SDC's medium-term strategy for Afghanistan 2008-2011

SDC’s Medium-Term Strategy for Afghanistan 2008–2011

Editors and Publishers

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Freiburgstrasse 130, 3003 Berne

www.deza.admin.ch

Photographs

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Layout

Mark Manion, Commusication Arts

Available at SDC, Berne

Swiss Cooperation Office Afghanistan, Kabul

An electronic version of “SDC’s Medium-Term Strategy 2008–2011” is available via Internet

SDC‘S MeDiuM-TerM

STraTegy for

afghaniSTan

2008–2011

Content . . . . 3

1 BaCkground and rationale . . . . 5

2 Country and regional Context . . . . 6

3 international Cooperation in afghanistan . . . . 7

4 previous programme (2004–2007) . . . . 8 4 .1 Results . . . . 8 4 .2 lessons leaRnt . . . . 9 5 strategiC orientation . . . . 10 5 .1 Goal . . . . 10 5 .2 GuidinG PRinciPles . . . . 10 5 .3 thematic PRioRities . . . . 11 5 .4 cRoss-cuttinG issues . . . . 12

5 .5 PRoGRamme adaPtation to chanGinG context . . . . 12

5 .6 GeoGRaPhical focus . . . . 13

5 .7 PaRtneRs and assistance modalities . . . . 14

6 finanCial and human resourCes . . . . 15

7 Controlling . . . . 16

annexes . . . . 17

i afGhanistan – some facts at a Glance . . . . 17

ii Political maP of afGhanistan (sdc’s PRioRity PRovinces) . . . . 18

iii ethno-linGuistic GRouPs in afGhanistan . . . . 19

iv inteRim afGhan national develoPment stRateGy . . . . 20

v GRaPhic oveRview: sdc’s medium-teRm stRateGy foR afGhanistan 2008–2011 . . 21 vi sdc’s financial commitment in afGhanistan 2000–2011 . . . . 22

vii secuRity and Political scenaRios afGhanistan . . . . 23

viii list of sdc’s onGoinG PRojects in afGhanistan . . . . 24

ix swiss oRGanisations in afGhanistan . . . . 27

Table of Contents

1 Background and Rationale

This Medium-Term Strategy for Afghanistan (MTSA) from 2008 to 2011 provides a strategic orientation framework for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in sup-port of sustainable poverty reduction and a secure environment for the country. Switzerland has supported Afghanistan with special pro-grammes in humanitarian aid for more than 20 years, also holding the chair of the Afghani-stan Support Group in 2000, thereby playing a major role in donor coordination. Since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2002, SDC has concentrated its activities on meeting the enormous needs of the most vulnerable popu-lation groups, such as internally displaced per-sons (IDPs), returnees and refugees. The previ-ous SDC Medium-Term Strategy for Afghanistan 2004–2007 focussed on the transition from humanitarian aid to development cooperation.

SDC is committed to staying engaged in Afghanistan, contributing to long-term reduction of the prevalent poverty and to a secure environ-ment in order to foster peaceful and sustainable development in the country. With its message to the parliament for the continuation of the tech-nical cooperation and financial aid in favour of developing countries (2004–2007), the Federal Council of Switzerland has defined the basis for the Swiss contribution to the reconstruc-tion process in Afghanistan. With its engage-ment, Switzerland acknowledges and responds to the enormous needs in Afghanistan which ranks among the poorest countries in the world. Moreover, Switzerland with its humanitarian tra-dition is a recognised partner con tributing to the

rebuilding of the country by making use of its strategic advantages as a neutral and impar-tial actor without geo-strategic interests, and by providing its expertise – particularly in the fields of rule of law, local governance and sustainable livelihood – in combining policy with opera-tional strategies. Ultimately, Switzerland is dedi-cated to adequately contributing to the broad international burden-sharing in reconstructing the Afghan nation in a secure, inclusive and just environment.

A multitude of recent international studies, analyses, as well as practical experiences in the Afghan context have come to the conclusion that there is no exclusive military solution to the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan. On the contra-ry, it is widely recognised that an enhancement of international efforts in favour of long-term development cooperation decisively contributes to the prevention of war and terrorism in the region.

The present strategy is based on an under-standing that development is not only need-ed and possible, but is in fact taking place in Afghanistan. The MTSA explicitly refers to the DAC policy commitment and principles for good international donor engagement in frag-ile states and situations, as well as to the SDC Strategy 2010 and the SDC Medium-Term Strat-egy for Development Cooperation in South Asia (2006–2010). The MTSA is also consistent with the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) (cf. Annex 4).

Afghanistan is a geo-strategically important country situated between, and therefore con-necting, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Landlocked with six neigh-bours (Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China), four-fifths of the rug-ged land is covered by mountains. Afghani-stan’s main population groups are Pashtuns, Tajiks and Hazara, as well as different minority groups. The main languages spoken are Dari (Afghan Persian) and Pashto. Islam is the domi-nant religion in the country.

Afghanistan has always played an important role in the region in regard to trade and migra-tion. At the same time, it is considered as an important (de-)stabilising political factor for the region. Most important relations, both politi-cally and economipoliti-cally, are those with Pakistan and iran. Both countries have always also been important emigration countries for Afghans. While Afghanistan has close socio-political and ethnic (Pashtun) ties to Pakistan, there have been several disputes in the past with its Eastern neighbour about the frontier, artificially drawn by the British in 1893, as well as the insurgence and resurgence of the Taliban in the tribal are-as along the border. Afghanistan’s relations to

Central asia are less prominent and without

major problems, apart from cross-bordering drug trafficking. Meanwhile, india has built con-siderable cooperation ties with the Afghan Gov-ernment in recent years and appears among the top ten donors in Afghanistan.

