I thought that to get a better overview of what is going on in Affy, that we should look at what is going on in the aid stakes, to get some news of what is occurring in what is largely an endemically impoverished, refugee population. Lots more to follow!



Australian Aid to Afghanistan

Country program estimate 2009-10: $53.6 million

Estimated total ODA 2009-10: $88.7 million

On 29 April 2009, Prime Minister Rudd made a statement on Australia’s proposed future military and civilian commitment to Afghanistan. The Prime Minister announced increased Australian support through a combination of military, police and civilian efforts including enhanced support for capacity development of the Oruzgan provincial administration.

In line with this statement, on 18 August 2009 Minister Smith announced to Parliament the establishment of a senior AusAID position in Kabul which will lead Australia's development program as well as six new technical experts to support capacity-building assistance to help the Government of Afghanistan deliver services to its people.

The goal of Australia's development assistance program is to strengthen the capacity of Afghan institutions to govern effectively and provide basic services and economic development. Australian aid to Afghanistan is delivered in line with the development priorities of the Government of Afghanistan as articulated in the Afghanistan Compact and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). Emphasis is placed on four key sectors: improving agriculture and rural development, improving basic service delivery, supporting good governance and supporting vulnerable populations.

Australia pledged $110 million at the Bonn Conference in 2004. A further $150 million was pledged at the London Conference in 2006. In Paris in June 2008, Australia pledged $250 million over three years in support of the key goals of the ANDS. This pledge brings Australia’s total commitment to $650 million and signals Australia's ongoing commitment to Afghanistan.

The Australian Government's development assistance program is delivered primarily through AusAID. AusAID works at both the national and provincial level to strengthen the capacity of the Afghan Government to deliver basic services, particularly to women and children. AusAID is planning enhanced support for capacity building in Oruzgan Province, one of the poorest and most undeveloped provinces in the country, which will build on the small scale capacity building activities that have been delivered to date in several sectors. AusAID's program of assistance to Oruzgan also complements the reconstruction activities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Working closely with the ADF, AusAID has provided equipment to the Trade Training School and ADF-rehabilitated hospital in Tarin Kowt.

Australian development assistance is delivered through both bilateral and multi-donor mechanisms. The Development Assistance Facility for Afghanistan is Australia’s flagship bilateral program which has been building capacity of key Government Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Education, and Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

The World Bank is Australia’s key multilateral partner in Afghanistan. It established the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) as an efficient funding mechanism for the Afghan government’s development budget, promoting aid effectiveness and greater donor coordination. Since 2003, Australia has contributed $87 million to the ARTF through the National Solidarity Program, the Education Quality Improvement Program, the National Rural Access Program and the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan. Australian funding to these national priority programs has contributed to the delivery of health, education, rural infrastructure, jobs and microfinance to communities across the country, including in Oruzgan Province.

Other multilateral contributions support the United Nations programs including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). Support is also provided through established international non-government organisations (NGOs).

Achievements of Australia's development assistance program include:

* Australia has delivered various capacity building programs through the Development Assistance Facility for Afghanistan to help build the capacity of key government Ministries. This includes training Afghan master teacher trainers in Malaysia and Australian Development Scholarships, which aim to strengthen human resource capacity of the government.
* Australian aid has contributed to the successful 2004 Presidential and 2005 Parliamentary and Provincial elections and supported preparations for the 20 August 2009 Presidential elections. Media release.
* Assistance has been provided to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to promote, monitor and protect human rights in Afghanistan, which is especially important around the upcoming elections.
* Australian assistance in the health sector has focused on building the capacity of the Ministry of Public Health to deliver health services, and contributed to the provision of emergency health care in remote and conflict affected areas in east and south Afghanistan.
* Australian assistance in the agriculture and rural development sectors has contributed to improved rural livelihoods through research in wheat and maize productivity, improvements inrural water supply and sanitation, irrigation, rural infrastructure, and access to microfinance.
* Australia has supported the provision of emergency food supplies and humanitarian assistance for vulnerable and displaced populations in Afghanistan. Australia has also supported the safe return and protection of refugees and mine action programs.

Further reading

The following provide further information on development in Afghanistan:

* Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS)
* The Afghanistan Compact [PDF 110KB]
* Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) http://www.worldbank.org