Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan subpar, rights group says

According to Human Rights Watch, Afghanistan and the nations aiding it in the reconstruction effort have not met the goals outlined in last year’s Afghanistan Compact. The pronouncement was reported by Reuters AlertNet today.

Sam Zarifi, Asia research director at Human Rights Watch, expressed concern over slow progress on major compact benchmarks such as human rights, security, governance, and economic development.

“Security is the first pillar of the compact, but tens of thousands of Afghans don't feel safe enough to lead normal lives. Life is so dangerous that many Afghans are unable to go to school, get health care, or take goods to market,” Zarifi said.

In addressing the challenge of securing the well-being of the Afghan people, and thus preventing serious human rights violations, Zarifi called on the Afghanistan’s international supporters to strengthen their assistance interventions.

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