Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) in Afghanistan

LINKING RELIEF REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT A two year EC funded project It aims to draw lessons from current experience to inform policy and programmes, for NGOs, donors, international agencies and governmental institutions. The LRRD project focuses on the 6 following sectors:  Agriculture  Irrigation and water supply  Nutrition  Health  Urban Development  Education And includes a team of - 4 technical members from Groupe URD, - two independent consultants, - a pool of junior experts - a project coordinator, permanently based in Kabul - two translators and one logistician - And scientific support from headquarter

Main Objectives  Learning and sharing lessons in this period of political and technical transition, through multi-sector review.  Increasing and sharing knowledge and experience by carrying out applied research in rural and urban settings in specific fields (including food and economic security and urban development): - 5 different agrarian systems throughout Afghanistan - 3 cities (small/middle/big) In partnership with interested NGOs.  Contributing to the capacity building efforts of the relevant ministries and Afghan NGOs through trainings.

Learning and sharing lessons The process:  : 2 multi sector reviews within the framework of the Quality Project. (supported by ECHO, French government and SDC) To date:  an in depth review for each sector - a 3-week multi sector field review  The main findings are presented through a conference or a workshop. At the end of the project, a final publication will be issued.

A multi sector review Purpose of the 3 week field mission:  To get a thorough understanding of the evolution of aid interventions and strategies;  to identify what have been the current opportunities and challenges;  To raise issues pertaining to both cross sector and sector approaches;  stimulate a debate with agencies and key stakeholders. Methodology: Information collected during a 3-week mission:  Review of pertinent available documents  Development of a common framework for analysis before the field trip.  Meetings conducted in Kabul and different provinces  Field visits and observations

The selection of the itinerary: Itinerary:  Kabul, Bamiyan, Samangan, Balkh, Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar, Ghazni, Nangahar, Wardak. Criteria for the itinerary:  Diversity of the provinces in terms of culture, geography and economy.  previously visited provinces during the Quality Project missions.  Balanced representation of different stakeholders (Afghan authorities, UN agencies, Afghan and international NGOs, donors, private sector) Limitations  Logistic constraints: time, access  Security constraints  Language issues  New behaviours of the non state-armed carriers

Agenda of the day  8h30 – 8h45: presentation of Groupe URD, the LRRD project and methodology  8h45 – 10h00: Presentation of the multi and cross sector review and discussion 15 minutes tea break  10h15 – 11h30: In small groups: presentation and discussion of relevant issues and recommendations.  11h30 – 12h30: Restitution of sector groups and conclusions.

A multi and cross-sector approach LRRD Project by Amélie Banzet, Christine Bousquet, Béatrice Boyer, Agnès de Geoffroy, Domitille Kauffmann, Peggy Pascal and Nicolas Rivière

AFGHANISTAN 2006 : processes taking place simultaneously Positive processes: Successful presidential and parliamentary elections; End of the Bonn Process and entry in the London process; Increased capacity of the Afghan authorities; Still resolute engagement of the International Community Negative processes : Growing insecurity encroaching areas previously calm: Metastases from the GWT ? Poppy remaining a difficult problem; Reduction of the areas where civilian aid agencies can work: PRT ? Question in the civil society of the net outcome of the PM election

State Rebuilding At the central level Improved organization at the central level Clarification of roles and responsibilities within and between ministries: an on-going process Pace of development of policies and strategies varies from one ministry to one other depending on external support Nutrition and health Water/agriculture Urban sector But ownership of the Afghan authorities in this process might not have been optimal Limited contributions of NGOs in policy making and strategies design Financial sustainability is a key challenge

State Rebuilding At provincial level Reinforcing of GoA representation: structures have been revised, clarification of roles, responsibilities and functions Provincial Coordination Body (PCB): A recent initiative to improve multi-sector coordination Capacities and means are still limited despite the ongoing administrative reform (PRR process) Wide disparities in terms of competences and limited women representation Issue of governance What should be the roles and responsibilities of the district administration?

Relations between aid stakeholders and the communities (1) Communities are increasingly seen as key actors for their self promotion/development What are the capacities of the communities for assessing needs, implementing project and maintaining new services or created assets? →Two key priorities: raising community awareness and capacity building Increased community participation to improve ownership and sustainability but persistence of conflicting approaches… Although attractive, what are the limits of community participation?

Access to communities is challenged by a number of factors: security, geographical constraints and cultural barriers Is there a trust towards the external aid actors (NGOs and GoA)? Building it is a complex undertaking Behaviors inherited from the emergency period and still encouraged today Relations between aid stakeholders and the communities (2)

Funding uncertainty Institutional Framework Donor’s policy Security Hostility towards NGO’s Physical accessibility Implementing partners (NSP, PPA) Windows of opportunity (advocacy, vulnerable groups, research, etc.) Broaden the scope of intervention Degree of financial independence Length of previous experience in Afghanistan Mandate Changing context PrinciplesLegitimacy Financial vulnerability SurvivalAdded value Multitude of actors (private sector, PRT,communities) Technical expertise Responsiveness (Management, communication, Accountability) Priorities setting Main strategies Core NGOs’ strategic elements Elaborating strategies in a volatile context

Opportunities and challenges within the LRRD framework Social services Scaling up in terms of geographical coverage and scope of activities which place extra demands on human resources and NGO internal systems For education, major efforts on harmonizing service delivery but still some conflicting views on participation and quality For health, building new skills and competences In the health sector potential for building public – private partnership?

Opportunities and challenges within the LRRD framework Social services Strategies General trend for NGOs to implement national policies, which questions the role and the capacity of the GoA in the future NGOs implementing innovative projects for best practices and for marginalized groups. NGOs with added value at provincial level?

EvolutionStrategiesRequired means Shift from a design and implementing role (as almost unique actor) to more limited and specific roles: in a multi-actors environment; within a development approach; with a privatization trend Difficulties to access funds Orientation towards software works and services approach: counseling, organization, community mobilization, research, building up … Towards a merchandization of NGO’s services and competences…? Positive adaptation built on NGO’s competences  Specialization (windows of opportunity)  Setting up of consortium  Diversification (geographical, sector- based, selling out competencies and technical expertise → consulting firm…?) Opportunistic adaptation Accepting funding from any sources (PRT, etc.) Departure from Afghanistan on ethical grounds (in a planned or less planned manner) Adjusting and reinforcing expertise and competences -Specific competences in technical and social Engineering in the relevant sectors -Project management capacities (Diagnostic, M&E) in relation to development approach -Collaboration and communication: partnership, relations to GoA, transfer of experience (capitalization) and information Opportunities and challenges Socio-economic sectors

Afghan State International community Central ProvincialConsultative UNAMA NGO Embassies Groups Multilateral Bilateral Private sector Afghan State Funding mechanisms Projects and programmes Communities International conferences trends Coordination mechanisms

Channelled through or outside GoA Structures Sector and geographic distribution of donor involvement pooling of funds (health, security, governance) short term versus longer term (micro finance); slowly developing absorption capacity and still many difficulties to disburse funds according to planning Fund availability for NGO depending on sector and strategy Past and current trends

AFGHANISTAN 2006 : processes taking place simultaneously Positive processes: Successful presidential and parliamentary elections; End of the Bonn Process and entry in the London process; Increased capacity of the Afghan authorities; Still resolute engagement of the International Community Negative processes : Growing insecurity encroaching areas previously calm: Metastases from the GWT ? Poppy remaining a difficult problem; Reduction of the areas where civilian aid agencies can work: PRT ? Question in the civil society of the net outcome of the PM election