After the fall of the Taliban, the political proc-ess of rebuilding the country started along the political roadmap laid out in the Bonn Agree-ment of December 2001. A series of traditional Grand Councils (Loya Jirga) paved the way for the ratification of a new moderate Islamic Con-stitution and the election of a president, Hamid Karzai, and the National Assembly. A policy of co-option has seen warlords and the pow-erbrokers of past eras entrenched in positions of state and local power, despite being widely discredited due to human rights abuses. The ultimate goal of stable, sustainable rebuilding is further challenged by Islamic hardliners, as well as the ongoing armed conflicts, mainly in

2 Country and Regional Context

the South and East of the country, and targeted terror attacks in the urban centres. The securi-ty sector has been re-established; however, its effectiveness and democratic performance are still very weak. Corruption is widespread, and opium production has exploded contributing to approximately 40% of the economic devel-opment and accounting for 92% of the world’s opium production (2007).

Despite developmental progress, e.g., since 2002, 3 to 4 million children have returned to school (6 million children were enrolled in 2007) and economic growth is estimated at 13% in fis-cal year 2007/08 (excluding the opium sector), the majority of Afghans still live in dire poverty due to lack of access to safe water, adequate sanitation, electricity, and a high level of vulner-ability to famine, natural disasters, unemploy-ment and violent conflict. Life expectancy is 44 years (compared to 59 years for low-income countries worldwide). Evidently, there is not only great demand for international aid, but also a high impact potential for development work.

countRy and ReGional context

The government has presented its Interim National Development Strategy (I-ANDS), which outlines its priorities for accelerating develop-ment, increasing security, tackling the drug trade, and strengthening governance. Since 2006 (London Conference on Afghanistan), the international community has pledged more than US$ 10.5 billion over five years (2006-2010) to help with reconstruction. This makes Afghani-stan the fourth largest aid recipient in the world after China, Nigeria and Iraq (DAC report 2006).

The most significant donors in Afghanistan are: USA, World Bank, European Commission, UK, Asian Development Bank, Japan, Germany, India and Canada. For many bilateral donors – among them Canada, Sweden, Norway and Holland – Afghanistan is one of the biggest recipients of aid support. Out of its worldwide portfolio, UNDP manages one of its largest pro-grammes in Afghanistan. Taking into account the strong financial engagement of the inter-national development community, Switzerland’s contribution in the recent past of approx. CHF 20 million per year is comparatively small. Furthermore, Switzerland is not a member of the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board

3 International Cooperation in Afghanistan

(JCMB), which overlooks the overall achieve-ments of the Afghan National Development Strategy.

Due to the ongoing conflict, political and par-ticularly security issues dominate the agendas of the donors. The fact that Switzerland is one of the few, if not the only, donor with an exclusively civilian engagement, often appears as a com-parative advantage in building trust and confi-dence among the Afghan population. Moreover, the close collaboration with like-minded donors such as Denmark and Norway in the fields of Human Rights and Gender demonstrates how harmonisation efforts can lead to increased lev-erage.

Switzerland’s programme is fully aligned with the Interim Afghan National Development Strat-egy, with a special focus on the latter’s thematic pillars of Governance and Rural Development (cf. Annex 4). Despite the fact that the Govern-ment of Afghanistan puts strong emphasis on direct budget support, many donors still hesitate to channel their contribution through the nation-al core budget because of the prevnation-alent state fragility and corruption.

4 Previous Programme (2004–2007)

4.1 Results

SDC’s engagement in Afghanistan has so far shown important results, on which it can build with the present MTSA:

As one out of three members of the Donor •

Committee, SDC played a vital role in the establishment and organisational develop-ment of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and has thus contributed to a remarkable increase of political and public awareness with respect to human rights in Afghanistan. Today, the AIHRC as constitutionally protected body is widely recognised as the most important independent institution legitimately promot-ing and protectpromot-ing human rights in the coun-try. Or, as expressed by United Nations Sec-retary-General Ban Ki-moon, it has “rapidly become Afghanistan’s voice of conscience”.

Moreover, SDC has eminently contributed to •

a noticeable increase of understanding and respect for human rights concepts within Afghan civil society. Through strengthening respective local organisations and networks, e.g. the Civil Society and Human Rights Net-work or the Afghan Civil Society Forum, the most important sectors and levels of Afghan society are nowadays actively involved in the reconstruction, development and peace proc-ess of Afghanistan.

With SDC’s contribution to the establishment •

of a computerised payroll system for the police staff and its expansion to all 34 Afghan provinces, the working capacity of police staff in maintaining better security throughout the country was remarkably able to be improved and the rampant corruption within the former police force, significantly reduced.

Through recruitment and training of 300 •

police women, the introduction of a gender unit in the Ministry of Interior as well as the establishment of family violence units (contact points for women at police posts) in Kabul and five regional centres, SDC has success-fully invested in gender mainstreaming within the Afghan National Police and the Ministry of Interior: gender equality and equity were

promoted, police women empowered, and violence against women potentially reduced.

SDC has contributed to an improved teaching •

and learning environment for primary school children in the rural government schools of 13 districts in 3 provinces (Badakshan, Bagh-lan and Bamyan) through its assistance to the Government School Support Programme. Almost 200 rural schools have been support-ed, benefiting more than 80’000 students and almost 3’000 teachers. In addition, the programme has started to strengthen the strategy of the Ministry of Education with respect to capacity building of Provincial and District Education Departments.

With the implementation of different projects •

to improve livelihoods of selected disadvan-taged groups in central and north-eastern Afghanistan, SDC has improved food security and incomes in numerous rural communities. Since the beginning of SDC’s project inter-ventions in 2004 in this area, the capability and knowledge of the targeted communities and local authorities with respect to educa-tion, health and hygiene, crop diversification and agriculture output, as well as veterinary services, have been measurably enhanced.

