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OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS CO-ORDINATOR FOR HUMANITARIAN AND ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN \

FIRST CONSOLIDATED REPORT

ACKU

GENEVA SEPTEMBER 1988 FOREWORD

Since the Office of the Co-ordinator for United Nations Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan was set up in May 1988, we have given the highest priority to developing a comprehensive information system.

The real problems and the necessity for actions in the immediate future to meet the relief and rehabilitation needs relating to Afghanistan demand a balanced approach that makes the best use of whatever information is available and begins to build up a sophisticated information system.

This First Consolidated Report represents a fully collaborative effort by the United Nations system to compile a base-line assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and to formulate multi-sectoral relief and rehabilitation programmes and projects.

In this process we have also established working level contacts with many non-governmental organizations and bilateral donors and look forward to strengthening these over the coming months.

The publication of this report marks an important step in the international community's ability to address the Afghan tragedy.

In these pages you will find the most up-to-date and comprehensive source of information yet compiled in one volume on an initial assessment of present conditions in Afghanistan and the needs of the Afghan people.

Improvements in the accuracy and range of information presented will be made in subsequent issues. My colleagues and I rely upon your support, inputs and recommendations in making these regular Consolidated Reports a source of reliable and relevant information for all of us in responding to the challenge ah ead. ACKU

Sadruddin Aga Khan Co-ordinator United Nations Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes Relating to Afghanistan

- i - PREFACE

This is the first consoli~ated base-line report, prepare~ by the Office of the Co-or~inator for Unite~ Nations Humanitarian an~ Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan.

The central aim of this report is to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information relating to major issues and sectors: Security an~ Opportunities of Access; Affected Population in the Country; Refugees an~ their Voluntary Repatriation; Food Aid; Agriculture; Health; Education; In~ustry, Energy anO Mining; Transport, Transit and Communications; Planning anO Administration.

The report focuses on an assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and identifies sectoral needs, projects and programmes. A decentralized analysis related to various geographical areas in the country is presented, to the extent possible, especially with regard to the Security, Agriculture and Bealth sectors.

The first consolidated report is the result of a truly collaborative ~!fort of all parts of the United Natior.s syste~. UNC~~, trnDP, IDiFSCO. UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, WFP and WHO, prepared background papers on rel~vant sectors. We also benefited from extensive information and advice from FAO, IFAD, ILO, ITU, UNDRO, UNFDAC and UNRISD. The mapped information presented in the report was prepared by UNEP/GRID.

ICRC, LRCS and many other NGOs have also provided reports on their activities relating to Afghanistan.

The donor response for relief and rehabilitation assistance has been encouraging, especially with regard to commitments already made by Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The report has also been enriched by information from offical Government reports as well as from many Afghan researchers and intellectuals.

As the availability of timely and comprehensive information is critical to effectively respond to the relief and rehabilitation needs, it is important that all concerned organizations and individuals communicate any available information relating to Afghanistan to the Office of the Co-ordinator. This will facilitate the continued development of a comprehensive consolidated information system. ACKU Any comments and suggestions regarding this first consolidated report, as well as requests for more detailed information on specific situations referred to in this report should be addressed to:

The Co-ordinator Attention: Mahendra M. Shah Monitoring and Reporting Office of the Co-ordinator for Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan Villa La Pelouse United Nations 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland

Tel: (022) 346011/310211, Ext. 3526 Tlx: 412909 Fax: (41)-(22)-347310

- iii - Contents

I FOREWORD i II PREFACE iii III OVERVIEW xi

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The Afghan Crisis and the Challenge of Recovery 1 1.2 The Geneva Accords 9 1.3 The United Nations Office of the Co-ordinator for Afghanistan 10 1.4 The Secretary-General's Appeal 15 1.5 Donor Response to the Secretary-General's Appeal 17 1.6 The ECOSOC Resolution 24

2. THE AFGHANISTAN INFORMATION SYSTEM 25

2.1 Background 25 2.2 Consolidated Field Level Information 26 2.3 Headquarters Information Reporting 27 2.4 United Nations System 28 2.5 Non-governmental organizations 28 2.6 Donor Information Reporting 29 2.7 Priority Assessment Missions Inside Afghanistan 29 2.8 A Geographical Information System 32 2.9 Information Dissemination 33

3. SECURITY AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCESS 35 3.1 Mines and . Unexploded Ordnance 35 3.2 Mine Clearance 36 3.3 Continuing Conflict 38 3.4 Damage to Infrastructure and Shelter 41 3.5 Regional Summaries 45 4. AFFECTED POPULATION INACKU AFGHANISTAN 52 4.1 Introduction 52 4.2 Internally Displaced 53 4.3 Disabled Persons 54 4.4 Women and Children 56 4.5 Nomads 57

- v - Page

5. AFGHAN REFUGEES AND THEIR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION 60

5.1 Introduction 60 5.2 Background - Refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran 60 5.3 Outline of Current Programmes and Proposals for 1989 62 5.4 Arrangements of Implementation 64 5.5 Background - Refugees in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 64 5.6 Outline of Current Programmes and Proposals for 1989 67 5.7 Arrangements for Implementation 68 5.8 Approach to Voluntary Repatriation 68 5.9 Operational Approach 71 5.10 Special Measures of Preparation 74

6. FOOD AID 76

6 . 1 Food Aid and Development Activities 1970-79 76 6.2 Refugee Food Aid Operations 1979-88 78 6.3 Future Scope of Assistance to Returnees 81 6.4 Food-for-Work Programmes 82 6.5 Vulnerable Group Feeding Programme 83 6.6 Support Costs and Prepositioning of Food 83

7. UNITED NATIONS LOGISTICAL TRANSPORT OPERATION 86 7.1 Background 86 7.2 Organization and Structure 87

8. AGRICULTURE 90 8.1 Background 90 8.2 Consequences of War 92 8.3 Agricultural Production 94 8.4 Irrigation 96 8.5 Seeds 98 8.6 Fertilizers 99 8.7 Farm Power 99 8.8 Agricultural Tools 99 8.9 Livestock ACKU 1 00 8.10 Forestry 100 8.11 Agricultural Services 102 8.12 Rural Development 102 8.13 Regional Summaries: Agriculture 106

- vi - Page

9. HEALTH 116 9.1 Background and Consequences of War 116 9.2 Health Infrastructure and Manpower 118 9.3 The Incidence of Malaria 119 9.4 Tuberculosis 119 9.5 Diarrhoeal Diseases 120 9.6 Eye Infections and Diseases 120 9.7 Rehabilitation of the Disabled 122 9.8 The Nutritional Status 122 9.9 Special Target Groups - Women and Children 122 9.10 Water Supply and Sanitation 123 9.11 Cross Border Health Care Delivery 124 9.12 Health Care Available to Refugees 124 9.13 Health Sector Relief and Rehabilitation Programmes 125 9.14 Regional Summaries: Health 127

10. EDUCATION 132

10.1 Background 132 10.2 Consequences of War 132 10.3 Primary and Secondary Education 134 10.4 Vocational Training 137 10.5 University Education 138 10.6 Literacy Programmes 138 10.7 Education Needs of the Disabled 138 10.8 Education Rehabilitation Priorities 140 10.9 Culture 142

11. INDUSTRY, ENERGY AND MINING 144

11.1 Industry 144 11.2 Industrial Performance 144 11.3 Industrial Development 145 11.4 Minerals and Mining 148 11.5 Power and Energy Resources: Natural Gas, Coal, Oil, Electricity, Fuelwood. 149 11.6 Energy/Fuel AlternativesACKU 152 12. TRANSPORT, TRANSIT AND COMMUNICATIONS 154

12.1 Transport 154 12.2 Road Infrastructure 156 12.3 Railway Development 158 12.4 Ports 160 12.5 Air Transport 160 12.6 Transit Infrastructure and Services 161 12.7 Transit through the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 162 12.8 Transit through USSR 164 12.9 Transit through the Islamic Republic of Iran 165 12.10 Internal Road Transport 166 12.11 Warehousing 168 12.12 Communications 169

- vii - Page

13. PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION 172 13.1 Background 172 13.2 Resettlement Planning 173 13.3 Relief Planning 174 13.4 Rehabilitation Planning 174 13.5 Administration and Planning 177

ANNEXES 179 Annex 1 Types of Mines in Afghanistan 179 Annex 2 Field Information Guidelines 182 Annex 3 Donor Information Guidelines 188 Annex 4 Geographical Information System 190 Annex 5 A Brief Review of Selected NGOs 193

ACKU

- viii - MAPS

1. Geographical Grouping of Provinces into Six Regions

2. Refugee population from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as percentage of total local resident and returnee population

3. Refugee population from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as percentage of total local resident and returnee population

4. Population Density: Local resident population in Afghanistan

5. Population Density: Local resident population in Afghanistan and Refugee Population from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

6. Population Density: Local resident population in Afghanistan and Refugee Population from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

7. Estimated Acreage Under Wheat by Province

8. Estimated Wheat Yield by Province

9. Estimated Wheat Production by Province

10. Estimated Cereal Storage Capacity by Province

11. Number of Schools per 100,000 Resident Population by Province

12. Number of Schools per 100,000 Resident Population and Refugees from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

13. Number of Schools per 100,000 Resident population and Refugees from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. ACKU

- ix - OVERVIEW

The socio-political and economic crisis in Afghanistan does not conform to the classic concept of emergencies to which the international donor community so generously responds. However, this is precisely the moment when decisive humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance to the Afghan people can make a difference.

Today, the prospects for peace and recovery in Afghanistan are hopeful even though the suffering of millions of people both inside the country and in exile continues.

More than five and half million Afghans are living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Another 100,000 people have migrated overseas; the majority of these are skilled professionals. The war has resulted in the internal displacement of almost two million people. It is also estimated that almost a million people have died during the conflict. There are hundreds of thousands of widows, orphans and disabled people who will need sustained care and assistance for years to come.

Many areas in the country are still inaccessible due to a continuation of heavy fighting. It is hoped that the security situation will improve in the near future.

In view of the uncertainty of the evolving situation, relief and rehabilitation programmes inside Afghanistan will have to be assessed and reassessed - based on theACKU reliable and accurate information and advice available - as circumstances change. A selective and flexible "grass root level" strategy will be crucial to the success of timely and effective assistance. In particular, decentralized strategy will be necessary on a region by region basis. Also integrated multisectoral projects will be important since priority needs exist in all sectors.

