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USAID/OTI Afghanistan Field Report

May 2002

Program Description

USAID/OTI's program goal is to support the process of recovery, rehabilitation and political development in post-conflict Afghanistan. Working with a number of local and international partners, OTI's program is building citizen confidence in the progress of political development, empowering citizens to address basic community needs, and building an alliance between legitimate government structures and citizens. In addition, OTI supports efforts to increase news and information about the Loya Jirga process and to strengthen independent media. OTI's estimated budget for FY2002 is $16,500,000.

Country Situation

Progress continued in the first and second phases of preparation for the Loya Jirga. In the first stage of the elections, towns and villages selected 16,000 delegates to represent over 400 districts. In the second stage, these district assemblies were reduced to some 1,050 people who will represent the country's 32 provinces. Under the Bonn Agreement, the Loya Jirga will determine a two-year transitional government until elections are held.

In May, the U.N. Security Council approved a six-month extension for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul. In Khost, British marines were attacked and a potential attack on an airfield used by Coalition forces was thwarted. In another incident, two rockets launched from the surrounding mountains landed at Jalalabad's airport.

Also in May, the pace of Afghan refugees returns remained steady, with a total of more than 725,000 returns since March 1.

OTI Highlights

A. Narrative Summary

Highlights of OTI's work in Afghanistan during the month of May include:

• funding for media support to the Loya Jirga;
• coordinating with U.S. Civil Military Affairs on projects and USAID staff travel;
• working with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to rehabilitate Afghanistan Interim Administration (AIA) ministry buildings and rehabilitate kindergartens to encourage women employees to return to work;
• making public information about new projects that are supporting the new government Ministries in Kabul;
• hiring a local program manager through the SWIFT contract;
• insuring that management systems are in good working order for both the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Afghanistan Transitional Initiative (ATI) and the SWIFT contractor (RONCO);
• conducting assessments of new project ideas;
• monitoring the results of the first Internews journalist training in Kabul;
• expanding the IOM-ATI project to include placement of a program manager in Bamyan province.

OTI continues to coordinate some of its activities with the U.S. Military Civil Affairs contingent. For example, at the request of their Kabul office, OTI organized an assessment mission with OFDA, IOM, and U.S. Military Civil Affairs representatives to the Ghazi damn located one hour southeast of Kabul. The damn provides irrigation for about 10,000 farmers, but has progressively silted up. As a result of the visit, USAID/OTI requested its implementing partner, IOM, to work with the Minister of Irrigation on completing a rapid engineering study prior to funding a larger rehabilitation effort.

OTI has begun discussions with the U.S. Military Civil Affairs in Kabul regarding USAID staff travel to Khandahar, Kunduz, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Bamyan provinces. In accordance with U.S. Embassy security requirements, USAID staff members will be allowed to travel to the four provinces during the month of June 2002 to collaborate on USAID projects with IOM, CHCL, other donors, local communities, the Afghan Interim Administration, and local and international NGOs.

As part of OTI's assistance to the AIA Ministries in Kabul, OTI's country representative recently held meetings with the UNDP Program Implementation Unit to follow-up on a UNDP assessment of AIA ministry building rehabilitation needs. OTI is prepared to provide support for a dozen ministries. For its part, the UNDP agreed to loan its six engineers to OTI during the duration of the project. Based on OTI's experience supporting the kindergarten for the Ministry of Agriculture, which will enable more women employees to return to work, OTI has begun working with USAID's gender specialist to assist in designing a standard kindergarten that could be built into each of the grants.

During the reporting period, USAID/OTI SWIFT contractor, Ronco, hired nearly all key local staff, including a new program manager. Ronco is in the process of rehabilitating office space and workstations are being made available for all USAID technial specialists hired through IOMTechnical specialists currently in-country are for agriculture, health, education, and gender.

OTI signed the following 23 small grants during the current reporting period:

B. Grants Activity Summary for OTI Programming in Afghanistan for May 2002

C. Indicators of Success

An Internews-trained journalist (left) receives a certificate of completion from USAID Mission Director, Craig Buck. Fifteen journalists were trained in advance of the Emergency Loya Jirga to be held in June, 2002. Photo by Karma Lively, USAID/OTI.

OTI is working closely with the U.S. Embassy public affairs officer to produce press releases regarding new and completed projects and to insure Afghans' awareness of projects supported by the U.S. Government that are being conducted in collaboration with the Afghan Interim Administration. Signing ceremonies this month were attended by the U.S. Ambassador, the Deputy Chief of Mission, and/or the USAID Mission Mirector to promote greater media coverage. For infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction projects, plaques are being made that will indicate to the Afghan population that the projects were provided by the U.S. government, through USAID, in collaboration with the AIA.

OTI grantee, Internews, completed its first training of sixteen radio journalists from radio stations in Kabul, Gardez, Khost, Jalalabad, Jabul Saraj, Kandahar, heart, and Mazar-I-Sharif in the principles of balanced reporting and journalistic ethics, and were given hands-on experience in radio production. This training comes at a critical juncture in Afghanistan's history, only weeks before representatives at the Emergency Loya Jirga will choose a transitional government to govern the country for the next 18 months. USAID Mission Director and Internews Project Director awarded certificates to the participants at a special ceremony at the end of the three-week course. Other courses are being organized in Kabul, including another three-week training session in July, and computer training for Bakhtar News Agency, Kabul University Journalism Faculty, Radio Afghanistan and for various publications. Management training will also be provided.

Also in May, USAID/OTI funded a grant to the Afghan Central Bank, a portion of which will be used to pay for the Bank's membership in the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). SWIFT is a cooperative venture between some 2,700 users from 67 countries to send securities payments, account reporting and settlement, securities statements, corporate action messages, capital and income messages, and trading instructions. Membership for the Afghan Central Bank will allow for the transfer of money between Afghanistan and the international financial community and a communications link between the Bank's head office in Kabul and regional centers in Herat, Kandahar, Nangahar, and Mazar-e-Sharif. The communications link will be accompanied by the provision of ten computers, six printers, software, and training for bank staff. The assistance, at the request of the Governor of the Central Bank, is expected to very quickly improve the Bank's ability to serve the needs of the government of Afghanistan, donor agencies, NGOs and others by enabling the Bank to transfer funds throughout the country. Present at a signing ceremony were Bank Governor Dr. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, U.S. Ambassador, Robert P. Finn, and USAID Mission Director, Craig Buck. Following the ceremony, international journalists directed questions to the three.

NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES

During the month of June, OTI will focus on continuing media support and other stopgap measures for the Emergency Loya Jirga, thus ensuring that Radio Afghanistan can begin broadcasting Nationwide in early June. Additional priorities include hiring staff and making public information about new projects that support the new government (AIA) in Kabul.