Empowerment and Protection - Stories of Human Security Oct. 2014 | Page 14

AFGANISTAN

POPULATION

30.55 MILLION IN 2013 (WORLD BANK 2014A)
=10.000.000

ETHNIC GROUPS*
42%
29%
9.0%
9.0%
11%

Pashtuns
Tajiks
Uzbeks
Hazaras
Others

Urban
perspectives:
Human Security
in Afghanistan

GLOBAL PEACE
INDEX 2014

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
INDEX 2013

169
187

161
162

(IEP 2014A)

(UNDP 2014)

Shafeek Seddiq | Mariam Safi | Afghanistan Justice Organisation (AJO)

Interviews with Afghan citizens highlight the sense of insecurity that many continue to feel despite
a decade of international reconstruction. Mixed progress in economic stability, women’s rights, and
the establishment of a central governing authority has resulted in varied experiences of individual
security. Persistent violent conflict, illiteracy, and weak governance continue to undermine individual
experiences of security, yet economic opportunities, personal freedoms, and feelings of safety are
better than in years past. However, international efforts have been insufficient to guarantee good
governance or economic security, and the upcoming withdrawal of international forces in 2014 has
created anxiety about Afghanistan’s future. 

” s long as the locals are not allowed
A
to shape our government, these
structures of insecurity will continue
to exist.“
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