As a response to a protracted drought, SDC’s •

Humanitarian Aid supported the construc-tion of more than 350 water points in the south and south-east of the country. The project was implemented through the Min-istry of Rural Rehabilitation and Develop-ment and different national and international NGOs. Through construction of demonstra-tion latrines, hygiene educademonstra-tion and setting up water committees, some 8’000 families obtained access to clean drinking water, whereupon the health situation of people in the concerned areas markedly improved.

PRevious PRoGRamme (2004–2007)

4.2 Lessons Learnt

The main lessons from the SDC programme 2004–2007 can be summarised as follows:

The MTSA 2008–2011 can build on the exist-•

ing programme orientation (2004–2007). The current strategic priorities remain valid since their outcome and impact potential have been confirmed in the course of the previous programme.

The transition from humanitarian aid to devel-•

opment has been successfully consolidated. Development progress has been achieved in Afghanistan, both on the national level with state institution building, and on the local level with rural and community development.

The contiguum approach stipulated in the •

MTSA 2004-2007 was applicable only in specific situations, as the areas of interven-tions of Humanitarian Aid (mainly in the South and West) and Development Coop-eration (central and north-east Afghanistan) were geographically separated. Therefore, humanitarian activities were gradually shifted to the region of development projects and specific domains (Water and Sanitation, Dis-aster Risk Reduction) have been included into development activities.

Innovative measures contributed to improv-•

ing sustainable food security, i.e., to reduc-ing vulnerability and dependence on external aid, as well as to boosting a modest econom-ic development.

The importance of the governance compo-•

nent was strengthened between 2004 and 2007, but was lacking in coherence due to a number of stand-alone projects. Areas of cooperation should therefore be streamlined, for instance through working on issues of local governance which provides potential for increased coherence and synergies with the livelihood component.

Through additional training efforts, further •

exchanges among partners and a more con-sequent application of the sustainable

liveli-hood approach effectiveness in projects will improve.

To address gender issues in a conservative •

and highly segregated society needs subtle and sensitive, perseverant and innovative approaches, whereby men play an essential role.

The present (post-)conflict situation in •

Afghanistan implies excessive challenges for young people. In order to give them hope-ful future perspectives, SDC has included particular activities into its projects, specifi-cally addressing the needs of youth (e.g. in Sports for Women, BBC Afghan Education Project, Livelihood-projects with Aga Khan Foundation, Afghan Aid, Helvetas and Terre des Hommes).

5 Strategic Orientation

5.1 Goal

The overall goal of the Swiss Medium-Term Strategy for Afghanistan 2008–2011 is to con-tribute to a sustainable poverty reduction and a secure environment ensuring inclusion and equal access for all men and women to rights, goods and services through strengthening of public and private actors.

The Swiss engagement with Afghanistan is guided by the general orientation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the ten principles of good international engagement in fragile states and situations (DAC 2007), with particular emphasis on:

Afghan ownership and empowerment: All Swiss policies and assistance shall contribute to ena-bling Afghan partners to make their own choic-es according to their prioritichoic-es.

Equity with special attention to gender equality:

No group is excluded from access to decision-making and public goods and services. Swiss assistance shall adapt to the specific needs and demands of men and women, particularly those of the disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable population groups such as IDPs and returnees, to enable them to have equal access to human development.

Adaptation to context and flexibility: Fragile con-texts are subject to rapid change; therefore, pro-gramme implementation shall be adapted to the changing political and security context. Assist-ance shall be flexible enough to take advantage of windows of opportunity and follow the

‘Do-no-harm’ principle. Due to existing risks (secu-rity, earthquakes, floods, etc.), needs for addi-tional emergency assistance and early recovery in case of major disasters shall be considered.

Linkage whenever possible between the policy and the operational level: There shall be a per-manent interaction between the operational and the policy level within Afghanistan and, as much as possible, between the national, the regional and international level.

Donor harmonisation, alignment and other alli-ances: Switzerland proactively works towards donor harmonisation at different levels, aligns with government policies as much as possible, avoids activities that undermine national institu-tion-building, and also aligns with local priori-ties.

Accountability and Transparency: All assistance shall require the obligation of authorities and organisations to explain decisions, and oversight of institutions to sanction abuse of power as well as ensure the availability of information to the public on rationale for decision-making criteria, implementation and effects.

5.2 Guiding Principles

stRateGic oRientation

5.3 Thematic Priorities

The Swiss Medium-Term Strategy for Afghanistan covers short term needs (satisfaction of immedi-ate demands of the people), as well as medium and long-term strategic priorities to enable pub-lic and private actors to assume their responsi-bilities in the long run. Development Coopera-tion and Humanitarian Aid are jointly included in the following programme components:

Component 1: governance and Protection Switzerland sets intervention priorities on the local, national and international level with focus on policy dialogue, advocacy, awareness and capacity building, agenda setting and institu-tions building (public and private) in the follow-ing areas:

Rule of Law, with specific focus on: Human Rights:

• policy and institutional sup-port to strategic partners and their policies or related civil society organisations; Inter-national Humanitarian Law: access to victims with regard to monitoring of detainees and the situation in conflict areas.

Access to Justice:

• strengthening duty

bear-ers (state institutions) and awareness building within the population (rights-holders).

Security Sector reform:

• specific support to the

police reform; activities to improve overall protection from domestic and gender-based violence.

Local Governance, with specific focus on capac-ity building and creation of legitimacy for:

Provincial and District Administration:

• Policy

and technical support to enable administra-tions to deliver quality goods and services to the public in a timely manner; assistance in policy adaptations and financial manage-ment.

Civic Education and Citizen’s Awareness

• on

local governance such as support to local media and traditional forums, civil society and community-based organisations.

