در این رساله تلاش شده است تا یک نگاه اجمالی از منابع طبیعی و مسایل پیرامون آن ارائه گردد. بخش اول به تعریف مفاهیم و توضیح چارچوب‌های نظری و تشریح چالش‌ها و مشکلات فرایند بهره‌برداری از منابع طبیعی اختصاص یافته است. منابع طبیعی چیست؟ چه فرصت‌ها و مشکلات ناشی از منابع طبیعی در سیاست‌گذاری‌های کلان مهم‌اند و باید لحاظ شوند، مباحث محوری این بخش را تشکیل می‌دهند. در بخش دوم، معدن الماس «مارانگه» کشور زیمبابوی معرفی گردیده است. زیمبابوی کشوری است که سال‌ها درگیر مشکلات ناشی از بهره‌برداری ناسالم منابع طبیعی بوده و به‌طور خاص سردچار آسیب‌های جدی است که در اثر استخراج معادن به‌وجود آمده است. در بخش سوم، بررسی گذرایی داریم به منابع طبیعی در افغانستان. چه زمینه‌ها و چالش‌هایی در رویارویی با موضوع استفاده از منابع طبیعی‌ افغانستان وجود دارد؟ اهمیت و ارزش منابع طبیعی این کشور در چه حد است؟تبیین و فهم تجربه بهره‌برداری از منابع طبیعی در زیمبابوی و نوع مواجهه با مشکلات و چالش‌های فزاینده اجتماعی، سیاسی و اقتصادی متاثر از آن، ما را کمک خواهد کرد تا مسایل مرتبط با بهره‌برداری از منابع طبیعی را در کل و معادن را به‌طور خاص بیشتر بشناسیم و با مسوولیت‌ها و پیامد‌های آن آگاهی بیشتر پیدا نماییم.

Release date: 1/May/2013

Closing date: 20/June/2013

Project title: Women's Participation and Mobilization in Afghanistan's Political Transition

Implementer: Afghanistan Watch

Project duration: Jan/2013 - Dec/2013

Thematic Area: Kabul, Kandahr, Mazr-e-shareef, Herat, Nangarhar, Badakhshan and Bamyan

In Afghanistan, the issue of women's rights and gender equality is a very challenging and sensitive subject. While women have made many political advances in Afghanistan in the last ten years, the current circumstances threaten to roll back many, if not all, of the recent improvements. Current trends indicate that the political settlement that occurs is likely to include major concessions to insurgent actors, particularly the Taliban, which could precipitate a serious retreat on women's rights from the current progress.

Civil Society Natural Resources Monitoring Network (CSNRMN)

Press Release

Saturday 26 May 2013

Kabul - In recognition of growing importance of the natural resources, in particular the extractive sector, in future economy of Afghanistan, the Civil Society Natural Resources Monitoring Network (CSNRMN) calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for more meaningful and constructive engagement between the government and the civil society and local communities.

The network was formed in January 2013 after a series of deliberations and discussions between Afghan and international civil society organizations. The network consists of more than 20 Afghan civil society organizations and pursues the goal of promoting effective, transparent, balanced, sustainable, peaceful utilization of natural resources for economic and social development of Afghanistan.

As a follow-up of the 9 December 2012 letter of Afghan and international civil society organizations to his Excellency Mr. Shahrani, the Minister of Mines, once again we draw attention to the following priorities in the sector.

The network appreciates and welcomes the recognition by the Ministry of Mines of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan of the importance of civil society and the role it can play in peaceful, sustainable and equitable utilization of Afghanistan’s extractive resources. In this respect, the network calls for constructive dialogue with the relevant officials on the following key issues:

The Civil Society Natural Resources Monitoring Network (CSNRMN) monthly meeting was held in Afghanistan Watch on 12 May 2013.

The meeting was opened by remarks from Jalil Benish, the director of Afghanistan Watch. He talked about the general activity of the network so far and its future activities. The agenda of the meeting included discussion over an imminent press conference by the network on the issues related to natural resources, the network’s forthcoming plans, Global Witness’s letter for the London conference, and establishing a resource center, webpage, for the network as well as formulation of a strategic plan that will guide network’s future activities.

The members of the network have agreed for a press conference to be held on 23rd May 2013 in which the network will provide all the facts on natural resources and the current extraction practices, concessions of the mines to the companies, concerns of the local communities in the areas where extraction of mines occur, unemployment caused by the closure of mines, and unequal implementation of the principles of the local and infrastructure development as part of the contracts of the extraction of natural resources. According to a recent research carried out by Afghanistan Watch, the closure of Killij and Ashpishta mines in Bamyan Province caused by its concession to MCC Company have left thousands of miners and laborers unemployed. Highlighting such concerns and issues related to the negotiation process, corruption, political linkages, and disclosure of the contracts in a press conference will make sure transparency is observed in the mining sector. HBS which is an observer member, has also recommended that holding such press conference to share the networks findings on the natural resources will have a huge impact on the society to remain informed of the ongoing process of extraction of natural resources in the country. The network members have agreed on the following points to be highlighted during the network’s press conference.