- xi - AFGHANISTAN AT A GLANCE - SOME BASIC DATA

Land area 647,500 sq. km.

Population (millions) Inside Afghanistan Total 14.2 11.0 Urban 1.9 2.8 Rural 12.3 8.2

Outs~de Afghanistan Total 5.7 in the Islamic Republic of Iran 2.4 in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 3.2 elsewhere 0.1

~. (1978179 prices, inUS$'000) Total GDP at factor cost 2,587 2,154 Agriculture, livestock and forestry 1,366 980 Industry, power and mining 318 293

Mining/Quarrying Natural gas (mill. m3) 2,461 2,425 Coal ( ' 000 tons) 218 160 Salt ('000 tons) 81 37

Education Primary school enrolment 830,000 615,000 (as ~ of total eligible) (30~) (17.5~)

Secondary school enrolment 92,000 85,000 Vocational enrolment 21,000 18,000

Literacy rate

Total 10~ Female 3~

Health Life expectancy at birth 41 41 Infant mortality per 1,000 190 220 Number of rural health centres 220 90 Number of hospital beds Kabul 3,000 Other 2,100

Number of physicians Kabul 1,500 Elsewhere 900

Water supply Access to safe supply Rural population 8~ Urban population 30~

Provisional estimates of rural infrastructure damage 1978/79 to 1986/87

Number of schools damaged 2,000 Number of health ACKUcentres damaged 130 Number of bridges destroyed 350 Paved roads damaged 2,000 kms (70~ of total) Secondary roads damaged 3,000 kms (25~ of total) Trucks destroyed 5,000 (20~ of total)

Agriculture :

85~ of total population is dependent on this sector: 60~ of GNP from Agriculture; 8 million ha crop land of which 3.8 million ha is cultivated (over 70~ is irrigated), winter wheat is major crop; spring crop also important accounting for 40~ of annual cereal production.

Agriculture: changes over period 1978/79 to 1986/87

Whe.at yield - 54~ Wheat area - 30~ Livestock lost 5 million (20~ of total) Livestock left country 1. 35 million Pairs of oxen left country 150,000 {50~ of total)

Major Exports Natural gas, frui ts/vegetables/nuts, carpets, skins, cotton

Major Imports Fuel, vehicles, textiles, food: wheat, sugar

xii The Afghan winter season begins in October and it is unlikely that large movements of the internally displaced and the refugees will occur before next spring. With the thaw in March/April 1989 and assuming abatement of security risks, many refugees and most of the internally displaced are expected to head back to their homes. These people, as well as the rural resident population in Afghanistan, will need initial assistance - secure food supplies; medicines and health care; basic agricultural inputs including seeds and farm implements; materials for irrigation rehabilitation, repair of shelter, school buildings and access roads - to allow for an early self reliance and productive recovery.

While the programmes of relief and rehabilitation are carried out inside Afghanistan, the refugees who voluntarily choose not yet to return must be provided with continued relief assitance in the host countries.

The prevalence of mines and unexploded ordnance in many areas of the country poses a major threat to the personal safety of the population. In the immediate future, mass public education programmes on mine recognition and avoidance must be formulated and implemented, especially with regard to the refugees, the internally displaced and rural populations in Afghanistan. Additionally the international community should also provide expert personnel in demining as well as the necessary equipment and resources, especiall y with regard to setting up several centres for training of Afghans in demining operations.

The provision of food aid in Afghanistan will take into consideration all relief needs, but to the extent possible food-for-work schemes will be used for the rehabilitation of the physical infrastructure and the recovery of the rural economy. In particularACKU it will be necessary to preposition food stocks in strategic border areas so that these can be mobilized at short notice.

- xiii - The delivery and distribution of relief and rehabilitation supplies will necessitate a major transport and logistical operation. Steps are being taken to set up a United Nations logistical and transport operation to meet the needs of the United Nations agencies, bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations engaged in providing assistance in Afghanistan.

Agriculture - the backbone of the Afghan economy and the livelihood of almost 85~ of the population - has suffered extensive damage and deterioration. While the immediate priority needs relate to the provision of seeds, fertilizer, agricultural tools and oxen, it is essential that irrigation rehabilitation and programmes for agricultural services and related rural development be started as soon as feasible.

Health care, especially in the rural areas, was rudimentary before the war and has deteriorated significantly over the past nine years. The prevalence of many communicable diseases, the large numbers of disabled persons, the poor water and sanitary conditions and the nutritional needs of vulnerable groups calls for an integrated and viable health care programme. In view of the large numbers of expected returnees, it is critical that strategies for prepositioning of medicines and medical supplies also be formulated and implemented.

The basic education system in rural Afghanistan has been severely affected by extensive damage to school buildings, the migration of most teachers and the severe lack of school materials. Almost a generation of Afghan children have been denied the educational environment to prepare them for a self-reliant and happy productive future. The highest priority must also be given to crash vocational training programmes to ensure a sufficient supply of craftsmen and trainedACKU personnel for the major task of rehabilitation and reconstruction. The rehabilitation of the education system will have to be given early attention.

- xiv - Although the contribution of industry to the overall economy is still relatively small, there is a need for early rehabilitation of existing textile, cement, edible oil and sugar industries. In the future, the industrial development strategy will have to focus on the manufacture of consumer goods as well as on the development of the handicraft sector. The latter is important . in that it ensures that participation of women.

Afghanistan is richly endowed with a wide variety of minerals. This sector, if adequately and efficiently developed with access to world markets, could make a significant contribution to long term development.

With regard to energy and power, the country produces natural gas - 97~ of which is exported - and there are considerable reserves of coal, oil and electrical generation capacity. In most rural areas, the limited availability of fuelwood is a major problem. In this context, alternative sources together with fuel efficient stoves should be considered.

The road transport infrastructure in Afghanistan including warehouses and storage facilities will have to be repaired and expanded to facilitate an effective implementation of relief and rehabilitation programmes. As the country is land-locked, it will be essential to identify and use the most efficient transit routes through neighbouring countries.

The Office of the Co-ordinator in collaboration with the United Nations system, the non-governmental organizations and bilateral donors will continue efforts to develop a comprehensive information system so that relevant and multi-sectoral information is processed in a timely manner and reported in a form to enable immediate decision-making by the donor community as well as ensuring public awareness ACKUof the evolving situation in Afghanistan. In this regard, the Office of the Co-ordinator is taking measures at the field level in the region to facilitate compilation of consolidated information as well as to co-ordinate planning of relief and rehabilitation programmes.

- X V - Additionally, a number of United Nations assessment and delivery missions are envisaged in the near future. The latter will focus on timely delivery of essential relief items in priority areas in the country.

Since the establishment of the Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator for humanitarian and economic assistance programmes relating to Afghanistan, the United Nations system in partnership with operatonal non-governmental organizations and bilateral donors have begun the task of formulating a viable co-ordinated and mutually supportive programme to alleviate relief needs and to begin the task of rehabilitation and recovery of Afghanistan. These efforts will have to adapt to the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Secretary-General's Appeal calls for assistance related to Afghanistan for a relief and rehabilitation programme, totalling US$1166.1 million. Thus far donors have pledged about US$97 million. It is important that donors do not hold back and commit the necessary resources to give the United Nations system the means to start the co-ordinated relief and rehabilitation programmes.

It would be tragic if the Afghan people are given the hope for peace and development but are denied the relatively modest assistance to enable them to rebuild their lives and their country. ACKU

- xvi - 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Afghan Crisis and the Challenge of Recovery

Today, the people of Afghanistan and the international community face a major challenge to rebuild a nation that has endured one of the longest and most tragic conflicts of modern times. This conflict has produced unparalleled human suffering and immeasurable social and economic havoc.

During the nine years since 1979 more than five and a half million people have had to abandon their homes, their lands and their country to seek asylum in neighbouring and other countries. The governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and of Pakistan, supported by the international community have provided generous humanitarian assistance to the refugee populations. However, most refugees, though provided with the basic needs, have had to live in a demoralizing environment while they patiently waited for the day of voluntary return to their country.

More than two million people have also had to flee their homes to the apparent safety of urban centres and remote rural areas. Most of these internally displaced people have had to live under extremely difficult and harsh conditions with little access to employment and other income-earning opportunities. Many of these people will be the first to make the decision to return to their homes as soon as the military operations in rural areas come to an end; recent reports indicate that displaced persons originating from the Panjshir are already beginning to return to the valley from the Kabul area.

The return of seven million displaced persons after years of exile from their home areas will be oneACKU of the world's largest operations since this amounts to the resettlement of some 45% of Afghanistan's total population. In comparison, the migration of some nine million people from India to Bangladesh in 1972 amounted to only 12% of East Bengal's total population.

The long years of bitter fighting and war have caused not only the reported death of almost a million people but have also resulted in the permanent disablement of tens of thousands. As a consequence of this tragedy, there are hundreds of thousands of widows, orphans and disabled people who will need sustained care and assistance for years to come.

l AFGHANISTAN MAP 1

PROVINCE MAP WITH SIX REGIONS SHOWN

LEGEND

B NORTH

~NORTH EAST

Ed EAST ACKU bSJ EAST CENTRAL rn SOUTH EB NORTH \./EST

0 50 100 KM

l.NEP/GRID The rural population - some eight million - who chose not to leave their homes during the years of the war, have suffered considerable hardship due to the extensive destruction and devastation of the rural infrastructure and essential services. Most of the rural areas have remained inaccessible during the conflict and it proved impossible to provide relief assistance to the rural resident population.

In the 1970s, Afghanistan was one of the poorest, least developed countries in the world. The meagre infrastructure and services were beginning to be expanded and progress seemed feasible. The country was virtually self-sufficent in food production and the economy was growing with increasing exports of agricultural products and natural gas. Nine years of war have not only brought this progress to an end, but today much of the physical infrastructure, services and the agricultural sector - the backbone of the Afghan economy - lie shattered and destroyed.

The Afghan countryside is littered with mines and unexploded bombs, hand grenades, shells and other ordnance. This arsenal will pose a major threat to life and limb for years to come. The education and training of the refugees and the internally displaced, especially children, in mine recognition and avoidance deserves the foremost priority. Simultaneously, the training of Afghans in mine clearance will be essential to clear paths and roads as well as agricultural fields.