Component 2: Livelihood improvement Switzerland sets intervention priorities on the local and national level with focus on capacity and awareness building (software) as well as basic infrastructure (hardware) with a sustaina-ble livelihood approach1 _{in the following areas:}

Economic Development, with specific emphasis on: Rural development:

• Special focus on

agricul-ture, horticulture and livestock. Private sector development

• (SME) in areas

with an economic potential (with a particular focus on income generation of needy people with an entrepreneurial sense).

Economic infrastructure:

• Focus on small-scale

irrigation and soil conservation.

Social Development, with specific emphasis on: Health:

• Special focus on prevention, health edu-cation and community-based health services. Education:

• Quality improvement of govern-ment schools through teacher training as well as adult literacy and youth promotion. Social infrastructure:

• Emphasis on water and

sanitation management.

Activities in this component shall be disaster resilient. Disaster Risk Reduction is therefore integrated as a cross-cutting theme into liveli-hood improvement programmes.

During the validity period of the MTSA, the pro-gramme will – along with a further streamlining of activities – move within both of these the-matic priorities from a project to a programme approach.

1 The Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA), origi-nally developed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), represents an appropriate refer-ence framework for effective poverty reduction. It sub-scribes to a system approach that attempts to capture the many factors that influence people’s livelihoods and helps to identify priorities for action based on the needs and interests of poor people by reflecting their percep-tions of poverty and well-being. It has been applied in several projects in order to determine SDC’s thematic orientation.

In case scenario a) materializes, only slight adaptations in the governance component are necessary, e.g. increased focus on rule of law and local governance, and decreased emphasis on humanitarian interventions. In case the situ-ation worsens considerably (= scenario d), the livelihood component will be scaled down and relief assistance increased. In case the govern-ment and parliagovern-ment increase authoritarian rule (= scenario c), the governance component will put increased emphasis on human rights, including gender issues. Despite forecast uncer-tainty, the highest probability of incidence within the next years is considered to be given for sce-narios b) and c).

5.4 Cross-Cutting issues

Given the unequal access of men and women to resources and decision-making, the particu-lar demand for the perspective of young people in a war-torn context, as well as the high level of tensions, insecurity and violent conflicts in the country, Gender and Youth as well as Con-flict-Sensitivity shall both be an integral part of planning, implementation and monitoring of all Swiss-funded activities. Moreover – rather in terms of an approach/method than a transver-sal theme – a human rights-based approach will be equally applied in line with the SDC’s Medi-um-Term Strategy for Development Cooperation in South Asia (2006–2010).

All programme components are subject to adaptation to the potentially changing con-text. The MTSA is therefore based on four sce-narios, namely, a) political stabilisation, i.e. improved security and democratic governance, b) weak state and deficient security (status quo), c) political destabilisation i.e., security at a cost of compromising democratic and human-rights achievements, and d) countrywide breakdown: insecurity, partial or complete breakdown of democratic institutions. At the time of edition of the present MTSA, scenario b) is considered the comparatively best description of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.

5.5 Programme Adaptation to Changing Context

stRateGic oRientation

Table 1: Programme adaptation according to scenarios

Programme Components Scenario a

Political Stabilisation Scenario b Weak state – deficient security Scenario c Political Destabilisa-tion Scenario d Countrywide breakdown areas of cooperation action lines

rule of Law Human Rights    

Access to Justice    

Security Sector Reform (e.g. violence against women)

   

Humanitarian inter-ventions (IHL, victims)

   

Local governance

Provincial and District Administration

   

Civic Education and Citizen Awareness     Social Development Education, Health, Social Infrastructure     economic Development

Private Sector, Rural Development     humanitarian aid Emergency relief    

The implementation of the programme in terms of livelihood improvement will be geographi-cally concentrated on the north-eastern and central, remote, hilly and mountainous areas including the provinces of Badakhshan, Bagh-lan, Bamyan, Samangan and Takhar. SDC has been working in these provinces since 2002 because of the enormous needs of the popu-lation in these remote and mountainous areas, as well as due to the fact that they are consid-ered as relatively safe areas. Therefore, project implementation in these provinces is deemed justifiable. In the field of Governance and Pro-tection, project implementation covers both the national and local level.

5.6 Geographical Focus

stRateGic oRientation

is handled with flexibility, as it clearly refers to the benchmarks of SDC’s Medium-Term Strat-egy for Development Cooperation in South Asia (2006–2010). Harmonised operations and stra-tegic alliances with international and local, like-minded organisations will still be privileged in order to achieve leverage and increased effec-tiveness. The share of programme contributions (multidonor and individual contributions) will remain an important assistance modality and even gain a higher share in comparison with multilateral co-financing arrangements, while bilateral Swiss projects shall also take on an increasingly relevant position within SDC’s port-folio in Afghanistan.

5.7 Partners and Assistance Modalities

SDC will continue to work with a mix of partners and assistance modalities in line with the guid-ing principles (cf. chapter 5.2) and the rights-based approach focussing both on duty-bearers and rights-holders. Support through civil soci-ety and other private actors and institutions will complement strategic partnerships with multi-lateral agencies and alignment with the govern-ment policies as much as possible, bearing in mind the ten principles of good international engagement in fragile states and situations (DAC 2007).

All projects are implemented through a variety of assistance modalities with different degrees of harmonisation. The mix of these modalities

Table 2: Mix of assistance modalities SDC Afghanistan

aSSiSTanCe MoDaLiTieS Degree of

harmonisation afghanistan % of SDC’s development portfolio 2007 2011 (target)* aligned Programmes:

governmental Support (budget support / sector support; SWAPs)

Multilateral Co-financing arrangements (multi-/ bi- joint contribution; trust funds in IFIs / UN)

45% (0%)

(45%)

10-30%

Programme Contributions to organisations (loc./reg./int.): Multidonor contributions individual contributions 38% (20%) (18%) 40-60 %

Bilateral Swiss projects:

Mandates, with visible Swiss identity (local; governments; NGOs)

17% 20-40%

Total portfolio 100% 100%

* Target according to SDC’s Medium-Term Strategy 2006–2010 for Development Cooperation in South Asia

6 Financial and Human Resources

For the first year of implementation of the MTSA, 15 million Swiss Francs have been ten-tatively allocated for SDC’s bilateral coopera-tion (12 million corresponding to development cooperation and 3 million to humanitarian aid), leading to a reduction of activities compared to previous years. However, the allocation of financial resources depends on the scenario. Nevertheless, the implementation of the MTSA is based on the assumption of a budget enve-lope of approximately 15 million Swiss Francs per year, bearing in mind that the programme can absorb more funds.