In its series of seminar regarding important political and social issues in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Watch has held a seminar on reconciliation with Taliban and the role of media and civil society organizations. The seminar was held with participation of political experts, representative from civil society organizations, media outlets and non-government organization.
In the two previous seminars held in Afghanistan, the prospects of political transition and the role of media regarding important issues in the country were discussed by representatives from civil society organizations, political experts, and political activists.
The seminar on reconciliation with Taliban and the role of media and civil society organization was held on 17th March 2013, in Afghanistan’s Watch headquarter in Kabul. Wahed Muzhda, a political analyst, and Ali Amiri, spokesman for the National Front of Afghanistan, were the main speakers in the seminar.
The seminar was opened by remark by Jalil Benish, director of Afghanistan Watch, on the agenda of the seminar and on reconciliation with Taliban. Mr. Benish said that the reasons for holding the seminars are to analyze the important political and social issues in the country and present them as a report for the readers of Haqiqat (Truth) Newsletter, diplomatic and civil society organizations.

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A number of civil society organizations in Afghanistan in a one-day meeting have assessed challenges and opportunities in regards with the extraction of mines in Afghanistan. The meeting took place on 15th January 2013 in Kabul with the participation of more than 30 representatives from various civil society organizations and NGOs.
The meeting was held by a collective of five organizations: the Afghanistan Watch, the Network of NGOs in Afghanistan, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Afghanistan Transparency Watch, and the Global Witness organization. The meeting was opened with a welcome remark by Musarat Hussein from the Heinrich Boll Foundation.
Subsequently, Mr. Jalil Benish, the director of Afghanistan Watch spoke on the objectives and joint programs by the civil society organizations regarding the useful extraction mines in the country. He has expressed hopes that by holding such meetings with civil society organizations, specific proposals and recommendations are made and sent to respective organizations working in the areas of extraction of mines.

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Afghanistan Watch Second Conference with Civil Societies and Media representatives

As part of its efforts to collect and analyze Afghan media coverage of key current issues facing Afghanistan, Afghanistan Watch held its second conference on ‘Media and Transition Process’. The conference was held on 25 December at Afghanistan Watch Headquarter in Kabul. Afghanistan Watch’s media monitoring project publishes the ‘Truth’ a monthly publication contains news and analysis extracted from the Afghan print media on four areas: prospects for political transition, reconciliation with the armed opposition groups, human rights, and corruption.

The main speakers at the meeting were Fauzia Kofi, the Chair of Women Affairs, Civil Society and Human Rights Commission of the Lower House of the National Assembly of Afghanistan and Sediqullah Tawhidi, the Head of Afghanistan Media Watch at Nai supporting free media in Afghanistan.
The participants attending the conference included representatives of a number of civil society organizations and journalists from media outlets.

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In a remarkable indication of deep wounds caused by crimes of the past, 95.59 % of those interviewed in Herat, 95.74% in Balkh and 99.78% in Kabul believed the past was continuing to impact the present. Similarly, an absolute majority of 98.69% in Kabul, 97.53% in Balkh and 76.88%in Herat said they wanted justice for what had happen to them or their family members.

In October 2012, Afghanistan Watch and the Afghan Analyst Network (AAN) jointly initiated a Transition Seminar Series to provide an opportunity for constructive debate between Afghans and international community on important aspects of the ongoing transfer of security responsibility from international to Afghan security forces currently scheduled to be completed by 2014.
The first seminar in the series focusing on “Lessons Learnt From for 2014 Presidential Election” was held on 18 October 2012 at the Afghanistan Watch Office in Kabul.  The key speakers at the seminar were Professor William Maley, the Director of Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Australian National University, and Martine Van Bijlert, Co-Director of the Afghanistan Analyst Network. The speakers gave an overview of the lessons learnt from previous elections held since 2005 in the country and their implications for preparations for the 2014 presidential election.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN. A new study on natural resources and conflict in Afghanistan indicates that throughout the country natural resources are driving violence. The report, authored by researcher Renard Sexton and released this week by Afghanistan Watch, details seven recent case studies of natural resource conflicts in Afghanistan, and analyzes major trends in the sector and their implications for Afghanistan›s transition.
In short, natural resources (including land, water, mining and timber) have been an important driving factor in numerous local and regional violence, and are likely to continue as a major source of conflict in the short to medium term. With a concerted effort to integrate them into an inclusive political settlement, however, natural resources could also contribute to stability in the medium and long term.
The seven case studies in the analysis include two land conflicts, two water conflicts, two mining conflicts and one timber conflict. Based on more than sixty interviews, several hundred reports and articles and numerous book sources, the cases cut across regional and ethnic boundaries and touch on regional and international players in Afghanistan. 

