Afghanistan. Although a peaceful settlement is a must for all our interlocutors, it seems unfortunate that there are no concrete plans to bring all the warring parties to the negotiation table. And it was indeed a pity that we were not able to travel to the US to conduct a reality check on how peace efforts are being shaped by the US government; but next time perhaps.

To protect their safety back in Afghanistan, not all the members of the Afghan civil society delegation can be publicly named.  But presented here anonymously is the reflection of one of the delegates that shows why it was so important to come to Europe.

“It was very important for me to come on this delegation because it bears the message of real Afghans via NGO workers who are in daily contact with people, to important high officials and MPs.   We felt it was vital for donors and decision-makers to hear directly from ordinary Afghans prior to the 2011 Bonn Conference to bring reality to the discussion about Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan have tied their hopes to this conference and view it as a big and final opportunity for Afghans to come to a conclusion and put a stop to the chronic conflict in the country.

At the Bonn Conference, the international community will decide their role after the 2014 withdrawal of troops as well as their longer term commitment to Afghanistan regarding the peace and reconciliation process and transition. The participants will base their decisions on the last decade of achievements and challenges. It would be better if the focus at Bonn is on the future rather than previous bad memories. It would help the Afghans to be much closer to each other.

This is my first visit to Europe. I saw big differences from Afghanistan regarding development, culture and style of life. I heard a lot about Germany in the past such as the Berlin Wall and the division of the country. When I visited that part of Berlin, it was so emotional for me. I remembered that the people of Germany came together from East and West to break the wall that was built by violence and separated this nation. It is wonderful for the people of Germany that today they are one country. We hope that one day the Afghan people will also be able to stop the conflict and, as united Afghans, build the country. The Afghan people are looking to Germany as a very close friend to assist them. They hope that Germany can and will play this role.”

After visits to Brussels and Berlin, Abdul Rahman, a member of the Afghan civil society delegation gives us his first impressions.  Having honed his skills in some of the most remote and insecure provinces in Afghanistan, he now tells us how important it is to bring the message of ordinary people in the rural areas to the international community.

This delegation represents the voices from the grassroots of Afghanistan to the policy makers and decision-makers in European countries. It presents the concerns and recommendations of the people who have suffered from both natural and human-made disasters through the last three decades of conflict.

Since 2001, progress has been made, especially in the education sector. For instance, many schools have been constructed and the rate of enrollment has increased from 90 000 to 700 000 since 2001. Despite this progress, the low quality of the teachers and general lack of teachers in schools are areas where the Government of Afghanistan and the international community should pay special attention. When I was presenting the concerns and recommendations of Afghan people to policy makers, decision makers and media in Brussels and Berlin I really found my audiences to be eager listeners and respectful of our messages.

As the delegation moves on from Brussels and Berlin, Fazel Rabi Haqbeen of the Asia Foundation shares his views of how the international community can support Afghanistan in a successful transition from conflict and what a political settlement in Afghanistan needs.

The principle of peace enshrined in Afghan culture was expressed in this statement of the Loya Jirga:

Peace is a sacred goal and a basic need for our people and the rest of the world. We, the people of Afghanistan believe that securing peace, enduring stability and developing Afghanistan can be only achieved through mutual understanding and acceptance of each other. As establishing peace is commanded by God and Afghanistan urgently needs peace, we emphasize on its continuation. However, considering previous years’ experience we request changes in the peace process. The peace process should be inclusive and the Government of Afghanistan should take specific measures in all dimensions of the process, including this Jirga’s recommendations; Negotiations with the leaders of armed oppositions should take place from a strong position and be based on comprehensive analysis of the current situation, its realities, political environment and security of the region.

From the Loya Jirga Advisory Declaration, 19 November 2011

It is encouraging that the EU foreign ministers conclusions on Afghanistan in November clearly show the position of the EU as  supporting peace and reconciliation,  with some conditions. The EU offers to facilitate any initiatives aimed at reconciling the legitimate interests of Afghanistan’s neighbours, through active diplomacy.

Thus peace negotiations are a must.  The Asia Foundation’s recently-released 2011 survey of the Afghan people shows that 82% of respondents support the Government’s peace and reconciliation efforts.  But to be successful there must be changes:

• The High Peace Council  has to be strengthened, given full authority;
• The approach must be more inclusive – religious leaders, civil society, women and youth must all be involved;
• The approach must be transparent – there must be no parallel secret negotiations. International actors should support from behind not lead from the front.

One example of what gives me hope for the future of international/Afghanistan cooperation was when I saw young Afghan girl students in Berlin who attended the Green Party International conference on Afghanistan ‘10 years after Petersburg: Where does Afghanistan stand today?’ They pledged to serve Afghanistan in whatever capacity they could in the future. One categorically stated that, even though she was born and raised in Berlin, she understands Afghan culture, loves her country and looks forward to going to Afghanistan to make her contribution to build a better future there.