Staffing needs of the Swiss Cooperation Office will be assessed, organised, and adapted in accordance with the strategy with a focus on internal capacity building. Human Resources are stipulated in following quantities: 3 to 4 expatri-ate staff (1 Country Director, 1 Deputy Country Director, 1 Advisor for Finance, Administration and Security, possibly 1 Human Rights or Peace-Building Advisor), 3 to 4 National Programme Officers, and 12 to 15 staff in the domains of finance, administration, services and security.

7 Controlling

Monitoring and Evaluation are an integral part of the MTSA focussing on three fields of moni-toring:

Context Monitoring

• : MERV (Monitoring

Sys-tem for Development-Relevant Changes) conducted every three months or more often, depending on the context.

Programme Monitoring

• : annual planning,

reviews, external evaluations, donor harmo-nisation.

Management performance

• : regular internal

financial reporting, annual application of SDC’s management tool “COOF as perform-ance centre“, Knowledge Management.

contRollinG

Annex I

Afghanistan – Some Facts at a Glance

Area 652’225 km2

Estimated population 27.4 mln

Population growth p.a. 2.6 %

Life expectancy at birth 44 years

Infant mortality 165 deaths / 1’000 births

Maternal mortality 1’600–2’200 deaths / 100’000 births

Adult literacy rate Men

Women 43% 13%

Gross domestic product GDP (per capita) US$ 362.4

Average annual growth (GDP) 5.3%

Some 6 million Afghans face chronic or seasonal shortages of food (corresponding to roughly one-fifth of the population)

45% of all school-age children remain out of school 80% of the rural population drinks contaminated water; forest-cover cut in half since 1978;

only 6% have access to regular electricity supply Sources:

World Bank Development Indicators 2007 •

IMF World Economic Outlook 2007 •

MDG Country Report Afghanistan 2005 •

Annex II

Political Map of Afghanistan

(highlighted in green: SDC’s priority provinces in the livelihood programme)

annex

Annex III

Ethno-linguistic Groups in Afghanistan

iranian TurkiC oTher

Baloch Kirghiz Brahui

Aimak Turkmen Nuristani

Hazara Uzbek

Pashtun Sparsely populated

Durrani, Ghilzai

Qizilbash Tajik

Annex IV

Interim Afghan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS)

p il la rs , s e ct o rs & th e m e s f o r t h e i-a n d s Pi llar 1 Se cu ri ty Pi llar 2 g ov er n an ce , ru le o f L a w & h um an ri gh ts Pi llar 3 ec on om ic a n d S o ci al D ev el op m en t Se ct or 1 Se cu ri ty Se ct or 2 G ov er na nce , Ru le o f L aw & H um an R ig ht s Se ct or 3 In fr as tr uc tu re an d N at ur al Re so ur ce s Se ct or 4 Ed uc at io n Se ct or 5 H eal th Se ct or 6 A gr ic ul tu re & Ru ra l D ev el op m ent Se ct or 7 So ci al Pr ot ec tio n Se ct or 8 Ec on om ic G ov er na nc e & Pr iv at e Se cto r D ev el op m ent G en de r E qu ity ( cr os s-cu ttin g t he m e 1 ) C ou nt er N ar co tic s ( cr os s-cu ttin g t he m e 2 ) Re gi on al C oo pe ra tio n ( cr os s-cu ttin g t he m e 3 ) A nt i-C or ru pt io n ( cr os s-cu ttin g t he m e 4 ) En vi ro nm en t ( cr os s-cu ttin g t he m e 5 )

annex

Annex V

SDC’s Medium-Term Strategy for Afghanistan 2008–2011

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To contribute to a sustainable poverty reduction and a secure environment ensuring inclusion and equal access

for all men and women to rights, goods and services through strengthening of public and private actors.

Annex VI

SDC’s Financial Commitment in Afghanistan 2000–2011

annex

Annex VII

Security and Political Scenarios Afghanistan

a ) p o li ti ca l st a b ili sa ti o n b ) W e a k s ta te – d e fi ci e n t s e cu ri ty (s ta tu s q u o) c) p o li ti ca l d e st a b ili sa ti o n d ) C o u n tr yw id e b re a k d o w n

