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Rebuilding Afghanistan
Weekly Activity Update for April 1 - April 8
Issue #82
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| USAID Deputy Administrator Frederick Schieck attended the third annual Afghanistan Development Forum last week.
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| At the ADF, both President Karzai and Ambassador Khalizad discussed their priorities for Afghanistan development
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| Interior of the newly rehabilitated Provincial Court of Appeals in Ghazni.
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| Installation of water lines in Kabul Industrial Park. The small buildings in the background will house electrical and phone utilities. |
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Strengthening Economic Development
Afghanistan Development Forum held last week
The third annual Afghanistan Development Forum (ADF) was held in Kabul April 4-6 on the theme of “Accelerating Economic Development.” Over 300 delegates from the Government of Afghanistan (GOA) and the international donor community attended the conference, including USAID Deputy Administrator Frederick Schieck and USAID/Afghanistan Mission Director Patrick Fine.
President Karzai emphasized two key priorities of the GOA: accelerating the building of physical infrastructure (roads, water and electricity generation in urban areas), and institutional and human resource development. Most notably, he underscored the need to modernize the agriculture sector and increase productivity in order to fight poppy cultivation. U.S. Ambassador Khalilzad informed the ADF that the focus areas for the US Government will be security, private sector economic development, counter-narcotics, capacity and institution building, and contributing to Afghanistan’s role as a land bridge between Central and South Asia.
During the three day event, ADF discussions centered on eight themes:
- Accelerating infrastructure development;
- A pro-poor approach to economic growth and social protection;
- Creating an enabling environment for private sector development;
- Fiscal sustainability & public administration reform;
- Review of the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and other trust funds;
- Strengthening regional cooperation;
- Fighting drugs and alternative livelihood; and
- Security, justice, and equitable political participation.
Supporting Judicial Reform
Provincial Court of Appeals opens in Ghazni
On April 6, Deputy Administrator Frederick Schieck spoke at the opening of the newly rehabilitated Provincial Court of Appeals building in Ghazni province. The ceremony was attended by the Chief of Administration for the Supreme Court, the Chief of Facilities for the Supreme Court, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor from Kabul, the Chief Judge of Ghazni Province, representatives of the Judicial Reform Commission and about 40 other judges, prosecutors and village elders.
USAID rehabilitated and modernized the courthouse, originally built in the 1970s, and added a second story. The design was by an Afghan-American architect, Rafi Samizay, who managed a staff of 16 Afghan architects and engineers. Construction was bid out to a local Afghan construction company.
Strengthening the Government
Three industrial parks under construction
Industrial parks support economic growth in Afghanistan by serving as a mechanism for organizing and concentrating scarce public infrastructure resources. This encourages private investor interest, and generates employment opportunities. There are three industrial parks under various stages of construction in Afghanistan:
- Kabul: Design and contracting stage complete. Though delayed by the severe weather, construction is underway. Thirty-four lots have been sold. Overall, about 65% complete.
- Kandahar: Land preparation, sidewalks, sewage, and drainage designs are complete. Electricity and water supply designs are nearing completion. Overall, about 25% complete.
- Mazar-e Sharif: Land preparation, roads, and sidewalk designs complete. Designs for water supply, sewage, electricity, and communication are underway. Overall, about 10% complete.
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 one death.
- USAID Related: During this reporting period, there were no hostile attacks directly affecting USAID related projects and/or staff. There were four other attacks against other aid agencies and NGOs.
- Last Attack: On March 30, in the Guzarah district of Herat province, three rockets were fired into the Herat Airport. Two rockets struck the western side of the runway and the third rocket landed on the wall of the Airport Security compound, which shares a wall with the UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) compound. The attack did not result in any casualties, and only minor damage to the Airport Security compound fence.
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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 8 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities.
In March 2005, there has been 1 hostile incidents directly affecting USAID related activities and 20 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities. ANSO Security Reporting began in September 2004.
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