Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan

Donations at all levels are welcomed. Partner firms and lawyers - those contributing $50,000 or more over two years - will join senior Department of State officials and other interagency partners for a press conference, regular briefings from the U.S. Coordinator for Counternarcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan, and various other special events. Of course, any contribution of any lesser amount would also be welcomed. On January 4, 2004, Afghanistan's Constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) approved a 162-article constitution establishing a presidential system of government with a bicameral legislature and paving the way for national elections later in 2004. The constitution was approved after three weeks of meetings in Kabul during which 502 male and female delegates, representing Afghanistan's various ethnic groups and geographic regions, debated and made compromises on a draft document before approving it by acclamation. The new constitution marks a historic step forward, and President Bush has pledged continued U.S. assistance to the Afghan people as they build a free and prosperous future. The U.S.-Afghan partnership has already produced results. President Bush remarked in August 2007 at Camp David that President Karzai has taken a "strong stance for freedom and justice" and that "we're working closely together to help the people of Afghanistan prosper. We work together to give the people of Afghanistan a chance to raise their children in a hopeful world. And we're working together to defeat those who would try to stop the advance of a free Afghan society." Afghans have made a great deal of progress in the justice sector since 2001, but much work remains to be done. The Afghan justice system needs to improve its human resource capacity through legal education and professional development. Judges and lawyers have minimal training and often base their work on their personal understanding of Islamic law and tribal codes without taking into account relevant Afghan laws. The Afghan Government is working hard to establish the rule of law for its citizens. Today, the American private sector can extend a hand of friendship by joining the United States to support Afghanistan's vision for a free, democratic, and prosperous state based on the rule of law. Read more