+

–

Se cu rit y + p ol iti ca l en vi ro nm en t Po lit ic al s ta bi lit y • Se cu ri ty s itu at io n c on si de r-• ab ly im pr ov ed N at io na l r ec on ci lia tio n o n • tra ck H um an R ig ht s + T ra ns i-• tio na l J us tic e im pr ov ed A rm ed c on fli ct in S ou th • Po lit ic al + s ec ur ity t en si on s • in r es t o f c ou nt ry W ea k g ov er nm en t s tr uc-• tu re , m ain ly o n l oc al l ev el H um an r ig ht a bu se s • Se cu ri ty s ta bi lis ed a t a c os t • of c om pr om is in g d em o-cr at ic a ch ie ve m en ts H ar dl in er s in g ov er nm en t • H um an R ig ht s a bu se s • in cr ea se d C ou nt ry w id e a rm ed c on fli ct • an d in se cu ri ty Pa rt ia l o r c om pl et e b re ak -• do w n o f d em oc ra tic in st itu -tio ns a nd s ta te s tr uc tu re s M as si ve v io la tio ns o f I H L • an d h um an r ig ht s M ai n r esp on se s En ha nc ed D ev el op m en t • Fo cu s o n n at io na l + l oc al • go ve rn an ce H um an ita ri an A id r es tr ic te d • to e m er ge nc ie s a nd r ap id re sp ons e C on tin ue d D ev el op m en t • H um an ita ri an A id s til l • ne ed ed Fo cu s o n H um an R ig ht s + • IH L ( Pr ot ec tio n) C on tin ue d D ev el op m en t • H um an ita ri an A id d ec lin es • Po lic y d ia lo gu e in cr ea se s • Fo cu s o n H um an R ig ht s, • in cl us io n + e qu al ity D ev el op m en t s to ps • H um an ita ri an A id in cr ea se s • co ns id er abl y Fo cu s o n I H L + H um an • Ri gh ts in c on fli ct M ai n p ar tn er s + m od e o f w or k G ov er nm en t + c iv il s oc ie ty Ci vi l S oc ie ty , g ov er nm en t a s m uc h a s p os sib le , c om m un i-tie s Ci vi l S oc ie ty , c om m un iti es , re du ce d c oo pe ra tio n w ith g ov -er nm en t Lo ca l a nd in te rn at io na l N G O s; p ot en tia lly c ro ss -bo ar de r o pe ra tio ns

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Annex VIII

List of SDC’s Ongoing Projects in Afghanistan

d ev elo p m ent C o o p er a ti o n # n a m e d ur a ti on (c urr en t ph ase ) Con tr ibu ti on (C h f) im p lem en ti n g p a rtne r p roj ec t d es cr ip ti o n Li ve lih oo d 1 Im pr ov in g L iv el ih oo ds o f R ur al C omm un iti es 1. 4. 20 06 –3 1. 12 .0 8 3, 55 8, 000 H elv eta s Im pr ov in g a cc es s t o b et te r q ua lit y e du ca tio n s ys te m s, de cr ea sin g h ea lth v ul ne ra bi lit ie s, in cr ea sin g c ap ac ity t o de ve lo p f ar m a nd n on -f ar m m ar ke ts , in cr ea sin g in co m es th ro ug h a da pt at io n o f p ro du ct io n a nd m ar ke tin g. 2 Li ve lih oo d I m pr ov em en t P ro je ct Sam an gan 1. 5.2 0 06 –3 0. 4. 09 2, 36 8, 000 A fg ha n A id In cr ea sin g l iv el ih oo d o pt io ns t hr ou gh b ui ld in g s el f-su s-ta in ed l oc al g ov er na nc e s tr uc tu re s. D om ain s: e du ca tio n (in cl . l ite ra cy) , d rin kin g w at er a nd i rr ig at io n, a cc es s t o he al th f ac ili tie s a nd e du ca tio n, in co m e g en er at io n. 3 G ov er nm en t S ch oo l S up po rt P ro -gr am m e 1. 10.2 0 06 –3 0. 9. 09 4, 03 5, 0 0 0 A ga K ha n Fou nd ati on In cr ea sin g c ap ac ity a nd e ff ic ie nc y o f r ur al p rim ar y s ch oo ls th ro ug h t ea ch er t ra in in g a nd p ro vi si on o f in st ru ct io na l m at er ia ls , e nh an cin g c om m un ity p ar tic ip at io n in s ch oo l ac tiv iti es , im pr ov in g m an ag em en t a nd t ra in in g c ap ac ity o f M in is tr y o f E du ca tio n D ep ar tm en ts a nd in st itu tio ns . 4 N at io na l S ol id ar ity P ro gr am m e NS P 1. 11. 20 06 –3 1. 10 .0 9 4, 900 ,000 M in is tr y f or R ur al Re ha bi lit at io n a nd D ev el op m en t M RR D Su pp or t a nd s tre ng th en t he G ov er nm en t t o e ff ic ie nt ly m an -ag e o ne o f i ts n at io na l p rio rit y p ro gr am s a im ed a t e na bl in g th e l oc al c om m un iti es t o r ec ei ve b lo ck g ra nt in st al m en ts t o fu nd s m al l in fr as tr uc tu re s ub -p ro je ct s. 5 St re ng th en in g F oo d S ec ur ity a nd Li ve lih oo ds in B ad ak hs ha n 1. 4. 20 07 –3 1. 3. 10 1,1 55 ,0 0 0 O xf am G B In cr ea sin g c ro p p ro du ct iv ity ; im pr ov em en t o f d ie t a nd d iv er -si fic at io n, o f a nim al h us ba nd ry p ra ct ic es , a nd o f t he s oc ia l an d e co no m ic s ta tu s/ ro le o f w om en ; r ed uc in g d eg ra da tio n of e nv iro nm en t, s tre ng th en in g l oc al g ov er na nc e s tr uc tu re s. 6 Li ve lih oo d I m pr ov em en t P ro -gr am m e Tak har 1. 4. 20 07 –3 1. 3. 10 1,8 30 ,0 0 0 Te rr e d es H om m es Laus an ne Im pr ov em en t o f h yg ie ne a nd a cc es s t o h ea lth s er vi ce s, s up -po rt in g a nd t ra in in g f ar m er s t o a ss ur e t he ir f oo d s ec ur ity an d h ig he r in co m es , f os te r c hi ld re n a nd y ou th : l ite ra cy cl as se s ( w in te r s ch oo ls ), c ul tu ra l a ct iv iti es a nd s ki lls .

