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Rebuilding Afghanistan
Weekly Activity Update for March 12 - March 18
Issue #79
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| First Lady Laura Bush visits with Minister Jalal and
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Ms. Paykan.
Photo courtesy of State Department.
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| Secretary Rice visits with Dr. Jalal and Iraq’s Minister
Othman at the Women’s Day photo exhibit.
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| Men and women’s shuras from a Kabul neighborhood
pledge to take a leadership role in one of the Land Titling
and Economic Restructuring Project’s pilot efforts to involve
the community in addressing the problem of tenure
insecurity
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Strengthening the Government
Women Ministerial Delegation visits Washington, DC
“In Afghanistan, we women have our rights: they are guaranteed in
the new Constitution. But the reality in Afghanistan is that women
will never find equality unless they have education and health
care.” This strong message was delivered by the new Minister of
Women’s Affairs, Dr. Masoouda Jalal, in her visit to Washington
March 5-11. It was echoed repeatedly by her colleagues, Mrs.
Suraya Paykan, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, and Dr.
Nadera Hayt Burhani, Deputy Minister of Reproductive Health and
Mother and Child Health of the Ministry of Public Health. The
delegation met with the President and Mrs. Bush, Secretary of
State Rice, Under Secretary of State Dobriansky, House and
Senate members, Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz, civil
society organizations, and the press. On March 8, International
Women’s Day, USAID hosted a reception and photo exhibit to
honor women of Afghanistan, Iraq and tsunami-affected countries.
Secretary of State Rice, Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchinson and
USAID Administrator Natsios spoke, along with the women’s
ministers from Afghanistan and Iraq. To support the Afghan
Ministry of Women’s Affairs to develop its efforts in advocacy,
policy, and programming in 17 provincial women’s centers, USAID
committed $2.5 million in funding.
Economic Governance: Land Titling
Proper ownership records are an essential foundation for
economic growth. A real estate title is the most common form of
collateral for commercial lending which, in turn, supports new
business start-ups, business expansion and education. Working
in cooperation with shuras and other Afghan institutions, the
LTERA (Land Titling & Economic Restructuring in Afghanistan)
project will identify broadly acceptable, easy-to-implement
methods of formalizing property ownership in order to improve
tenure security of urban dwellers. Tenure insecurity is a
constant concern for many Afghans, the majority of whom have
no legal title to their homes.
On March 5, in Kabul’s District 7, the men and women’s shuras
(traditional Afghan bodies for resolving community problems)
met with LTERA staff to discuss tenure and related issues
surrounding land titling. The shuras pledged to work together
with LTERA to engage the community in identifying mechanisms
for dispute resolution that will accelerate the process of land
titling. LTERA and the shuras agreed that District 7 will serve as
one of two pilot neighborhoods for a local LTERA office. The
office will promote efforts to clarify property rights for both men
and women.
Severe Winter Effects Continue
Record snowfall likely to result in
significant flooding
Afghanistan’s record snowfall and severe
weather conditions this winter have
significantly affected the lives and
livelihoods of everyone in Afghanistan -
from the Kam Air plane crash to the
distribution of critical medical supplies and
food aid. Often heavy snowfall leads to
secure water supply, but due to recent
above-normal precipitation and
temperatures, experts expect Afghanistan
to experience significant flooding. For
example, the accompanying graph
indicates a 150% increase in snow water
volume for the Kajaki basin (highlighted in
blue on the map) compared to last year.
Security Incidents
Note: Hostile attacks are reported through USAID's security contractors and the Associated Press
- Number of Hostile Attacks: During this reporting period, there were four hostile attacks resulting in nine injuries, one death, and one kidnapping and subsequent release.
- USAID Related: During this reporting period, there were no hostile attack directly affecting USAID related projects
and/or staff. There were two other attacks against other aid agencies and NGOs.
- Latest Attack: On March 9 in Maimana, Fayrab Province, two explosions took place in front of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (CHA) training center. Three police officers and one local person were injured. One man was kidnapped and released the following morning. The governor of Fayrab Province has set a deadline for the
investigation and arrest of the perpetrators. CHA is an Afghan national organization that implements health projects
in rural areas.
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This graphic shows the number of hostile attacks by month.
In September 2004, there were 7 hostile incidents directly affecting USAID related activities and 17 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In October 2004, there were 3 hostile incidents directly affecting USAID related activities and 18 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In November 2004, there were 2 hostile incidents directly affecting USAID related activities and 10 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In December 2004, there were 3 hostile incidents directly affecting USAID related activities and 4 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In January 2005, there was 1 hostile incident directly affecting USAID related activities and 8 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In February 2005, there were 2 hostile incidents directly affecting USAID related activities and 5 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In March 2005, there has been 1 hostile incident directly affecting USAID related activities and 10 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities. ANSO Security Reporting began in September 2004.
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