Washington, DC – IRI partners are preparing for Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place in September of this year.  Ten issue-based coalitions have begun grassroots efforts to refine platforms, educate voters and endorse candidates in preparation for the campaign season.

The IRI-supported Afghanistan Youth National and Social Organization (AYNSO) held numerous meetings throughout the month of April to encourage political participation, recruit new members and identify issues that will form the basis of its elections platform.  AYNSO’s April meetings drew more than 3,000 Afghan youth from provinces across the country, and as a result, 260 new members joined the organization for a total membership that now exceeds 100,000.

On April 17, AYNSO kicked off a three-day pre-election event that convened leadership from all 34 provinces to strategize for September elections.  Provincial representatives established campaign agendas, improved chapter administration and developed initiatives to boost organizational and membership capacity.  A number of notable international nongovernmental organizations, United States embassy officials, representatives from the International Security Assistance Force, and individuals from the Afghan private sector attended the event to pledge support for AYNSO and its continued growth.

In Zabul, the IRI-supported district shura hosted a gathering of tribal elders, local officials and civil society members to discuss priority issues for fall elections.  In a rare forum for collaborative engagement, the district shura gauged perceptions of local governance and identified community needs such as reconstruction projects and service delivery as priority issues for an electoral platform.  IRI’s success in developing shuras into democratic decision-making bodies underscores the merit of partnering with local actors to advance good governance and stability at the district and provincial levels.

Other IRI-supported groups such as the United Hazara Coalition (UHA) and the Kuchi Outreach Coalition also held several election-related meetings in April to discuss minority rights, voter outreach strategies, the new electoral law, representation in parliament, and ways to mitigate electoral fraud.  The UHA jump-started voter awareness and participation efforts in five provinces, while a gathering of 200 Kuchi leaders from multiple provinces endorsed a candidate for parliamentary elections.

The development of IRI-supported groups into powerful forces for issues affecting a broad range of Afghans is increasingly being recognized by international donors.  Last month, the National Endowment for Democracy approved a direct grant to AYNSO to improve civil society dialogue and advocacy in the Herat province of northwest Afghanistan.  The Spanish government recently provided leadership training to the Movement of Afghan Sisters, another IRI-supported civil society organization.  The independence and national reach of these IRI partners have made them a model for future efforts to build Afghan civil society and improve local governance at the grassroots level.

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