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# n a m e d ur a ti on (c urr en t ph ase ) Con tr ibu ti on (C h f) im p lem en ti n g p a rtne r p roj ec t d es cr ip ti o n g ov er na nc e 1 Ci vi l S oc ie ty a nd H um an R ig ht s N et w or k C SH RN 1. 6. 20 06 –3 1. 5. 08 600 ,000 So ci et y f or T hr ea t-en ed P eo pl es / D an is h I ns tit ut e f or H um an R ig ht s St re ng th en in g r ul e o f l aw a nd r es pe ct f or h um an r ig ht s in A fg ha ni st an t hr ou gh in cr ea sin g t he u nd er st an din g o f hu m an r ig ht s c on ce pt s a m on g c iv il s oc ie ty o rg an is at io ns an d t hr ou gh p ub lic h um an -r ig ht s a w ar en es s r ai sin g. 2 La w & O rd er T ru st F un d f or A fgh an is tan L O TF A 1. 7.2 0 06 –3 0. 6. 08 2, 51 7, 000 U N DP Es ta bl is hm en t a nd m ak in g o pe ra tio na l t he e le ct ro ni c p ay-ro ll s ys te m a t M in is tr y o f I nt er io r a nd m ain st re am in g g en -de r in t he N at io na l P ol ic e F or ce s by r ec ru itin g a nd t ra in in g 30 0 p ol ic e w om en . 3 Ci vi l S er vi ce L ea de rs hip D ev el op -m en t C SL D 1. 12 .2 0 06 –3 0. 6. 08 96 0, 000 U N DP Bu ild in g c ap ac ity o f t he c iv il s er vi ce l ea de rs hip t hr ou gh tra in in g o f 5 50 t op , s en io r a nd e m er gin g c iv il s er va nt s. 4 A fg ha ni st an Ci vi l S oc ie ty F or um 1. 3. 20 06 –3 1. 12 .0 8 73 0, 000 A fg ha n Ci vi l So ci et y F or um A C SF Pr om ot e t he d ev el op m en t o f c iv il s oc ie ty o rg an iz at io ns th ro ug h e st ab lis hm en t o f a n et w or k a m on g t he m s o t ha t th ey h av e a v oi ce o n t he m ain i ss ue s in flu en cin g p ro -p oo r po lic ies . 5 N at io na l H um an R ig ht s P ro -gr am m e fo r A fgh an is tan 1. 5.2 0 06 –3 0. 4. 09 3, 000 ,000 A fg ha n Inde pe nde nt H um an R ig ht s C om -m is si on ( A IH RC ) Es ta bl is hm en t a nd c ap ac ity d ev el op m en t o f t he n at io na l In de pe nd en t H um an R ig ht s C om m is si on , c ap ab le t o a dv o-ca te , m on ito r a nd p ro te ct t he r ig ht s o f A fg ha ns . 6 Ex pa nd in g A cc es s t o J us tic e P ro -gr am m e 1. 6. 20 07 –3 1. 5. 09 65 0, 000 G lo ba l R ig ht s C on du ct o f l eg al t ra in in g in t he l aw f ac ul tie s o f t w o u ni ve r-si tie s, a nd b ui ld in g t he p ra ct ic al s ki lls o f t he f ut ur e g en er a-tio n o f l eg al a nd h um an -r ig ht s p ro fe ss io na ls . 7 A fg ha ni st an S ub -n at io na l G ov er na nce P ro gr am m e 15 .1 2. 20 07 –3 0.1 1. 09 3, 000 ,000 U N DP Su pp or t a nd s tre ng th en t he g ov er na nc e in st itu tio ns a t su b-na tio na l l ev el in o rd er t o e ns ur e q ua lit y p ub lic-se rv ic e de liv er y t hr ou gh a dv oc ac y, p ol ic y a dv ic e a nd c ap ac ity de ve lo pm ent . 8 U N IF EM T ru st F un d 1.1 2. 20 07 –3 0.1 1. 09 500 ,000 UNI FE M St re ng th en in g a nd e xp an din g n at io na l c ap ac ity f or t he pr ev en tio n o f s ex ua l a nd g en de r-ba se d v io le nc e, a s w el l a s pr ot ec tio n o f w om en a t r is k a nd v ic tim s o f v io le nc e. 9 A fg ha ni st an E du ca tio n P ro -gr am m e 1. 6. 20 07 –3 1. 5. 10 62 5, 000 BBC In fo rm at io n p ro vi si on , a w ar en es s-ra is in g a nd p ro m ot io n o f de ve lo pm en t in r eg ar d t o r ec on ci lia tio n, n at io n- a nd p ea ce bu ild in g p ro ce ss es , G ov er na nc e a nd H IV /A ID S.

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Annex VIII

List of SDC’s Ongoing Projects in Afghanistan (cont.)