The number of civilian casualties of the war must not be compounded by casualties of peace. At the very least, the parties to the conflict, should provide any available information including maps of land mines laid, when such maps exist. Additionally, immediate concerted efforts are essential to survey the extent and location ofACKU mined areas.

Today there is a strong chance that peace can be restored to Afghanistan. The signing of the Geneva Accords on 14 April 1988 laid the basic political framework for a settlement of the conflict.

In order not to dash the hopes for the future, intensive and immediate efforts for relief and rehabilitation must be mounted. Although the

3 socio-political and the economic crisis in Afghanistan may not conform to classic concept of emergencies, this is precisely the moment when decisive humanitarian efforts can make a difference.

Many of the internally and externally displaced Afghan adult males have frequently visited their home villages. As a result, they are aware of the prevailing security situation, the damage to their property and the effort that will be required to regain their livelihoods and rebuild their homes. The displaced persons will return only when they are confident of their prospects for survival, and most will be able to achieve reintegration successfully on their own, provided relevant and timely assistance is made available.

There is an urgent need for information to facilitate pre-planning of relief and rehabilitation needs, especially with regard to pre-positioning of supplies for timely delivery to accessible areas. Although there is a lack of reliable and comprehensive information, steps must be taken to collate and collect all existing data and procedures implemented to facilitate a regular flow of information from the field. There is an urgent need to systematically compile information regarding the status of the physical resource base and the infrastructure on a region by region basis. In this context the use of satellite imagery and aerial surveys together with digitized maps and other relevant sources should be utilized to develop a comprehensive geographical information system. Although this approach will enable the development of a spatial resource planning system, the critical need of "on the ground truthing" and in-country assessments cannot be overemphasized.

Although in-country surveys and assessments must be carried out to accurately estimate the priorityACKU needs of Agriculture, Health, Education, Shelter, Security (clearance of mines and other ordnance) etc., it is certain that the relief and rehabilitation needs are significant due to the extensive war damage as well as to the LDC status of Afghanistan. In this context the highest priority needs to be given now to operational delivery missions to accessible areas in the country. These United Nations missions should initially concentrate on the delivery of modest quantities of essential items including supplementary food aid, medicines and medical supplies, seeds and construction materials for irrigation rehabilitation and repairs of houses and

4 community buildings. These operational missions would not only bring immediate relief but they would also facilitate contact with the local population and the authorities to facilitate an early implementation of survey and assessment missions.

In view of the uncertainty of an evolving situation, relief and rehabilitation programmes inside Afghanistan will have to be assessed and reassessed - based on the best information and advice available - as circumstances change. A flexible "grass-root level" planning approach will be crucial to the success of timely and efficient assistance.

Due to the uncertainties as to when and how the refugees will decide to return, the ongoing relief assistance programmes in Pakistan will continue. Additionally all efforts continue to meet similar needs for Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran who have been reached in the past despite certain constraints such as logistics, etc.

Little movement of refugees returning home is expected during the last remaining months of 1988. The harsh Afghan winter makes any journey perilous and arduous. Most village settlements in the country are accessible only by narrow mountain paths which become impassable in winter. Returning refugees also have to face insecurity as hostilities may not have subsided and there is the added risk of a countryside which has been heavily mined. It must further be recognized that many of those returning are women, young children, aged and the infirm.

However, after the thaw in spring 1989 and assuming some abatement of security risks, many refugees are expected to head back to their homes. Several hundreds of thousandsACKU of refugees are likely to cross the border during the first few months immediately following the winter.

The repatriation from the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to be less dramatic. Although the country hosts well over two million Afghan refugees, many are well settled in the local communities. However, it is expected that primarily those in transit centres and settlements in border areas would return to their native country during the course of 1989. Recent reports indicate that some refugee families are already beginning to return to Herat.

5 MAP 2 AFGHANISTAN

REFUGEE POPULATION fROW PAKISTAN AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL POPULATION (l.e.RESIOENTS+REFUGEES) BY PROVINCE LEGEND

