28 January 2010
New programmes to strengthen Afghan governance and help Afghanistan’s farmers to increase their productivity were announced at the Afghanistan London Conference today.
The funding, from the Department for International Development, will total £72 million to support four new programmes that will:
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said:
“It’s crucial that ordinary Afghans have confidence in their government. The majority of Afghans come into contact with the government at a local level – but this is where systems are at their weakest.
“The new funding announced today will help improve the lives of ordinary Afghans, giving them access to better justice, better-performing local government, and better government support for agriculture.
1. The UK will make a £23.6 million contribution over the next four years to support the Afghan Government's Independent Directorate of Local Governance's (IDLG) Sub-national Governance Programme. This internationally supported programme will give the IDLG the funds and expertise it needs to set up effective procedures and rules. It will also help to train twelve thousand civil servants in core administrative roles to ensure more accountable and effective governance across the country's 34 provinces.
2. This will be backed up by a further £9.5 million over the next three years to finance a project to give provincial governors incentives to better performance on the ground by giving them increased funding if they meet targets. The British-backed element of the scheme will operate in Helmand where Governor Gulab Mangal has worked closely with the British-run Provincial Reconstruction Team and also in the provinces of Khost, Herat and Panjshir. Many governors lack the money and staff to run even the most rudimentary administrations and the cash incentives linked to improved performance will help to solve the funding crisis.
3. A further £19 million has been specifically earmarked for Helmand to allow DFID and the Civil and Military Mission to Helmand to give extra local emphasis to the sub-national governance programme in the province, one of the poorest in Afghanistan. The money will make it easier for ordinary people to get justice and hold criminals to account more effectively, in an area where the Taliban used to dispense extreme punishments.
4. The final £20 million of aid will go to help the Ministry of Agriculture in a scheme being drawn up to help the ministry restructure and reform. The scheme will help the ministry deliver quality services to support Afghan farmers to raise productivity and therefore their income.
For further information contact Chris Kiggell on 020 70230504 or email c-kiggell@dfid.gov.uk
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