# n am e d u ra ti on (cu rr en t p ha se ) C on tri b ut ion (C hf ) im p lem ent in g p a rt n e r p ro je ct d e sc ri p ti o n g ov er n anc e (c ont in ue d) 10 A fg ha ni st an R es ea rc h & E va lu a-tio n U ni t 1. 1. 20 0 8 –3 1. 12 .1 0 1, 55 0, 000 A fgh an is tan Re se arc h a nd E va lu -at io n U ni t Su pp or t A RE U i n p ro du ci ng a nd d is se m in at in g r es ea rc h pu bl ic at io ns o n t he m at ic a re as l ik e G ov er na nc e, P ol iti cs , Ec on om y, L iv el ih oo ds , N at ur al R es ou rc es M an ag em en t, G en de r, H ea lth e tc ., i n o rd er t o i nf lu en ce n at io na l p ol ic ie s. 11 Sp or t f or W om en 1. 12 .2 0 0 4 –t bd 29 3, 5 0 0 Sp or ts s an s Fr ont iè re s Pr om ot io n o f e as y a cc es s t o s po rt s a nd e du ca tio n f or w om -en a nd g ir ls , t ra in in g o f w om en s po rt s i ns tr uc to rs , c re at io n of s po rt c en tr e i n K ab ul , e ns ur in g i ns tit ut io na l a nd f in an ci al su st ai na bi lit y o f t he c en tr e a nd i ts a ct iv iti es . O ther s 1 Ve rt ic al S ha ft B ri ck K iln V SB K 1. 5. 20 0 6 –3 0. 4.0 9 1, 35 6, 000 SK AT Su pp or t V SB K – a n e ne rg y e ff ic ie nt a nd e nv iro nm en ta lly sa fe t ec hn ol og y t ra ns fe r t o A fg ha ni st an . 2 Sm al l A ct io ns S w is s C oo pe ra tio n O ff ic e A fgh an is tan 1. 3.2 0 07 –2 8 .2 .0 9 5 00 ,000 Va ri ou s Sm al l-pr oj ec t c on tr ib ut io ns i n t he d om ai ns o f: G en de r, Le ga l A id , M ot he r a nd C hi ld H ea lth , P ea ce B ui ld in g, C ul -tu re , C ap ac ity B ui ld in g, e tc . h u m ani tar ian a id # n am e d u ra ti on (cu rr en t p ha se ) C on tri b ut ion (C hf ) im p lem ent in g p a rt n e r p ro je ct d e sc ri p ti o n 1 U N H C R 2 0 0 8 1. 1. 20 0 8 –3 1. 12 .0 8 5 00 ,000 U NH CR Su pp or t a nd r ei nt eg ra tio n o f r ef ug ee s a nd I D Ps . 2 IC RC 2 0 0 8 1. 1. 20 0 8 –3 1. 12 .0 8 1, 200 ,000 IC RC A nn ua l P ro gr am m e C on tr ib ut io n 3 W FP A A 2 0 0 8 1. 1. 20 0 8 –3 1. 12 .0 8 5 00 ,000 W FP A nn ua l P ro gr am m e C on tr ib ut io n 4 A fg ha ni st an N G O S af et y O ff ic e (A N SO) 1. 7.2 0 07 –3 0. 6. 0 8 31 9, 3 0 0 A N SO Sa fe ty a nd s ec ur ity s er vi ce s t o ( I-)N G O s w or ki ng i n A fgh an is tan . 5 W at er a nd S an ita tio n P ro gr am m e / D ro ug ht R es po ns e N or th er n A fgh an is tan 1. 5. 20 07 –3 0. 6.0 8 46 8, 74 5 M RR D ; H el ve ta s, D AC A A R Im m ed ia te a cc es s t o s af e d ri nk in g w at er s up pl y ( co ns tr uc -tio n o f w at er p oi nt s a nd s an ita ry l at ri ne s) , h yg ie ne e du ca -tio n, e st ab lis hm en t o f c om m un ity -b as ed m ai nt en an ce . 6 Se ed & F er til iz er a ut um n 2 0 07 1. 5. 20 07 –3 1. 6. 0 8 62 5, 000 FA O Fo od s ec ur ity o f v ul ne ra bl e r ur al h ou se ho ld s i n s el ec te d ar ea s a ff ec te d b y d is as te rs (f lo od s, d ro ug ht s) th ro ug h p ro vi -si on o f i m pr ov ed w he at s ee d a nd f er til iz er s.

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Annex IX

Swiss Organisations in Afghanistan

o rg a n is a ti on p ro je ct n a m e / p ro je ct a re a fu n d in g a g en cy / don or lo ca tio n r em ar k s So ci et y f or T hr ea t-en ed P eo ple s Ci vi l S oc ie ty a nd H um an R ig ht s N et w or k SDC , D en m ar k Co untr y-w id e G lo ba l H op e N et w or k I nt . A gr ic ul tu re , S ol ar o ve n, in co m e g en er at io n H Q s in G en eva a nd O rla nd o ( U SA ) H el veta s Te ac he r t ra in in g a nd v oc at io na l s ch oo l H elv eta s G ha zn i a nd B am ia n W ith N G O S hu ha da Im pr ov em en t o f L iv el ih oo d f or R ur al C om m un iti es SDC Sa m an ga n, B ag hl an , Bam ian W at er & S an ita tio n H elv eta s Sam an gan W at er & S an ita tio n W or ld B an k Sam an gan W ith M RR D W at er & S an ita tio n SDC Sam an gan W ith M RR D In te rco op era tio n N at io na l U ni on f or H or tic ul tu re D ev el op m en t in A . W or ld B an k Co untr y-w id e N at io na l S ol id ar ity P ro gr am m e va rio us H era t St re ng th en in g S er vi ce P ro vi si on in t he H or tic ul tu re Va lu e C ha in s Pip el in e; in n eg ot ia tio n w ith SDC M ed air Pr im ar y h ea lth c ar e; W at er & S an ita tio n; E m er ge nc y Re sp ons e va rio us Ba da kh sh an , Ba m ia n, W ar da k SK AT Ve rt ic al S ha ft B ric k K iln SDC Kab ul Ter re d es H om m es Lau sa nn e M ot he r a nd C hi ld H ea lth va rio us Kan dah ar U nt il e nd 2 0 06 c o-fin an ce d by SDC M ot he r a nd C hi ld H ea lth va rio us Kab ul St re et -C hi ld re n P ro je ct va rio us N an gar har (T or kh an ) C hi ld -R ig ht s C on so rt iu m Kab ul Td H i s L ea d a ge nc y Li ve lih oo d I m pr ov em en t SDC Tak har N ot e: B es id es t he se N G O s ( an d p os sib ly o th er s) , t he I C RC i s p re se nt in A fg ha ni st an w ith a b ig p ro gr am m e a nd a n um be r o f S w is s e xp at ri at es . M or eo ve r, t he re a re a n um be r o f p ri va te S w is s in iti at iv es w ith a ct iv iti es in A fg ha ni st an . St at us : D ec em be r 2 0 07

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