PERCENTAGE

~>50 [2]35 10 50

~ 20 TO 35 rn 10 TO 20 E3 5 TO 10 D

~~AFGHANISTAN if3 MAP 3~~

~~~~ f ...-J' / """ ~ ~ -- m:mJ ~ ~ A J (_ 1 '\. /-~~

~~r&Wll ~ "\.. ~\.."" ~ .~~~

!""~""' r-- J ACKU~ ~ ~ I ~ ~ D ~;r;;z; ~ ~ k1 'X 1/ )..~ rx r-, >O< h REfUGEE POPULATION FROW PAKISTAN AND I( ~ IRAN AS A PERCENTAGE Of TOTA L POPULATION t< ~ c)<;.~ (l.e.RESIDENTS+RlfUGEES) BY PR OVJNCE LEGEND

~~PERCENTAGE~~

~>50 ~ - ... ~ [2]35 TO 50 ~ - ~20 TO 35 - rn 19 TO 20 85 TO 19 0<5 ~ ~ 50 I 00 10'1 •-4if 6 It will be crucial to ensure that relief and rehabilitation assistance is provided in a timely and co-ordinated fashion. The returning internally and externally displaced populations as well as the rural resident population in Afghanistan must be assured of the availability of sufficient food supplies, essential medicines and medical supplies as well as other basic needs, while they begin the major task of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

~~The recovery of the agricultural sector, including the priority need to rehabilitate irrigation and the provision of means to purchase seeds, fertilizers and farm implements, will be critical.~~

~~In some areas, the basic health, education and essential services will have to be literally rebuilt from scratch.~~

The land-locked situation of Afghanistan and the very limited transport and communications infrastructure will call for major co-ordinated logistical operations to ensure timely delivery of relief and rehabilitation assistance in all affected areas.

The rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan will require the training of large numbers of technicians, administrators and professionals of all categories. A whole generation of school children inside Afghanistan have been denied the educational environment to prepare them for a self-reliant and productive future. Many years of intense efforts will be required to overcome the effects of these "lost" years.

Ideally, reconstruction should precede repatriation of the displaced population in order to prepare the basic infrastructure required for ensuring an early settlement and self-relianceACKU in the home areas. However, the need for flexibility will be critical since repatriation and rehabilitation activities may need to take place simultaneously, especially in view of the uncertainties regarding timing and possible spontaneous movements of the displaced population.

~~As almost the whole of the country is in need of rehabilitation assistance, it will be necessary to identify priority sectors and viable~~

7 areas. In particular, contingency planning for the prepositioning of essential relief supplies, especially in target areas, is a prerequisite to ensuring that logistically the problem can be tackled as soon as accessibility inside Afghanistan becomes feasible.

The delivery of relief and rehabilitation assistance will also have to take implicit account of the active participation of the local communities under the guidance of the emerging post-war power structures. The economic and humanitarian assistance must not be used for the purpose of influencing political developments which can only be the result of the free expression of the Afghan people.

During the last few years the United Nations system as well as a number of bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations have been providing relief and some rehabilitation assistance. Many NGOs have developed invaluable cross-border experience in specific sectors and regions and have won the confidence of the local leadership and the population. Most of these in-country programmes have been implemented by the Afghans themselves. In this context, it is important to note that as the socio-political situation in Afghanistan improves and as the international community provides significant levels of assistance, this can be best channelled and implemented by the Afghans themselves in partnership with the United Nations system and the operational non-governmental organizations.

Although the political outcome of the Afghan crisis remains unclear, with regard to humanitarian assistance, the United Nations and its partners must be prepared to function flexibly within Afghanistan to the maximum degree possible. ACKU The Afghan people are legendary for their independance, their resilience and their commitment to self reliance. These qualities, and more, will be essential as they confront the challenges of repatriation of millions of displaced persons and the rehabilitation of their war-ravaged country.

~~The prospects for peace and recovery in Afghanistan are hopeful even though the suffering of people both inside Afghanistan and in exile~~

~~8 continues. The Afghan people and the international community are faced with an enormous task of reconciliation, resettlement and reconstruction.~~

The international community must now provide the necessary financial, material, logistical and political support to the people of Afghanistan. Only then can their hopes be translated into sustainable and lasting peace and development. Otherwise, the world will lose a major opportunity to demonstrate that international solidarity is not a rhetorical and empty expression, but a concrete manifestation of how the community of nations can work together to rebuild a nation.

~~1.2 The Geneva Accords~~

The Geneva Accords were signed on 14 April 1988 between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the one hand and by the Soviet Union and the United States of America as guarantors on the other. The Accords and the "Proximity Talks" between Pakistan and Afghanistan under the aegis of the United Nations resulted in -

~~Agreement on withdrawal of some 110,000 Soviet troops from~~

~~Afghanistan in nine months starting 15 May 1988, with a 50~ troop withdrawal completed by 15 August 1988.~~

~~Agreement on voluntary and unimpeded repatriation of Afghan refugees. (see section 5)~~

The Geneva Accords laid the basis for the exercise by all Afghans of their right to self-determination. The Accords are based on four principles: non-interference, internationalACKU guarantees concerning non-interference, the repatriation of refugees, and "inter-relationships" i.e. the relationship between a Soviet withdrawal and an end to Pakistan's support for the resistance.

The Accords are the foundation upon which peace and stability in Afghanistan can be built - and to the opportunity for millions of its refugees to return to their homes and lands. They provide for a political settlement

9 to enable the people of Afghanistan and the international community to embark on a major co-operative and co-ordinated effort to bring humanitarian relief and sound economic recovery to Afghanistan and all its people.

~~1.3 The United Nations Office of the Co-ordinator for Afghanistan~~

On 11 May 1988 the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed a Co-ordinator for "the co-ordination of all activities of the United Nations system in respect of the emergency relief and rehabilitation needs relating to Afghanistan". In his message to the Co-ordinator confirming the appointment the Secretary-General went on to state:

"In discharging this function, you will naturally need to work closely with the various organizations and programmes, within and outside the United Nations system, who are likely to be engaged in this endeavour. The same applies to your role vis-a-vis governments, many of whom have stressed their wish to co-operate closely with a well co-ordinated effort of the United Nations system."

~~The Co-ordinator's functions may be summarized as follows:~~

~~(a) Central co-ordination of the various components of the action undertaken within the United Nations system on behalf of the Secretary-General;~~

(b) Monitoring of operations in the context of an integrated United Nations programme of humanitarian and economic assistance while implementation remains the responsibility of the agency concerned, ACKU

~~(c) Discussion and negotiation with all concerned parties, when necessary, as the spokesman for the United Nations system;~~

~~(d) Direction and organization of special tasks not within the mandate of any given United Nations agency;~~

10 (e) Adoption of a flexible and geographically decentralized approach to meeting humanitarian and economic needs on the basis of a realistic assessment of implementation and absorption capacity area by area.

In order to ensure the development and implementation of a coherent relief and rehabilitation programme and the efficient and timely mobilization and allocation of resources, the Secretary-General established an Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund, to be administered by the Co-ordinator.

The Co-ordinator's responsibilities for central fund-raising, for the administration of the Trust Fund and for co-ordination of integrated programmes entrusted him with a corresponding duty to monitor programme implementation by Agencies and to report to donors on the effective use of the funds.

Prior to the appointment of the Co-ordinator, some initial background planning for assistance to Afghanistan had been carried out by the United Nations system agencies functioning in the country - UNDP, FAO, UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA.

~~The Co-ordinator's initial tasks included the setting up of a base of operations, putting a nucleus of staff together and meeting with the various United Nations agencies to discuss their programmes.~~

The central function of the Office of the Co-ordinator relates to the estimation of relief and rehabilitation needs, the identification of weaknesses or constraints in response capacity, the mobilization of donor aid, the planning of concerted action and the maintenance of public interest. This entails the priority needACKU to have an information capacity - both diagnostic and predictive - to monitor the evolving situation in Afghanistan and the relevant border areas closely and continuously.

The Office of the Co-ordinator is setting up an integrated information system - both at the headquarters and in the field - for the collection and compilation of all relevant information. It is critical that this information system be a focal point, for the exchange and sharing of timely comprehensive

~~11 TABLE 1: ESTIMATES OF IMMEDIATE PRIORITY NEEDS 6th June 1988~~

~~US$ million Repatriation/Food Aid (UNHCR/WFP) - Field Monitoring and administration support 10.70 - Prepositioning of relief items and administrative back up Household Goods - Logistical support~~

~~Health (UNICEF/WHO) - Health Care Programmes - Special women/children programmes (UNICEF/WHO) 1.00~~

~~Agriculture (FAO) - Veterinary Services 3.50 - Agricultural Extension Servies - (seeds research, soil surveys, etc.) - Irrigation repair and maintenance - Farm implements~~

~~Rural Developments/Vocational Training (ILO/UNESCO) - Crash Vocational Training 1.50 (for essential public services) - Emergency Public Works - Expatriate Afghans~~

~~Other Requirements - Mine clearance - survey and training 2.50 (including Pilot-projects) - Temporary shelter/storageACKU 2.50 - Data Base - Headquarters and Field 0.40~~

~~Co-ordinator's Office 3.25~~

~~TOTAL 25.35~~

12 information, not only for the United Nations system but also for the non-governmental organizations as well as bilateral donors and the media. The Co-ordinator will keep the international community fully informed of the evolving situation and needs related to Afghanistan through the publication of regular status reports.

The Co-ordinator has established co-operative relationships with no less than 16 concerned agencies of the United Nations system. Inter-agency meetings were held on 23 May and 14 July 1988. It is now envisaged that such meetings will be held in Geneva at two or three monthly intervals, while inter-agency task force meetings of the agencies most closely involved - UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, FAO, WFP and WHO during the initial relief/rehabilitation phase - will take place on a monthly basis. The first such working session was convened in Geneva on 25-26 August 1988.

With regard to bilateral donors, and non United Nations system inter-governmental organizations, the Co-ordinator has also established working level contacts. Close relationships have also been established with non-governmental organizations, for example, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LRCS) who are now regularly invited to inter-agency meetings. The task of consultation, communication and exchanging information with non-governmental organizations has been greatly facilitated by the creation in Peshawar, Pakistan, of the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), which represents well over 40 non-governmental organizations. ACBAR has also been invited to send a representative to attend inter-agency meetings.

At the end of May 1988, the Co-ordinator together with the Administrator of UNDP, senior representativesACKU of FAO, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO and the Secretary-General of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, visited Kabul, Islamabad, Peshawar and Tehran and held discussions with the Governments of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as well as with the representatives of the refugees. The Swiss Federal Government provided the aircraft and crew to facilitate this trip to the region. These visits established the contacts, laid the basis for action and gave the assurance that throughout the region the Co-ordinator and the United Nations system would receive the fullest measure of support.

~~13 TABLE 2: THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL'S APPEAL 10 June 1988~~

~~Relief/Rehabi Rehabilitation litation needs /Recovery 1988/89 1990/93 US$ million US$ million~~

~~Voluntary repatriation Health 8.0 Transport/logistics 169.4 Water supply 3.0 Household goods 5.0 Shelter 22.0 Agricultural inputs 4.8 Agency operational support 13.2 TOTAL 225.4~~

~~Food aid Repatriation refugees/internally displaced persons 239.5 Vulnerable groups 6.1 School children 6.3 Food-for-work programme 80.0 Agency operational support 3.5 TOTAL 335.4~~

~~Agriculture and rural development Agricultural inputs 164.5 143.0 Agriculture 56.8 63.0 Irrigation 53.1 104.7 Rural development 58.0 73.0 TOTAL 332.4 383.7~~

~~Social Services Health programmes 37.2 92.0 Drugs and medicines 19.0 68.0 Water supply and sanitation 17.7 61.3 Education 50.0 31.3 Clearance of mines 9.0 --- TOTAL 139.2 252.6~~

~~Communications, industryACKU and power Transport/logistics 42.4 55.3 Communications 16.7 41.6 Industry 40.3 47.5 Power 29.9 41.9 TOTAL 129.3 186.3~~

~~Administration and management Planning and statistics 6.0 14.2 Project formulation/monitoring 1.5 2.0 Project management 0.5 1.0 Monuments/culture survey 2.7 --- TOTAL 10.7 17.0~~

~~GRAND TOTAL 1,166.1 839.6~~

14 On 6 June 1988, the Co-ordinator presented the donor community in Geneva with a request for limited funds totalling US$25 million for emergency priority needs and on 10 June 1988 the Secretary-General launched an appeal in New York by presenting the Co-ordinator's comprehensive report on the humanitarian relief and economic assistance programme to Afghanistan.

~~1.4 The Secretary-General's Appeal~~

~~This appeal represented a single unified call for humanitarian relief and economic assistance to Afghanistan and was compiled through a collaborative effort of the entire United Nations system.~~

The overall appeal is comprised of two phases. The first phase relates to the immediate relief and rehabilitation, which needs to be implemented as rapidly as conditions permit. For planning purposes, bearing in mind the agricultural cycles for the expected return of refugees, an 18-month time frame has been allocated for this phase. The total cost of this first phase amounts to $US1,166.1 million.

The second recovery phase consists of the longer-term rehabilitation of the country's infrastructure and follows from the first. A further three year period has been assumed for this phase, with needs so far identified costing about $839.6 million. These are necessarily tentative at the present time and do not form part of the appeal, except in so far as some donors may wish to make a long-term commitment to Afghanistan's recovery and plan now for the future by making a multi-year pledge.

