Establishment of the coordination center in the east

CSHRN was founded in Kabul in August 2004 and between 2004 and 2006, most activities were carried out in Kabul. However, representatives from many parts of the country were also invited to Kabul during this time in order to get to know representatives of CSHRN as well as representatives of other regions, to attend educational programs and the human rights school in Kabul. The staff of CSHRN of Kabul was also traveling quite often to Nangarhar Province in order to get to know the persons involved in human rights and civil society as well as to understand the human rights situation in this area.

The first office of CSRHN was established in the north of Afghanistan. On 19 May 2007 (29 Sonbola 1386 according to the Afghan calender), the CSRHN office in Jalalabad was established as coordination centre for the eastern part of Afghanistan and works for the provinces of Konar, Laghman and Nooristan .

The objective of opening this office was to introduce the methods of networking and to develop the coordination among human rights and civil society organizations in the eastern region in order to enable them to have in an influence on the community. By the coordination of these organizations, a strong and powerful civil society should be developed and the strengths of the culture used to form a society which can support democracy and the rule of law.

The opening of coordination offices in the regions will help to create a nation wide network, so that open discussions about the human rights situation can be held and the concerns of the regions can be included into the nationwide strategy of CSHRN.

Activities of the eastern regional coordination center Feb 2007 till Jan 2008:

At the beginning, a lot of work was carried out in order to ensure that the role of civil society was well understood. Equally, advisory gatherings on the needs of the civil society und human rights organizations were assessed and the necessary programs carried out.

Capacity building:

In the field of capacity building, six programs were carried out in Nangarhar province, one program in Konar province and one program in Laghman province. Representatives of civil society, AIHRC, governmental organizations, and UNAMA were present during these programs. Representatives of local civil society and human rights organizations from four eastern provinces took also part in CSHRN programs in Kabul in order to get familiar with other civil society organizations.

Coordination:

Educational programs on human rights in Kabul , Bamiyan and debates with civil society members in Nangarhar province were carried out frequently.

Advocacy:

•  In November 2007 a big, peaceful demonstration for defending the rights of youth was carried out with the facilitation of the CSHRN coordination office.

•  On 30 Jan 2008, the world day of peace was celebrated in 20 districts of the eastern regions. On this occasion, also statements against violence against women were made.

•  Celebration of the Human Rights Day in Nangarhar

•  CSHRN coordinated two programs from AWEC (Afghan Woman Education Center) and 25 women learned about what is advocacy and how the CSHRN eastern coordination office uses advocacy.

•  CSHRN east coordination participated in different radio and TV programs in order to make the Afghan population, national and international organizations aware of the problems of the people in the eastern regions. Equally, meetings with the governors of Nangarhar, Konar and Laghman provinces were conducted.

Biography of Doctor Niamatullah Hamdard, CSHRN regional coordinator east

Dr. Niamatullah Hamdard was born in Konar province in 1958. He graduated in 1985 from the medical university of Nangarhar. After completing his education he started working with governmental organizations in different medical fields. He was appointed as a Director of the Afghan Air Defense Forces Hospital in Kabul. He obtained in the following years various degrees in his field of specialization and carried out different jobs in the medical field. His work included positions as a doctor, a head doctor, work in the governmental administration, and in medical and non medical organizations of Afghanistan.

He got increasingly involved in the field of human rights and civil society and was selected as a coordinator of the Afghan organization for human rights and environmental protection from 2001 to 2003 in the eastern region. During this time Dr. Hamdard was involved in important reflections on human rights and the importance of networks among civil society for the eastern regions of Afghanistan. In 2004, Dr. Hamdard was appointed as observer of human rights by the international community. Later on, he carried out important tasks as a coordinator for the presidential elections in Behsoud district and for the parliamentary elections in Dari Noor Districts in Nangarhar province.

In the beginning of 2006, Dr. Hamdard started to be actively involved with CSHRN in the eastern region of Afghanistan. In 2007 he was then appointed as a coordinator of CSHRN for the eastern regions of Afghanistan. Since being a regional coordinator of CSHRN, Dr. Niamatullah Hamdard has participated in as well as has organized a number of education programs on civil society, human rights and the rule of law.