In line with USIP’s efforts to strengthen peaceful reconciliation and capacity to mitigate conflict, USIP’s Kabul office in early 2010 began implementing a Dispute Resolution Program in the Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kunduz.
In line with USIP’s efforts to strengthen peaceful reconciliation and capacity to mitigate conflict, USIP’s Kabul office in early 2010 began implementing a Dispute Resolution Program in the Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kunduz. Within both provinces, USIP’s Chief of Party in Afghanistan Shahmahmood Miakhel, Traditional Justice Specialist Noah Coburn, Dispute Resolution Specialist Whit Mason, and National Dispute Resolution Officer Sanaullah Tasal have met with key stakeholders to identify local elders and Islamic legal scholars, or ulema, who can resolve disputes important to their communities and to peacebuilding as a whole. These key elders and ulema are documenting the dispute resolution process through local offices of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
USIP is convening and facilitating the dispute resolution jirgas that address these conflicts, and will publish their outcomes over the coming months. By informing the public about the results of the dispute resolution jirgas, USIP hopes to provide lessons learned for resolving disputes in other Afghan provinces and around the world.
Below is a slideshow of pictures from USIP’s trips to Kunar and Jalalabad in spring 2010. These pictures are provided by Shahmahmood Miakhel.