With regard to the first phase, it should be emphasized that almost a third of the total estimatedACKU cost of US$1,166.1 million relates to the relief needs and repatriation of the refugee population. Of the remaining US$778.9 million for relief and rehabilitation neeeds inside Afghanistan, 65.0% relates to the essential initial rehabilitation of the agricultural sector, including food-for-work programmes for rural development. The balance of some 35% is for the rehabilitation of the rural health care infrastructure, education and basic agro-industries and for the clearance of mines as well as planning and administration.

~~15 Estimated relief rehabilitation needs for Afghanistan 1988-1989 (total US$1,166.1 million)~~

~~33.2% repatriation and food aid requirements for refugees~~

~~66.8 0 Relief and rehabilitation needs inside Afghanistan ACKU~~

16 At present, the _prevailing security and access uncertainties are such that the United Nations co-ordinated relief and rehabilitation programme must be given maximum flexiblity. In the midst of continued hostilities in some parts of Afghanistan, it is vital that donors do not hold back; they must give the United Nations system the means to start grass-roots rehabilitation efforts in areas where security has been restored, where people need help and where, in the near future, many more may return and impose themselves on a weakened infrastructure. They must also ensure that adequate stocks are in position in strategic locations, so that distribution may begin as soon as people return home in substantial numbers.

~~1.5 Donor Response to the Secretary-General's Appeal~~

Section VIII, paras. 89 and 90 of the Secretary-General's Appeal contains two innovative provisions aimed at reinforcing the role of the Secretary-General and that of the Co-ordinator in handling United Nations relief and rehabilitation operations.

Para 89 cash donations would be processed through the Afghanistan Emergency Fund", and Para 90 " •.• an Afghanistan Emergency Fund to be administered by the Co-ordinator is being established to receive cash contributions in order to meet the needs identified by him .•. "

The above provisions are to promote a co-ordinated fund raising effort for the whole United Nations system and thus avoid a series of separate sectoral appeals addressed to the donor community; the Afghan situation being complex, the Secretary-General recognized the need to simplify to the maximum the United Nations system's approach.ACKU

~~The Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund~~

~~On 24 June a special United Nations Trust Fund account was opened by the United Nations Office at Geneva with its Bankers so as to permit the deposit of contributions.~~

~~17 Sectoral Percentage Distribution of Relief and Rehabilitaton needs inside Afghanistan 1988-1989 (total: US$778.9 million)~~

~~Administration and management 1.4% Clearance of mines 1.1%~~

~~Transport, Industry 16.6% Food aid 22.3% and Power~~

~~Education 6.4%~~

~~Health and water supply 9. 5%~~

~~Agriculture, irrigation and rural development 42.6%~~

~~Per Capita Relief and Rehabilitation needs inside Afghanistan 1988-1989~~

~~Food Aid Agriculture ACKU~~

~~Health~~

~~Education Transport, Industry and Power Clearance of mines~~

~~Planning~~

~~0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35~~

Total pPr capita Relief and Rehabilitation needs inside Afghanistan US$77.8 18 The Co-ordinator has made appropriate arrangements with the United Nations Office at Geneva for the immediate transfer from the Fund, upon receipt, of resources specifically earmarked for agencies of the United Nations system.

Procedures regarding financial arrangements for the disbursement of earmarked and unearmarked funds have been discussed with the United Nations Controller for further review with the Agencies. The draft of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Co-ordinator and participating agencies is being finalized. It will include procedures regarding the disbursements of funds earmarked for specific agencies or programmes and that of funds unearmarked by governments which are at the disposal of the Co-ordinator. Procedures for the review and approval of programme/project documents will also be specified as well as for substantive and financial reporting. The questions of interest earned, accounting, auditing, etc. are also dealt with in the draft memorandum.

The Co-ordinator will provide reports on the use of the contributions deposited in the Fund, in full collaboration with the participating United Nations agencies. He intends to ensure that the burden for the agencies of financial control or additional reporting is kept to the minimum. A number of projects are presently being reviewed by the Office of the Co-ordinator with the agencies concerned. As funds have been received during July and August 1988, agencies such as UNHCR and WHO have started implementation of activities under earmaked contributions. Approval and endorsement of the first projects to be implemented by agencies through unearmarked funds available to the Co-ordinator is now being carried out. The Co-ordinator's Fund RaisingACKU Actitivies The donors' response to date has been prompt and encouraging. A number of donor countries announced initial contributions to enable the Co-ordinator and the United Nations agencies involved to address a list of high priority needs. These immediate needs, estimated at some US$25 million, were outlined in a document circulated on 6 June 1988 to donors by the Co-ordinator and reiterated on the occasion of the launching of the Secretary-General's Appeal in which they were incorporated.

~~19 Sectoral percentage distribution of Repatriation and Food Aid requirements for Refugees 1988-1989 (Total US$387.2 million)~~

~~Support costs 4.0% Agricultural inputs 1.2% Health 2.1%~~

~~Transport and logistics 43.7%~~

~~Food aid 41.2%~~

~~Water supply 0.8% Household goods 1.3% Shelter 5.7%~~

~~Per Capita Repatriation and Food Aid Requirements for Refugees 1988-1989 US$~~

~~Transport and logistics Food Aid Shelter ACKU Health~~

~~Agricultural inputs Household goods~~

~~Water supply~~

~~Support costs~~

~~0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60~~

Total per capita Repatriation and Food Aid requirements for Refugees: US$129 . 1 20 The first opportunity for the announcement of donor pledges took place on 14 June 1988 at a donors' consultation meeting held in New York. Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America have pledged or deposited initial contributions to the appeal.

~~Intense fund raising activities by the Co-ordinator took place during the months of June and July including:~~

13-15 June Visit to the United States of America which resulted in a pledge of US$16.7 million, 17 June Visit to Switzerland, with the announcement of a Swiss contribution of SF2 million, 23 June Visit to Brussels to discuss a co-operative programme with the Commission of the European Economic Community, 25 June Visit to the United Kingdom where a pledge of Pounds Sterling 10 million was confirmed, 29 June Visit to Sweden where an initial pledge of SEK40 million was confirmed, 6-8 July Visit to the USSR which resulted in a joint communique announcing the USSR decision to pledge multilateral assistance through the Trust Fund, 12 July Visit to France, with the announcement of a French contribution of FF100 million, 19 July Visit to Italy with the announcement of an Italian contribution of US$14 million

The above initiatives brought the total response of donors by 31 August 1988 to some $97ACKU million. In addition the Co-ordinator has received encouraging indications of substantial forthcoming contributions from EEC, Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany. Donors will have the opportunity to formalize their pledges or to announce new ones on the occasion of the Pledging Conference for Afghanistan on 12 October 1988 in New York.

~~21 TABLE 3: DONOR PLEDGES TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S APPEAL (as of 31 August 1988)~~

~~US$ million % unearmarked Australia .1/ 16.26 Austria ~I 0.50 Canada 0.81 15 Denmark 1.11 100~~

~~Finland 0.95 France 16.39 29 Italy J/ 14.00 7 Netherlands 2.38 100~~

~~Norway 0.92 25~~

~~Sweden 1_/ 6.75 100~~

~~Switzerland 1.40 50~~

~~United Kingdom 18.59~~

~~United States ~I 16.71~~

~~Total 96.77 18~~

~~Cash received/ transferred 2.98 45~~

l/ Funds to be used mainly for food and through international organizations andACKU Australian NGOs. ~I 3,000 Mt of wheat through WFP ll Official notification expected 1_/ US$ 2 million earmarked for the financing of the Office of the Co-ordinator and field missions ~I 80,000 mt of wheat, 3,000 mt of dried milk and related transport costs.

~~22 Analysis of Pledges~~

Out of some US$ 97 million pledged, donors have earmarked about 82~ for specific United Nations agencies or NGOs. Some 18~ of the pledges are so far unearmarked. It is important that donors provide unearmarked contributions to enable the Co-ordinator to retain some flexibility for the allocation of funds depending on the changing needs of the relief and rehabilitation operation.

At present it appears that the humanitarian relief and rehabilitation programme to Afghanistan as outlined in Phase 1 of the appeal cannot be implemented in its entirety until the political situation becomes clear and the security and access conditions improve. In addition, there is also uncertainty regarding when and in what number the externally displaced populations will begin to move. However, it is essential that donors make generous forward commitments to the appeal, so that the United Nations and its operational partners are in a position to carry out contingency planning, pre-positioning of essential supplies and are able to start the relief and rehabilitation programmes at short notice.

It is noteworthy that during nine years of war, Afghanistan ceased to receive most of the multilateral and bilateral development aid which it would have been entitled to, especially from OECD countries. During the period 1975-79, the average annual concessional assistance from OECD Member countries to Afghanistan amounted to $4 per capita, compared to an average of $10 per capita for all Least Developed countries. With the beginning of the conflict in 1979, most of this aid was stopped; during 1980-85, for example, Afghanistan received only $1 per capita annually in contrast to the $17 per capita provided toACKU the average of all LDCs. The nine years of war have reduced Afghanistan to the status of one of the poorest LDCs; its gross domestic product is now estimated to be about $130 per capita. Assuming that the provision of economic assistance should be based on the poverty level of a country, Afghanistan would have been entitled to a total aid package of more than $2.5 billion during 1980-87, based on an annual average of $17 per capita. The provision of this concessional assistance from DAC countries was, however, suspended due to the war and the

23 political developments in Afghanistan. Now that there is hope of an end to the conflict, the provision of the sum of $1,166.1 million of relief and rehabilitation required over an 18 month period should not be considered overly ambitious.

According to official Soviet sources, in 1987 the USSR provided US$56.9 million in grants and US$306.8 in government credit. For 1988 the planned Soviet assistance amounts to $67.2 million in grants and $252.6 in government credit. Almost 56.1% of this government assistance package is for development of mining, energy geology and industry.

~~1.6 The ECOSOC Resolution~~

At its second regular session of 1988, the Economic and Social Council heard a statement by the Co-ordinator and adopted, without a vote, a resolution co-sponsored by 21 States. The resolution reads as follows:

"United Nations assistance programmes to Afghanistan The Economic and Social Council, Having considered the report made by the Co-ordinator for United Nations Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan, Convinced that a co-ordinated programme of assistance and relief efforts will entail collaborative undertakings by many different agencies and programmes within the United Nations system, 1. Welcomes the initiative of the Secretary-General and supports the efforts of the Co-ordinator for United Nations Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan; 2. Urges all Member States to contribute to the fullest extent possible to the United Nations effortACKU to assist the people of Afghanistan; 3. Reguests all United Nations agencies and bodies to participate actively in the fulfilment of the United Nations humanitarian and economic assistance programmes relating to Afghanistan."

~~24 2. INFORMATION SYSTEM RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN~~

~~2.1 Background~~

~~Afghanistan is not only described as one of the least developed countries in the world but also one of the most elusive in terms of hard facts.~~

~~During the last nine years, the war situation in the country has precluded the implementation and design of comprehensive surveys and in-country assessments.~~

In the absence of real hard data, it would be easy to take refuge in starting long drawn-out missions and data collection activities instead of problem-solving actions. The real problems and the necessity for actions now to meet the priority relief and rehabilitation needs relating to Afghanistan demand a balanced approach that makes the best use of whatever information is available and to begin the process of building up a comprehensive consolidated information system.

The availability of the most relevant and timely information, based on the capacity to monitor the evolving situation on a continuing basis, is crucial to ensure that the United Nations, the international donor community and the NGOs respond to the situation in Afghanistan in the most effective manner possible.

The Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator for humanitarian and economic assistance relating to Afghanistan includes in its functions the estimation of relief and rehabilitation needs, the identification of weaknesses or constraints ACKUin response capacity, the mobilization of donor aid, the planning for concerted action, and the maintenance of public interest. The Office of the Co-ordinator therefore needs to have a capacity to monitor the situation in Afghanistan and the relevant border areas closely and continuously, taking into account that it is dealing with an evolving situation. Monitoring must therefore be both diagnostic and predictive, and information has to be kept constantly up to date.

25 In designing a relevant information system, not only the immediate needs for the relief and rehabilitation programmes have to be considered but this has to be done in the context of a longer-term data and information system for economic recovery and development planning in Afghanistan.

~~For the immediate need of responding to the priority relief and rehabilitation needs, the main sources of information envisaged are:~~

~~- consolidated field level information -headquarters' information - priority assessment missions inside Afghanistan~~

~~2.2 Consolidated field level information~~

The timeliness and comprehensiveness of information for immediate decision-making depends on the ability of all participants at the field level to share, consolidate and compile all available information. Such data will be particularly useful for estimating gaps between needs and donor responses in various sectors and geographical areas as constituting a direct, up-to-date and overall picture as seen from the region. The preparation and dissemination of such information will contribute directly to the timeliness and efficiency of mobilizing donor resources.

It is critical that the field representatives of the United Nations system, the local representatives of bilateral donors, the operational NGOs and the representatives of the local authorities fully co-operate in this effort to carry out multi-sectoral assessments of evolving needs. To facilitate this process, the Office of the Co-ordinator has developed provisional Field InformationACKU Collection Guidelines, presented in Annex 2. Discussions are ongoing to finalize these guidelines and streamline reporting procedures to avoid excessive bureaucracy and ad hoc reporting. These guidelines have been designed to provide a detailed assessment of the relief and rehabilitation needs and to identify weakness or constraints in response to capacity. They are expected to serve as a basis of mobilizing timely resources and planning of concerted actions.

