This report outlines the outcomes from a two-day expert roundtable, organised by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Lund, Sweden, on 6-7 February 2023.
The roundtable was held under the Chatham House Rule, with the consequence that individual identification and, therefore, recognition for contributions is not possible. However, the Institute wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the 40 accountability experts, whereof the great majority were Afghans, who contributed their time, expertise, and perspectives to the discussions, as well as to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for funding the event.
The report describes the discussions and conclusions from each of the five sessions of the roundtable, including areas where opinions varied among attendees. The initial chapters elaborate on the first four thematic sessions: I) Defining accountability and lessons from other contexts; II) Mechanisms of accountability (existing and required); III) Documenting evidence; IV) What else should be done, referring to actions by the international community. The latter also highlighted actions to avoid.
The final chapter summarises the concluding session and ten areas which were identified as key for the next steps toward strengthened accountability for the Afghan people.
While the recommendations are not conclusive, our intention is that the outcomes can contribute to, and be considered in, future discussions on policy and support among states and other stakeholders aiming to support accountability for human rights violations in Afghanistan.