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Rebuilding Afghanistan

Weekly Activity Update for January 1 - 24, 2005
Issue #72

Strengthening the Government

Property records in Kunduz province BEFORE reorganization

Reorganization of property records in Kunduz province underway

Newly rehabilitated Ghorband district courthouse in Parwan

• Reorganization of property records in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, and Parwan provinces. Property records have been catalogued more efficiently, reducing access time from two-three months to just fifteen minutes. Reorganization of Ghazni and Takhar provincial records are starting this week.
• Afghans were hired and trained to electronically input deed information into a database system using digital cameras rather than traditional scanners, allowing more efficient and accurate access to records.

• Two SOEs were sold to a foreign agro-industrial group; six other negotiations are underway.
• A Social Safety Net program is currently completed in draft, aimed at assisting SOE workers with retraining or assistance with new employment or retirement.
• Surveys of excess SOE land underway. Estimates show that 70% of all SOE assets are in excess land, translating into significant growth potential for the private sector.

• Completed rehabilitation of the Balkh provincial appeals court and a new courthouse in Ghorband district. In total, fifteen judicial facilities have been rehabilitated or constructed, eleven more are underway.
• Started two English literacy training courses for Legislative Drafting Department staff at the Ministry of Justice, enabling them to conduct better comparative research in the course of their legislative drafting work and to work directly on English versions of the draft laws.
• Prepared 1,100 sets of the Constitution and are currently distributing them to judicial personnel around the country. These are also available on a searchable CD-ROM.

Revitalizing Agriculture

Alternative Income Project
As part of the larger counter-narcotics initiative, the Alternative Income Project (AIP) in Helmand province delivers a strong message to communities that the Government of Afghanistan and donors will assist them through emergency programs that will lead to sustainable development. AIP provides immediate cash distributions to communities through labor-intensive activities and uses this economic growth as a foundation for future viable alternatives to poppy. Since early December, AIP has been organizing cash-for-work activities in central and lower Helmand. The project currently employs 5,600 workers and has generated over 100,000 labor-days in drainage and canal rehabilitation projects. AIP workers have cleared more than 100 km of catchdrains to date. AIP is planning activities in upper Helmand and is working closely with Sher Mohammad, governor of Helmand province, who has been helpful in community consultations and resolution of security issues. Also, since arrival in Lashkar Gah, the AIP team has provided local NGOs with grants for community enterprise and social activities reaching vulnerable groups.

• Number of Hostile Attacks: From January 1- 24, there was one direct attack and four indirect attacks on USAID related activities and/or staff. During the reporting period, twenty-five people were injured and two were killed.
• USAID Related: On January 9th, a mine detonated under a Volvo loader Turkish workers were operating on Section F of the Kabul-Kandahar Highway. No one, including the driver, was injured.
• Latest Attack: On January 20th, in Shiberghan, Jawzjan Province, former Defense Minister Abdul Rashid Dostum was the target of a suicide bomb attack at a mosque he attends. Two people died, one body guard and the suicide bomber. Twenty-one people were injured including the head of a Shiberghan hospital, several members of Dostum’s security team, and Dostum’s brother. In a live TV interview later the same day, Dostum specified that his injuries were not serious. To date, there has been no official confirmation as to who ordered the attack.

The graph on the left shows the number of hostile attacks against aid programs. From January 2004 to January 2005, attacks that have affected USAID indirectly have gone from 20 to approximately 160 incidents. During the same time period, attacks affecting USAID directly have gone from roughly 15 to approximately 80 incidents. The bar chart on the right 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 4 indirect hostile incidents affecting USAID activities. ANSO Security Reporting began in September 2004.

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