26 The central purpose of field reporting guidelines is to help operational United Nations system organizations, NGOs and bilateral donors to plan and manage the collection of relevant relief and rehabilitation data and its communication to the focal point of the Office of the Co-ordinator in Geneva on a regular basis and in a consolidated format. This will minimize ad hoc reporting and contribute to conformity in the reporting. Furthermore, it will facilitate the task, in the field and at Headquarters in Geneva, of responding to many incidental queries on the evolving situation. Assessment for follow-up action by the Office of the Co-ordinator will also be considerably facilitated by standardization of reporting. It should be emphasized that regular situation reporting from the field would not substitute for reporting arrangements already established by headquarters of various organizations with their field representatives, but rather build on existing systems.

The Office of the Co-ordinator, in collaboration with UNDP and other United Nations agencies and organizations, particularly UNHCR, WFP, WHO, UNICEF, FAO and !FAD, is currently preparing the establishment of planning and information units in Peshawar (Pakistan), Mashad (Iran) and Kabul (Afghanistan) to form the basis of decentralized regional programmes of assistance relating to Afghanistan. These units, under the overall co-ordination of the Chief of Missions of the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan, will form the focal point for the field information system.

It is proposed that the participating organizations meet regularly - for example monthly - to compile a consolidated report on the identified sectoral needs as well as descriptive information on the evolving situation. The latter is essential for the planning of pre-emptive measures for any upcoming problems and/or bottlenecks.ACKU 2.3 Headquarters information reporting

The field representatives of the United Nations system, NGOs and bilateral donors regularly should compile reports on their sectoral activities as well as specific information of particular interest to their headquarters. At the headquarters of these organizations, this sectoral information is analyzed and often supplemented with any additional information. Many of these organizations publish regular reports and special bulletins on their particular sectors cf interest.

27 As the central purpose of the Office of the Co-ordinator is to prepare a consolidated multi-sectoral assessment of the needs and situation relating to Afghanistan, it is essential that information from the headquarters of the UN systems, NGOs and bilateral donors be communicated to the Co-ordinator in a timely fashion.

~~2.4 United Nations system Headquarters~~

The Office of the Co-ordinator has established regular Inter-Agency meetings with 16 concerned agencies of the United Nations system. These meetings provide a forum for exchange of information and planning of actions. Additionally, the Co-ordinator has formed an Inter-Agency task force of the organizations most closely involved - UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, FAO, WFP and WHO. The central responsibility of this task force will be to consolidate the sectoral information and carry out co-ordinated planning of the relief and rehabilitation programmes.

~~2.5 Non-governmental organizations~~

For the past few years, many NGOs have played a critical role in providing assistance to Afghan refugees as well as to areas in Afghanistan through modest cross-border operations. NGOs have an important role to play in assisting the United Nations to implement humanitarian and economic assistance programmes, especially in view of their "grass root" level experiences and contacts with local authorities. The Co-ordinator intends to maintain very close working relationships with the relevant NGOs, especially with regard to the development of a comprehensive information system. The task of consultation, communication and exchanging of information on NGO activities has been greatlyACKU facilitated by the establishment of the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) which represents well over 40 NGOs currently implementing assistance programmes (Annex 5).

The co-ordinated information gathering and sharing, as envisaged in the field reporting guidelines, will also facilitate a closer working relationship between the NGOs and the United Nations system as well as bilateral donors.

~~28 2.6 Donor information reporting~~

The compilation and communication of information from donors, including non-governmental organizations, on their pledges and contributions is essential for effective co-ordination of relief and rehabilitation programmes. Here the central aim is to obtain a detailed assessment of donor response to the evolving needs in order to provide accurate and timely estimates of gaps between needs and donor responses. Proposed donor guidelines for regular reporting to the Office of the Co-ordinator are given in Annex 3.

~~2.7 Priority Assessment Missions inside Afghanistan~~

Reliable and accurate information on the conditions in the country is essential for the strategic planning and delivery of humanitarian relief and rehabilitation as well as the longer-term economic recovery. The present security situation in the contry still inhibits the mounting of necessary in-country surveys and assessment programmes. However, it is important that detailed plans for priority in-country assessment missions be formulated so that these missions can be implemented at short notice.

A number of priority sectors for relief and rehabilitation needs assessment inside Afghanistan are outlined below. To the extent possible, these survey assessments should be carried out on a region-by-region basis, taking explicit account of the local resident population as well as estimates of needs related to expected inflow of repatriates, including both i~ternally-displaced and refugee populations. Although this information is relevant for all provinces of Afghanistan, due to constraints of time and capacity it will be necessaryACKU to identify priority geographical areas for initial assessment missions on the basis of a number of factors including the security situation and accessibility, relative importance as areas of refugee and internally-displaced return, status of rural infrastructure, etc.

~~29 Agricultural needs assessment~~

- Food aid needs (local resident population and expected returnees) - Cereal storage capacity, distribution logistics, etc. - Status of irrigation systems and availability of irrigated water supplies - Availability of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and farm implements - Availability of power - human labour, oxen and tractors - Area and production of staple food crops - Area of production of fruit, vegetables, sugar beet, cotton, etc. - Monitoring of snowfall and rainfall in winter 1988 and forecasts of crop harvests (1989 seasons) - Livestock numbers, animal health and production of meat, milk, etc. - Status of agro-industries: sugar refineries, textiles, etc. and the seed and fertilizer industries/distribution means.

~~Rural health needs assessment~~

Status of rural health centres and facilities and primary health care - Availability of essential drugs and medical supplies - Disabled persons - Nutritional status and surveillance of children and women - Monitoring of prevalence of diseases including tuberculosis, measles, malaria, leprosy, etc. - Availability of trained health personnel (by gender)

~~Rural education needs assessment~~

- Status of school buildingsACKU and equipment - Number of eligible primary and secondary school children and enrolment levels - Availability of teachers - Availability of school materials - Estimates of children among expected returnees and corresponding needs regarding number of schools and teachers and school material supplies

~~30 Rural habitation needs~~

- Status of housing and public buildings including schools, health centres, mosques, etc. - Availability of building material, especially roofing timber and cement - Local availability of builders, carpenters, masons, etc.

~~Rural security situation assessment~~

- Security situation and identification of local power structures, lines of command, etc. - Safe access routes and paths -Extent of areas (access roads, fields, etc.) under mines and unexploded ordnance Identification of types of mines - Mass public education programmes, both inside Afghanistan and among refugee population in Pakistan and Iran, regarding recognition and awareness of mines and other ordnance. These programmes should be particularly adapted towards children and women - Training of Afghans in mine clearance and disposal of unexploded ordnance

The Co-ordinator has already begun to co-ordinate a series of preliminary assessment missions in priority geographical areas in Afghanistan. These preliminary missions would be composed of representatives of a limited number of United Nations system organizations - including UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and UNDP. Their objective would be to assess the overall situation with a view to eventual implementation of relief and rehabilitation programmes, to identify logistical problems and possibilitiesACKU for implementation, particularly with regard to potential refugee and internally-displaced returnees, to provide a preliminary assessment of physical conditions and to establish contacts with local authorities. These preliminary missions would be followed by more comprehensive sectoral needs assessment missions.

~~31 2.8 A geographical information system~~

The extent of the damage to the physical infrastructure in most areas of Afghanistan is such that an accurate assessment would take years of on-the-ground surveys. Also, in view of the prevailing security situation inside Afghanistan, it is unlikely that country-wide surveys and assessments to obtain essential planning infrastructure information can be carried out in the near future. At the same time, there is an urgent need to generate relevant information on the spatial resource base for contingency planning of resettlement, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes.

In this situation, a geographical information system, (see Annex 4), would provide the basic framework to compile essential resource and infrastructural information for planning of decentralized programmes and projects at the provincial and district levels. This decentralized spatial planning is relevant to the widely varying physical conditions in the different provinces of Afghanistan and the need to develop region-specific relief and rehabilitation programmes.

Additionally, a geographical information system would be ideal to provide a mechanism for spatial consideration of multi-sectoral issues by region. For example, the production of overlay maps (e.g. access route roads, mined areas, forest areas, refugee repatriation areas, etc.) would be particularly relevant for identifying priority areas and prepositioning and delivery of assistance on a region-by-region basis.

The maps presented in this report have been produced on the basis of such a geographical information system. An overlay of the population density maps - with and without the assumption of the return of the refugee and internally displaced populations,ACKU the wheat production and storage capacity maps, the road infrastructure map, etc. would enable an integrated spatial analysis to identify priority areas for initial on-the-ground assessment as well as implementation of relief and rehabilitation programmes.

~~The Office of the Co-ordinator proposes to develop this geographical information system which in the future will be transferred for use in Afghanistan.~~

~~32 2.9 Information dissemination~~

The regular flow of field and headquarters' level information, together with the information from the in-country assessment missions and the development of a geographical information system from the central core of a comprehensive consolidated information system relating to Afghanistan. Over the coming months, the Co-ordinator will strengthen these activities to ensure that the relevant information is processed in a timely manner and reported in a form to enable immediate decision-making by donors as well as ensuring public awareness and commitments.

While in the longer term it is important to strive for an ideal information system, the urgency of responding to the evolving situation in Afghanistan calls for the development of a decentralized phased information system. This will be done in such a way as to enable it to produce information for dissemination immediately while continuing the development of sophisticated capabilities that will make the Office of the Co-ordinator the source of the kind of reliable and timely information that all parties interested in assisting Afghanistan will find indispensible.

The Office of the Co-ordinator, in close co-operation with the agencies and organizations, prepared its initial assessment of the relief and rehabilitation needs relating to Afghanistan. This information formed the basis of the Secretary-General's Appeal launched on 14 June 1988 in New York.

In developing a comprehensive consolidated information system, the first task of the Office of the Co-ordinator was to identify, gather and collate available information. The main sources of information relating to Afghanistan include: ACKU

- The refugee population (many of whom have kept constant contact with their home areas and are generally aware of the prevailing conditions) - Representatives of the Afghan local authorities and the political parties - Official Government sources Non-governmental organizations, especially those involved in cross-border operations

33 - The United Nations system - Relevant bilateral donors - Researchers, journalists and Afghan academics - many of whom have frequently visited areas inside Afghanistan in recent years - Archives and information systems, for example, Stiftung Biblioteca Afghanica in Liestal (Switzerland), Afghan Information Centre in Peshawar (Pakistan), University of Nebraska Afghanistan Information System, Nebraska (USA), etc.

The analysis of the information from the above sources has provided valuable insights and forms the basis of this first consolidated report on Afghanistan. This report provides a base-line assessment and the Office of the Co-ordinator will publish regular status reports to keep the international community fully informed on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. In particular, the central aim of these reports will be to provide the donor community with a reliable, co-ordinated and accurate assessment of the changing relief and rehabilitation needs. It is hoped that this information will enable donors to provide timely and effective assistance.

Another important aim of the series of status reports will be to keep the media and the public fully informed on all aspects of the evolving conditions. It is paramount that the media continue to follow the situation in Afghanistan beyond the dramatic images of the war and the military activities. The role of the media in sustaining public awareness and commitment cannot be over-emphasized. The Office of the Co-ordinator will prepare special up-dates and summaries of issues of particular interest to the media.

~~As necessary, the Co-ordinatorACKU will also prepare and issue special appeals for donor assistance on behalf of the United Nations systems and the operational NGOs.~~

~~34 3. SECURITY AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCESS~~

The internally and externally displaced populations left their homelands as a result of the conflict and political strife that threatened their livelihood and lives. They are fully aware of the prevailing situation and will not make decisions to return to their homes until and unless they see some realistic assurance of their prospects of survival.

At present there is a severe lack of reliable information regarding the existing security and access conditions inside the country. This is further compounded by the rapidly changing socio-political situation. The gathering of relevant information, continuous monitoring of the evolving situation and needs as well as contingency planning must be given the highest priority so that when safe access becomes possible, the relief and rehabilitation programmes can be rapidly deployed and implemented.

