The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, currently meeting in Geneva, is placing special emphasis on ways to promote respect for human rights in the war-torn country of Afghanistan.

At a March 27 briefing, Kamal Hossain, UN Special Rapporteur of the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan, commended the work of non-government organizations. He said these groups played a vital role in “facilitating the development of human rights in Afghanistan and increasing awareness of such rights in society.”

Speaking at the briefing, Seventh-day Adventist Church representative Jonathan Gallagher endorsed these efforts. “As a faith community that shares values of dignity and respect for all human beings, Adventists wish to practice what we preach through medical care, education and humanitarian aid—together with an unswerving dedication to religious liberty and freedom of conscience,” said Gallagher.

One such program is an initiative to strengthen the medical education program in Afghanistan with the assistance of Loma Linda University and Medical Center, an Adventist owned and operated institution located in California, United States.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, the international humanitarian arm of the Adventist Church, also established an office in Kabul earlier this year to coordinate distribution of relief supplies and to facilitate long-term development projects.

Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International, says that in addition to the aid ADRA is extending to refugees along the northern and eastern borders of Afghanistan, the organization is also supporting education “as a key to a sound future.” In northern Afghanistan, ADRA is distributing hundreds of school kits as part of a Back-to-School Campaign.