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AFGHANISTAN FACT SHEET JANUARY 2003
TOTAL INTERNATIONAL & UK ASSISTANCE
The international community has provided some $1.8 billion to Afghanistan in
2002 for humanitarian and reconstruction activities. The UK made a five-year
pledge of £200 million bilateral assistance at the Tokyo Conference in January
2002. £55 million has been disbursed this financial year, to date. The UK also
provides significant levels of multilateral assistance through our contributions
to the UN, European Commission (19% of €1 billion over 5 years) and
development banks.
| Sector |
Progress |
Examples of UK assistance |
| Economy |
- A new currency has been issued
- A new financial payments system is being established
- Customs (a major source of potential revenue) reform is underway
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Technical assistance through the Adam Smith Institute to
the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank, including work on the new
currency and budget. |
| Political |
- A broad-based Transitional Authority was elected by a traditional
Loya Jirga in July 2002.
- Full democratic elections are scheduled for 2004.
- 12.5% of delegates at the Loya Jirga in 2002 were women
|
£0.5 million to the UN for the Loya Jirga |
| Health |
- Polio has almost been eradicated.
- 9 million children have been vaccinated against measles, preventing
an estimated 30,000 deaths
|
£2 million to WHO this financial year for public health
services and disease control and policy assistance to the Ministry of
Health. |
| Education |
- 3 million children have returned to school since the fall of the
Taliban.
- There are now 70,000 teachers (a third of whom are women) and 6,500
schools.
- Girls make up 30% of school children.
- WFP provides food for education to encourage enrolment and
attendance.
- 20,000 students sat university entrance exams in March 2002.
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Assistance through UNICEF for their Back to School Campaign
which encouraged children to register as well as provided teaching
materials. Through the UN and NGOs we have supported the refurbishment of
schools throughout Afghanistan. |
| Livelihoods |
- The 2002 harvest saw grain production 80% higher than in 2001. But
more than 4m Afghans remain vulnerable and, without food security.
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Support to the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation to set up a
Livelihoods and Vulnerability Unit. |
| Counter-narcotics |
- President Karzai has committed himself to eradicating poppy
cultivation from Afghanistan.
- The 2002 eradication and compensation scheme destroyed around 25% of
the poppy crop.
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UK is lead nation on counter-narcotics and is working with Afghan
authorities to develop a comprehensive strategy, covering law enforcement
as well as alternative livelihoods. Co-funding a rural livelihoods project
in drug-producing areas of Badakshan Province, implemented by the Aga Khan
Development Network. |
| Infrastructure |
- International donor funding for the refurbishment of the
Kabul-Kandahar-Herat road, Kabul-Jalalabad road, Pakistan border to
Jalalabad road.
- World Bank supporting the rebuilding of Kabul power station and
airport.
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| Security |
- Joint civil-military provincial reconstruction teams are in the
process of being established throughout Afghanistan to spread the
"ISAF effect" beyond Kabul.
- Karzai has issued a decree in December 2002 setting out plans for a
multi-ethnic Afghan National Army.
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HMG has committed £18 million from Global Conflict Prevention Pool to
security sector reform (£1 million to the Human Rights Commission, £10
million for the interim payment of army salaries to the newly trained
force). Secondment of a DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation and
Reintegration) expert to UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan) in Kabul.£1.8 million for
mine action programmes. |
| Humanitarian |
- 60% of families were supported with food aid from October 2001 to
March 2002.
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£11 million to the World Food Programme. £2 million to UN Operations
to help with snow clearance this winter. |
| Refugees/IDPs |
- 1.8 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan mainly from
Pakistan and Iran.
- 400,000 internally displaced people have returned home
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£7 million to UNHCR; £4.5 million to the IOM; £1 million
to UNICEF. |
ONGOING UK PRIORITIES
DFID focuses its technical assistance in the areas below where we have
significant expertise and in order to complement the efforts of other
international donors who are heavily involved in areas such as health, education
and infrastructure. We provide financial assistance in co-ordination with other
donors through multilateral channels, such as the UN, as well as through trust
fund arrangements, such as the World Bank managed Afghanistan Reconstruction
Trust Fund.
Humanitarian needs
Accurate data are lacking but it is estimated that Afghanistan's per capita
GDP ranges between $150-180. An estimated 60-80% of the population (up to 26
million) lives on less than £1 a day or consumes less than the minimum daily
calorific requirement. Over 4 million Afghans still depend on food aid. We must
ensure that as focus shifts to longer-term reconstruction we continue to address
ongoing humanitarian needs. An additional 1.2 million refugees and 300,000 IDPs
are expected to return home in 2003.
Financial Management
We will continue to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Finance
and Central Bank to support the establishment of sound financial management,
budgeting and accountability.
Public Administration Reform
Major reforms of the public service are necessary. We are providing technical
assistance to the Civil Service Commission.
Sustainable Livelihoods and Private Sector Development
We are working with various ministries that deal with rural issues,
agriculture and irrigation to facilitate co-ordination and the development of a
sustainable livelihood strategy, as well as working with the Afghan
administration to look at effective use of water resources and micro-credit.
This will include alternative livelihood efforts for poppy-growing areas.
Security Sector Reform
Security continues to be a key concern. We will work closely with the FCO and
MOD to assist with security sector reform and DDR. DFID has seconded an
ex-British army Colonel to work with Afghanistan on DDR. DFID secondees will
join any UK-led provincial reconstruction teams.
Click here
to link to FCO Afghanistan page
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