Access to most parts of rural Afghanistan is extremely hazardous due to extensive presence of mines and unexploded ordnance - continuing conflict and fighting in many areas - severe damage to physical infrastructure

~~3.1 Mines and Unexploded Ordnance~~

The prolific and indiscriminate use of mines has been one of the most brutal aspects of the nine year conflict in Afghanistan. The use of landmines, predominantly anti-personnel but also some anti-tank, has been greater in Afghanistan than in any other conflict in recent times. Modern delivery systems have enabled mines to be scattered by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, to beACKU fired from artillery out to 25 km, and to be mortared in combined infantry assaults. This widespread deployment has precluded the accurate registration of mined areas except for some limited charted anti-personnel minefields around strategic installations such as airfields, power stations, garrison parameters etc.

35 The uncharted presence of mines is likely to represent a significant threat to the personal safety of Afghans for many years to come. Moreover the presence of mines directly affects prospects of economic recovery: fields may not be tilled, access to pasture and fuelwood areas will be inhibited, transport and marketing of agricultural produce will suffer etc. Unless the mine problem is addressed forthwith the economic losses for the rural population will be considerable.

The foremost priority is to provide immediate mass public education and information in mine recognition and avoidance to the refugees in Iran and Pakistan as well as to the internally displaced and the local resident rural population inside Afghanistan. This campaign should take explicit account of the need to reach children who will be most at risk.

~~The international community will have to mount a major programme in the charting of mined areas as well as in the early training of Afghans in demining.~~

The major types of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines deployed by the parties to the conflict are listed and summarized in Annex 1. Many of the mines deployed in Afghanistan are of plastic construction and this makes detection with conventional equipment extremely hazardous. It is crucial that information on technical specification of mines be obtained from the countries of manufacture so that procedures to deal with particular kinds of mines can be formulated and implemented.

~~3.2 Mine Clearance~~

The problem of mine clearanceACKU will require a major co-ordinated international effort and an immediate mobilization of resources by the donor community. The early establishment of central, co-ordinating mechanisms in the border areas and inside Afghanistan will be vital.

Most of the de-mining operations inside Afghanistan can be best carried out by the Afghans themselves. During nine years of conflict many Afghans have become experienced in dealing with mines through very imaginative but highly risky demining procedures. Considerable numbers of personnel will have to be intensively trained in de-mining and provided with the necessary equipment. It is envisaged that several training centres will have to be established to ensure that at least two to three trained persons are available in each village to deal with mines and unexploded ordnance.

The first priority is to chart the location and extent of areas where the mines have been laid. Apart from the ground surveys which are essential for comprehensive and coherent information, additional sources of information including aerial surveys and satellite imagery should be used to obtain rapid reconnaisance information.

The initial task will be to remove the mines from the main pathways and road routes. This will have to be closely followed by clearance of mines in the fields and pasture areas, and village surroundings. As the extent of mined areas is very widespread, priority areas for initial demining will have to be demarcated. Areas with lesser priority will be clearly marked and fenced off.

Minefield clearance in Afghanistan will in most cases have to be conducted by individual trained operators, although in some situations mechanical methods will be relevant. The majority of the existing international demining equipment has been designed for "breaching" rather than clearing minefields. For instance, the use of explosives to blast safe paths, or tanks fitted with ploughs to furrow mines to each side will generally not be suitable for the semi-arid, mountain topography of Afghanistan except for level road routes.

Once detected, the clearing of individual mines depends on their type and location. Trained personnelACKU can decide whether to disarm and lift, to destroy in situ with separate charges, or to mark and fence off for later mechanical destruction. Basic demining equipment will have to be available to each trained operator.

For clearing roads, the use of mechanical systems such as the fitting of rollers to the front of tanks and vehicles will be relevant in some areas but this option will require considerable logistical support.

37 The problem of de-mining does not generally fall within the mandate of any international agency. An international multi-national effort under the aegis of the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan will be essential to tackle the scale and complexity of this problem. In this context the governments of France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States of America have expressed interest to participate in this formidable task. The Co-ordinator has also taken up this question with the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. At present, consultations are being held to plan a co-ordinated demining operation with priority areas to include:

- Mobilization of financial resources, Collection of technical information on types of mines and identification and requisition of relevant demining equipment, Design and implementation of mass public education programmes on mine awareness, starting with the refugee camps and expanding to areas inside Afghanistan, "On the Ground" surveys to chart the extent and location of mines in the most affected areas inside Afghanistan, and Design and implementation of training programmes for Afghans in demining.

~~3.3 Continuing Conflict~~

Recent reports suggest a continuation of heavy fighting and conflict in most parts of the country, especially in the following regions: North (Balkh and Samangan provinces), North East (Kunduz and Badkashan provinces), East (Nangrahar and Kunar provinces), East Central (Kabul, Bamyan, Parwan, Logar, Wardak and Ghazni provinces)ACKU and the South (Kandahar, Paktika and Zabul provinces). A first preliminary summary of this situation by region and affected province for the months of July/August 1988 is presented below. Over the coming months, this situation will be carefully monitored so that relief and rehabilitation programmes can be started in all areas as they become accessible. North Region

~~Balkh: Mazar-i Sharif and Hairatan are reported to be peaceful with no fighting in either city. Nevertheless, regular flights from Kabul to Mazar-i Sharif were interrupted during July.~~

~~Samangan: In late June - early July, the province centre at Aybak was attacked on a number of occasions.~~

~~North East Region~~

Kunduz: The road between Faizabad and Kunduz was reportedly insecure as a bridge on the route was destroyed during July. Reports on August 11 indicated that the army cordon in the provincial capital of Kunduz had been broken through by the resistance following intensive fighting in the area; however, the resistance subsequently withdrew under heavy attack for five days by government forces.

~~Badakhshan: A military convoy between Faizabad and Kunduz was attacked on 12 July with considerable loss of life.~~

Baghlan: Reports on 15 August indicated that the Kilagay Camp had been attacked with rockets and shells by the resistance; an ammunition depot was blown up causing fatal injuries to scores of soldiers and civilians.

~~East Region~~

~~Nangrahar: Rocket attacks on Jalalabad have continued but there was no fighting in the city. ACKU~~

~~Kunar: The district town of Asmar has been besieged since early June. Most civilians have fled the town. During the first week of July one military fixed-wing aircraft was downed near Asmar.~~

~~Paktia: On 20 July, 11 Afghans and a Norwegian relief worker were killed when their car hit a mine on a secondary road between Gardez and Paracrinar.~~

~~39 East Central Region~~

Kabul: During July unusually heavy fighting continued west of the capital to the Kargha area and in the Paghman areas. The road linking Paghaman and Kabul was impassable. The principal road into the area was also blocked by the fighting. Reports also indicated a continuation of chronic fighting in the lower Shomali, the Kariz-E-Mir area, the Deshti Chamtara area, immediately north of the Khair Khana pass.

There were reports of heavy fighting and casualties in Koh-i-Safi area east of Kabul city. The intensity of the fighting was reflected in continuous day and night artillery fire. The main road in the area through Deh Sabz district was also closed. On 10 August heavy rocket attacks on the capital's airport were reported.

~~Bamyan: There was heavy fighting in the area around Bamyan town.~~

Parwan: Military troop movements and deployment of tanks were reported around Bagram airbase. The Salang road south of the tunnel continues to be insecure. Some families who fled the fighting in the Panjshir years ago, are beginning to return to the southern parts of the valley.

~~Logar: The province centre of Pul-i-Alam as well as Baraki Barak, continue to be under pressure.~~

Wardak: Much of Maydan Shahr town has been destroyed by bombing and artillery attacks. There was also fighting underway in the Maydan Shahr area. Ghazni: Reports suggest fightingACKU around but not in Ghazni city. South Region

Kandahar: There were reports of intense fighting in and around Kandahar city, especially in the Mahalajat area south of the city. Reports suggest that some 10 to 20 rockets were being fired nightly. All air traffic at Kandahar airport was halted until July 13. One report claimed that airport runways were damaged in the attack (suggesting possible use of mortars to crater the

40 runways). There were also reports of heavy continued (since early June) fighting in Arghandab district, north of city. The road between Kandahar and Spin Buldak was again open after being closed for two weeks in mid-June because of fighting near Spin Buldak. Re-opening of trade routes with Pakistan has meant that food availability and prices in Kandahar have improved, with prices for wheat approximately at Kabul levels. The last of the 7,000 strong Soviet troop contingent departed Kandahar province on 4 August. Reports indicated that all main routes linking Kandahar to Kabul were under the control of the resistance.

~~Paktika Military supplies have continued to be delivered by airdrops at night by fixed-wing aircraft, the same re-supply system employed at Khost in Paktia province.~~

Zabul: There were reports of fighting in Moqor. A military aircraft was downed while flying near Qalat. Heavy fighting was reported from Qalat City in early August; the city was taken over by the Mujahideen on 11 August but they withdrew under heavy artillery attack by the government forces.

The above reported continuation of fighting in four regions of Afghanistan is a decisive factor in the lack of returnee movements. Also the urgent need to carry out "on the ground" priority assessment of the relief and rehabilitation requirements in these provinces in Afghanistan will not be possible as long as the fighting and insecurity continues.

~~3.4 Damage to Infrastructure and Shelter~~

The nine years of war in Afghanistan has resulted in an extensive destruction of physical infrastructureACKU in most areas. Reliable and accurate information on the status of this infrastructure is not generally available. However, some evidence suggests that, for example:

- About 2,000 km of paved roads and 3,000 km of secondary roads have been damaged. This, respectively, represents more than 70% and 25% of the paved and secondary roads network in Afghanistan. - More than 300 bridges have been blown up.

41 - More than 60% of the 220 rural health centres have been destroyed. - Some 2,000 school buildings have been heavily damaged and most will have to be rebuilt. - More than a third of about 22,000 villages of pre-war Afghanistan have been destroyed. Additionally some 5,000 villages have been made uninhabitable due to combat related damage. - Widespread destruction of fruit orchards. Irrigation systems have also been damaged partly due to bombing and partly because of lack of maintenance.

The lack of essential infrastructure presents a logistical challenge of enormous proportions with regard to repatriation and resettlement of millions of refugees and the internally displaced as well as the rehabilitation of the rural economy.

The highest priority must be given to assess the damage to the road transport network in order to a carry out the repair of strategic bridges and access roads, especially those along which the displaced populations are likely to travel and which provide the most efficient routes for the transport and delivery of relief and rehabilitation supplies.

The provision of basic health care in rural Afghanistan will necessitate the rehabilitation of most health centres and additionally, many new health centres will also have to be built in strategic locations.

Most of the housing and public buildings including schools have also been heavily damaged and are in need of major repairs. Substantial quantities of building materials as well as skilled carpenters, builders, plumbers, etc. will be required to carry outACKU shelter rehabilitation and reconstruction. Traditionally, the wood beam roof construction method has been extensively practiced in Afghanistan. However, roof timber is in short supply as a result of progressive deforestation in many areas. Alternative roof construction methods including mud blocks, straw, metal beams etc. may have to be considered. However, in the short term, it will be necessary to import and provide roof timber.

42 In some areas local residents have for a number of years occupied abandoned homes and farms. This situation could lead to frictions and will have to be resolved in view of the eventual return of the refugees and the internally displaced populations. Another aspect related to the returnees is that many of them will be returning with larger families (children born in camps); their original homes apart from needing repairs will require extensions.

~~With regard to farms, repossession by the returnees may also lead to social conflicts and may also result in food production deficits among the local residents.~~

The above social issues would have been easily resolved at village and community level under traditional Afghan culture. However, it should be recognized that the major population dislocations and long years of conflict have changed the traditional patterns of village leadership and community decision making and it will be some time before normal social systems are re-established.

Many of the urban centres in Afghanistan have also been subjected to damage and destruction during the conflict. Also, as a result of the large influx of migrants, there has been a severe strain on services including housing, health, education, water supply and sanitation and a chronic shortage of fuel, clothing and consumer goods. The situation has been further exacerbated by the lack of employment opportunities. Apart from the urgent need to rehabilitate the damaged urban infrastructure, major investments will be required to expand infrastructure and services to meet the needs of migrants who might chooseACKU to remain in the urban areas for some time to come. "On the ground" infrastructural assessment missions will not be possible in areas still affected by fighting and insecurity. However, the urgency of compiling relevant information necessitates that all possible information sources be utilized. In this context the use of satellite imagery and viable aerial surveys to assess the overall status of the physical infrastructure in all affected areas must be given high priority.

~~43 AFGHANISTAN MAP 4~~

~~POPULATION DENSITY BY PROVINCE: LOCAL RESIDENT POPULATION IN AFGHANISTAN LEGEND~~

~~DENSITY IN PERSONS PER SOJARE KIL0'1ETER~~