The first quarterly meeting of Truth Newsletter was held on 29th August 2012 to assess Afghan media in regards with prospects of political transition, corruption, justice and human rights and reconciliation with Taliban and evaluation contents of Truth Newsletter. The meeting was held at the HQ of Afghanistan Watch in Kabul.
The attendees in the meeting reached 15 representatives of Afghan civil society and print media, in addition to the staff of Afghanistan Watch.
The meeting began at 2:00pm and continued until 5:00 o’clock in the evening. The participants discussed on two important points on the agenda.
The main subjects of discussions were prospects for political transition, fighting corruption, human rights and justice and reconciliation with Taliban as well as evaluating contents of the Truth Newsletter.
The meeting was opened by remarks of Mr. Jalil Benish, the Director of Afghanistan Watch. He briefed on the activities of Afghanistan Watch and said that Afghanistan Watch is trying bridge the gap between Afghan politicians and their foreign counterparts through media efforts. He said publication of Truth Newsletter which contains summary of political positions taken by politicians in the Afghan print media is part of the program to establish contacts between Afghanistan and its foreign supporters.
The Truth (Haqiqat) Newsletter is monthly publication of Afghanistan Watch which began publication in 2009.

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KABUL, AFGHANISTAN.  Natural resources are a growing source of conflict in Afghanistan and the role of civil society in building peace in the sector is key, agreed forty representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Kabul. In a workshop convened by Afghanistan Watch and the Heinrich Boell Stiftung to discuss the pressing issue of land, water and extractives conflicts, there was unanimous support for a robust engagement by civil society in building awareness, doing additional research and pushing for policy changes to help prevent and resolve resource conflicts.
"This subject is very important and there needs to be cooperation between civil society organizations," stated one participant. Another remarked that "the sector of natural resources  is emerging, and the future of Afghanistan depends on good management of these conflicts".
The workshop was launched by a presentation of a major research effort by Afghanistan Watch to document and analyze seven cases studies of natural resource conflicts, two related to land, two related to water and three related to extractives. Researcher Renard Sexton, who conducted the research study, explained that "the cases were selected to represent different geographic areas, ethnic groups and political dynamics." He added that "while these cases are the 'tip of the iceberg', they illustrate the main drivers and trends of conflict over natural resources in Afghanistan." In conflict surveys conducted in the last several years, more than 50 percent of local conflict events in the country were based on natural resources.

In this report, the perspectives of various social, political and civil society groups on negotiation and reconciliation with the insurgents, as reflected in Kabul publications, are categorized and analyzed. This research showed that political reconciliation with armed opposition groups in Afghanistan has been the subject of a number of objections and concerns raised by different groups of diverse views. The most significant criticisms of talks with the insurgents include:
• lack of transparency in the process;
• lack of accurate and clear strategy and plan on the part of Afghan government and what many see as a submissive approach towards the Taliban;
• continuation of violence by the Taliban;
• unclear position of international community on negotiation with Taliban;
• inappropriate composition of the High Peace Council;
• risks to fundamental values, human rights and democracy enshrined in the Constitution including the rights of ethnic and religious minorities;
• prospect of Taliban comeback and fall of the country into Talibanism or relapse into the situation of 1990s and restart of civil conflicts.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is attempting to tackle the issue of negotiation and reconciliation with the armed opponents of the government. Despite criticism from other opposition groups, the government has taken a number of steps, one of most important actions being the formation of the “High Council of Peace” in 2010. The deterioration of the security situation, including spiraling terrorist attacks, the start of foreign forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, and economic concerns all render this discussion of reconciliation particularly important and serious.
Significant questions and concerns exist as to whether legitimate reconciliation is possible or not. If it is indeed possible, under what framework and plan? If not, for what reason(s)? Is there common ground between the demands and accepted values of the government and armed opposition groups? How would the public view such an action and in principle what is the legal status of such reconciliation? The Taliban and other armed opposition groups are accused of numerous crimes; is there a mechanism for their accountability? If a peace agreement is reached in the absence of accountability for past actions, how lasting will the peace be? And also, if partial or total reconciliation is reached between the government and the armed opposition, what would be its social and political consequences?

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN. Diverging views and growing skepticism regarding the current situation of political settlement and governance in Afghanistan marked a lively roundtable hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) at Afghanistan Watch last Monday. An array of seventeen experienced Afghan and international participants voiced a distinct ambivalence about the role of the international community in Afghanistan, and questioned whether time has simply run out.

"Political settlement must be inclusive and decisive," remarked one participant, "and so far there has been little indication from the US, the Afghan government, the Taliban or anyone else that it will be so." "The people in Washington clearly want out as quickly as possible; there are political calculations being made there as well," another participant added.