On March 16, 2010, USAID’s  Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society (I-PACS) project conducted a radio roundtable discussion, bringing together members of parliament (MPs) and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs).  During the roundtable, participants discussed the creation of political space for CSOs, CSO interactions with parliament, and CSO involvement in the policy-making process. The discussion featured four participants: two MPs  and two CSO representatives.  The hour-long program was aired on Killid Radio on March 23, reaching a potential audience of 12.5 million in the provinces of Kabul, Balkh, Hirat, Kandahar, Kapisa, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Parwan, and Wardak.

On the topic of collaboration between parliament and civil society, roundtable participant Ms. Palwasha Saboori, director of Afghan Women Training and Development Organization (WTDO), shared, “This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to talk about our problems directly with MPs.”  She continued, “I know that MPs are expected to act as the representative for different groups of people… but their six-day workweek and the poor security situation in the provinces means that they have few opportunities to spend time in remote areas, to find out what people really need and say.”  At the close of the program, Ms. Saboori asked the MPs to allow for and attend regular meetings with civil society organizations and activists “so that parliament actually hears voices of everyone.”  This radio roundtable program will be followed by three additional I-PACS roundtables in the next six months.