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CONTEXT & CHALLENGES |
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Afghanistan is a
post-conflict country. It is landlocked and
underdeveloped. It is the poorest country in Asia and
the Pacific region.
It is also a country of nearly 24
million people who are weary of conflict and subject to
grinding poverty in an often harsh environment, wary of
foreign intentions, and skeptical about their own
leaders, many of whom have “warlord” pasts. |
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 Context
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CONTEXT |
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Although Afghanistan
is now in post-war reconstruction, the usual challenges of
reconstruction are made difficult by the continuing insurgency, the
age-old centrifugal forces that have always made Afghanistan hard to
govern, the extreme weakness of modern institutions, widespread
corruption and lack of rule of law.
Two years after the signing of the Afghanistan Compact, despite progress
made to improve the lives of the Afghan people, significant challenges
still remain. A lack of institutional capacity, growing insecurity, and
the increase in opium production has constrained the efforts of the
government and the international community. The necessary level of
stability required to build a capable government and to develop a strong
private sector-led economy, able to provide productive employment, and
tackle the challenges of the opium industry are still absent. Source: JCMB VII Report
2008
Against a background of sound macro-economic strategy and impressive
economic recovery, the country continues to struggle to emerge from a
state of conflict. In 2007, the security situation deteriorated in many
parts of the country, especially in the South. More than 6,000 people
were killed in conflict-related violence, including more than 1,000
police. Illicit cultivation and trafficking of opium has increased and
corruption remains pervasive. This situation challenges the core of the
Afghan state at a decisive time when the central government is
attempting to deliver improved services to the people. The twin curse of
narcotics and conflict undermines security and the rule of law,
threatens the credibility of the Government and increases the distance
between the Government and the Afghan people, who have high expectations
regarding improvements to their daily lives.
Recent changes in the Afghanistan’s political, economic and social
environment have created a high demand for skilled workers, which cannot
be met by the current labor market. In Afghanistan’s changing
environment, many people lack the necessary skills to earn a living.
Poverty is widespread, and the overall unemployment rate is estimated at
40 percent.
Human rights violations arbitrarily committed during the war years have
continued unabated due to the lack of awareness about human rights in
the general public and the government.
Most importantly, developmental spending by the government continues to
be low due to poor capacity for execution. War, misrule, disease, gender
discrimination, general economic deprivation and lack of infrastructure
are hampering reconstruction. The absence of a sustainable economy and
civil society in Afghanistan is constraining the restoration of social
order to its original state - a self-sufficient agricultural society. |
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CHALLENGES |
Lack of Capacity in Government Institutions |
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The Government’s
administrative structure has been severely affected by war. It has lost
its qualified and professional personnel, resulting in a lack of skilled
human resources. The government staff does not have the skills and
qualifications required to design good projects, write proper project
concepts, proposals and reports. There is an urgent need to train the
government in the management of their organizations, sensitize them to
issues such as human rights, gender discrimination etc and increase
their capacity in designing and implementing development projects.
This shortage of skills and expertise needed for governance and
reconstruction (national capacity) constrains Afghanistan’s development.
Addressing the country’s capacity deficits may take a generation or more
and only if adequate investments are made now in the country’s education
system. It also takes commitment and funding from the international
community—with greater emphasis on building sustainable, homegrown
capacity—rather than filling gaps with expensive international expertise
or “technical assistance.”
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Lack of Capacity in Civil Society Organizations |
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Civil society
organizations are required to develop local institutions and processes
that are more responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens, particularly
the poor and disadvantaged. Enhancing the capacities of civil society
organizations in human rights advocacy will strengthen their resolve to
support the victims of human rights abuses and mobilize the people to
fully own and participate in the transitional justice process.
However, civil society organizations in Afghanistan are faced with
daunting tasks and challenges. These include low capacity and lack of
skills in advocacy and community mobilization. They have low
appreciation of their collective strength or the power in numbers. They
have limited knowledge and awareness of their role in society and
responsibility to the state and the people. In addition, there are other
important sectors and elements of the society involved in civic
activities that are not yet roped in. This includes open-minded
religious scholars. If mobilized, these groups can exert great influence
in the local community. |
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Lack of Job Opportunities and Poor Local Economy |
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Strong and diverse
local economies are the backbone of a livable community. In today's
global marketplace, it is imperative to focus on nurturing
community-supportive local businesses that promote a sustainable
economic development at local level.
Unfortunately, Afghanistan faces a long and challenging agenda before it
can build a modern, private enterprise-driven economy. By all economic
and social indicators, Afghanistan is the poorest country in the Asia
and the Pacific region and among the poorest in the world. Poverty,
inadequate health care, and poor education prevent many Afghans from
gaining the basic skills they need to improve their own lives. As a
result, Afghanistan will not likely achieve any of its Millennium
Development Goals given this dismal starting point.
ADB Report
There are also problems of competitiveness due to appreciation of the
Afghani (in real terms) and high wage rates; an unfavourable business
climate with difficult access to land, poor power supply, corruption and
high transaction costs; productivity impaired by poor infrastructure and
services and by inadequate human resources; and strong competition from
imports. Nonetheless, the generally market-oriented and liberal policy
environment and the entrepreneurial character of the Afghan people
create scope particularly for expanding the informal (micro-enterprise)
sector and for building up small and medium-scale enterprises in certain
import-substituting activities (vegetable oil, poultry, dairy, wool,
processed foods, soaps, footwear, etc). Export products with potential
include dried fruits and nuts, medicinal herbs, silk, leather, skins,
carpets, etc.
The job and wealth creation impacts of rural enterprise development are
considerable, and support to private enterprise development represents a
good opportunity to achieve poverty reduction and counter-narcotics
objectives. Source: Economic
Incentives Report by WB and DFID |
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Conclusion |
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Considering the above challenges, BRD has developed a
comprehensive strategy aligned with the rights based approach to
development. The strategy focuses on the following key areas:
Capacity development of Government institutions for
improved service delivery
Capacity Building of the Civil Society to facilitate
the process of democratic Governance and promote peace, prosperity
and local development in the community
Human Rights Education for social change; Advocacy to
ensure rights are protected
Local economy development through
income generation and vocational training programs to provide
sustainable livelihood to the local communities |
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