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Democracy and Governance
DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE SNAPSHOT
Facilitated the successful
Emergency and Constitutional
Loya Jirgas in 2003
and 2004.
Supported the successful
2004 presidential elections
and 2005 parliamentary
elections.
Constructed 31 justice facilities
to date.
Located, retyped, and republished
the country’s entire
body of law dating back
to 1963.
Trained thousands of
judges, members of parliament,
legislative drafters,
and provincial counselors.
Democracy and
Governance Profile
(pdf - 108k)
CONTACTS
Mission Director
Robin Phillips
USAID/Kabul
6180 Kabul Place
Dulles, VA 20189-6180
Tel: 873-762-311955
Desk Officer
Caroline Brearley
Tel: (202) 712-0324
Email: cbrearley@usaid.gov
www.usaid.gov/afghanistan
Background
In a region where democratic traditions and institutions are still nascent,
Afghanistan has made significant strides since the fall of the Taliban. In
four years, the country has drafted a new constitution; democratically
elected a president, parliament, and provincial councils; and disarmed
more than 60,000 former combatants. At the London Conference in February
2006, the Government of Afghanistan committed to expand its capacity
to provide basic services throughout the country; recruit
competent and credible professionals to public service on the basis of
merit; establish a more effective, accountable and transparent administration
at all levels; implement measurable improvements in fighting corruption,
upholding justice and the rule of law; and promoting respect for
human rights.
Program Overview
Increased Capacity in the Formal Justice Sector
USAID’s Democracy and Governance program supports the establishment
of a broadly accepted national government to promote national
unity and effectively serve the needs of the Afghan people. USAID accomplishes
this by helping create permanent electoral institutions, promoting
good governance reforms, rebuilding the justice system and
strengthening human rights. Programs also support the functioning of
the National Assembly to represent citizens and their interests, building
the capacity of sub national governments, and fostering a more informed,
active, and effective civil society.
Increasing the Competence and Accessibility of the Formal Legal System
USAID’s rule of law program has three main components—building sustainable
capacity for the formal court system, educating citizens about
how the courts operate and their legal and human rights, and helping the
Ministry of Justice collect, index and disseminate Afghan law. The program
supports the Supreme Court in its role of managing the courts, by
providing professional training to judges and strengthening the institutional
capacity of the courts in caseload statistics, budgeting, and management.
All of Afghanistan’s laws have been indexed and scanned, and
a complete electronic set, searchable by title, has been given to Parliament.
A hard copy set of a dozen basic laws has been distributed to all
courthouses countrywide. This program also supports legal education at
the four major universities and has built 31 justice facilities in 15 of 34
provinces.
Strengthening Political Processes
Creating permanent electoral institutions will enable the Government of
Afghanistan to carry out valid, acceptable elections with its own resources
and expertise. It also helps political groups and candidates un derstand how to campaign, form coalitions and operate in a competitive
political system. USAID offered training and support to the candidates,
the election commission, and media in the successful 2005 parliamentary
and provincial elections. In the 2004 presidential elections, assistance
included voter registration, voter education, logistics and security
arrangements at polling stations. USAID also helped facilitate the successful
Emergency and Constitutional Loya Jirgas in 2003 and 2004, by
providing logistical support and assistance to the Constitutional Commission.
Ongoing projects involve specialized seminars for the new members
of the National Assembly and Provincial Councils.
Increasing Presence Accountability and Performance of the Non-Governmental Sector
USAID promotes a strong and active civil society, with an emphasis on
women-focused organizations, by providing technical training and grants
to civil society organizations (CSOs). Nationwide roundtable discussions
helped Afghans articulate their concerns and work toward achieving organizational
goals. This program assists the government and CSOs to
draft new legislation to create an enabling environment for community
volunteerism. In collaboration with the Government of Afghanistan,
USAID helped improve a version of the newly decreed CSO Law which
defines eligibility requirements to become classified as a non-profit organization
and receive tax exempt status. The program has selected
eight regional Afghan organizations to help implement grass-roots training
and institution-building activities. USAID also provides support to free
media through journalism training and support for the establishment and
development of 33 community radio stations. These stations which are
governed by community boards, currently reach over 50% Afghanistan’s
population.
Strengthening Institutions for Good Governance
USAID, together with DFID and UNDP, is providing assistance to the
core offices of the Afghan Presidency, focused on streamlining and
modernization of office functions to facilitate more effective policy support
to the Presidency. USAID actively works with the Members and professional
staff of the newly-elected Afghan National Assembly, the
country’s first ever, multi-party legislature. Assistance focuses on the
establishment of effective committee structures, specialized seminars for
members and staff, and the required information and research infrastructure.
In addition, USAID is assisting the Government of Afghanistan at
both national and provincial levels as it defines the structures of provincial
government. USAID provided facilitators to work with newly-elected
Provincial Councilors in 33 of 34 Provinces, and provided basic skills
training in budgeting, strategic planning and constituency outreach.
Implementing Partners
More Information
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