~~~ >500 !Lj 80 TO 160 1SJ <40 TO 80 [[] 20 TO <40~~

~~B 10 TO 20 0 2 TO 10~~

~~~ S0 tOO KH~~

~~AFGHANISTAN MAP 5 ACKU~~

~~POPULATION DENSITY BY PROVINCE: LOCAL RESIDENT POPULATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND REFUGEE POPULATION FROW PAKISTAN AND IR~A_N ______~ LEGEND~~

~~DENSITY IN PERSONS PER SOU.ARE KIL0'1ETER~~

~~~>600 0 60 TO 160~~

~~~ 40 TO 60~~

~~[] 20 TO 40 B 10 TO 2'0 0 2 TO 19~~

~~!;! S0 100 KP1~~

~~44 3.5 Regional Summaries: Security and Opportunity for Access~~

~~This is the most productive agricultural region in Afghanistan and also accounts for most of the mineral wealth of the country.~~

~~The present population density of 22.2 person per sq km will hardly change as a result of the return of refugee populations since less than 50,000 have been displaced from this region.~~

The principal road route links Kabul with the border town of Hairatan and the rail head at Termez. This and other road routes in this strategic region have generally been maintained and repaired during the years of conflict. The cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Sheberghan are vital for the region's natural gas fields and the pipelines that supply Kabul as well as the Soviet Union.

Prior to 1979, the availability of health care as well as primary and secondary education facilities in this region were more than two times (in per capita terms) better than other regions of Afghanistan. During the years of the conflict, there has been further improvement and expansion of these services.

~~The main urban centres in the region are Maimana, Sheberghan, Mazar-i-Sharif and Samangan.~~

~~There has been hardly any infrastructural damage in many areas of this strategically and economically important region and in fact, there have been major improvements. ACKU~~

~~North East~~

This is the most mountainous and remote region in Afghanistan. The region is of strategic importance as it encompasses the two main supply routes to Kabul from Termez through Balkh and Samangan as well as from Dushanbe through Kunduz.

~~45 AFGHANISTAN MAP 6~~

~~POPULATION DENSITY BY PROVINCE: LOCAL RESIDENT POPULATION IN AfGHANISTAN AND REfUGEE POPULATION FROW PAKISTAN LEGEND~~

~~DENSITY IN PERSONS PER SQUARE KILOMETER~~

~~~>500 !Lj 80 TO 160~~

~~bS:J ~ TO 80 rn 20 TO~ E3 10 TO 20 D 2 TO 10~~

0 50 100KM ACKU The present population density is 14.6 person per sq km and this would increase to 18.2 persons per sq km if all the displaced persons from this region return. The main urban centres are Faizabad, Talugan, Kunduz and Baghlan.

Most of the conflict in this region has been centred in the Panjshir valley which forms the southern border of Baghlan and Takhar provinces and its control is strategic to the defence of the northern highway. Reports indicate presence of mines, especially to the West of the valley.

The absence of effective central government control has led to the emergence of a local administration in this region, namely the Shura of the North which comprises a council of commanders and religious leaders. This council has initiated medical and educational systems as well as road repair and construction. The region has also benefited from many projects and programmes carried out by cross-border non-governmental organizations.

As the security situation in this region is likely to normalize earlier, it may be the first area where displaced persons return. In fact, there is indication that families originating from the Panjshir are already beginning to return to the valley from the Kabul area. Any rehabilitation of infrastructure in this region should be focussed on the resettlement of some 250,000 returnees.

The Panjshir valley is also likely to be an area where initial "on the ground" assessment missionsACKU may be initiated. Due to the proximity to the North West Frontier border and the main supply routes from Pakistan, this region has been an area of intense conflict and fighting through the last nine years. The region's physical infrastructure, especially roads, bridges and habitations have been severely damaged and destroyed.

47 The present population density of 32.6 persons per sq km will increase substantially to 78.8 persons per sq km if all refugees and displaced persons from this region return. This would require an enormous challenge to rebuild the essential infrastructure and services.

Of the 160 primary and secondary schools and some 35 health centres, more than half have been extensively damaged and destroyed. Not only do these require rebuilding but in addition, these facilities will have to be expanded more than two-fold to meet the needs of the returnee populations.

~~The main urban centres are Jalalabad, Gardez and Nangarhar. The city of Jalalabad has suffered the least damage in the conflict and in fact continues to be an important trade area.~~

Many areas in the region have reported a continuation of fighting and it will be some time before the security situation becomes clear. It is essential that relief and rehabilitation supplies be prepositioned in strategic locations across the border in Pakistan so that these can be rapidly deployed as soon as safe access and security permits.

This region is important, not only in terms of being the place of origin of more than a third of the displaced populations, but is also critical for the transit of relief and rehabilitation supplies as well as of refugees returning to other areas of Afghanistan. Many areas of this region have been heavily mined. The highest priority must be given to the "on the ground" assessment and charting of mined areas in this region. Also the mine clearance programmes in this region must be carried out as soon as the security situation allows. ACKU The region's infrastructure will need substantial resources to be rehabilitated; the proximity of the border supply routes will facilitate this.

~~East Central~~

Most of the areas in the region are mountainous. There is relatively little flat arable land and the irrigation systems are insufficiently developed. This is the most heavily populated region in Afghanistan, with a population density of 53.9 persons per sq km. More than a million internally displaced people have settled in Kabul. The Kabul province accounts for more than half the population of this region. With the return of the refugees the average population density in this region would increase to 69.8 persons per sq km.

The principal north-south highway and the road to the eastern border links the capital city of Kabul to the rest of the country. Most of the vegetation and houses along this heavily guarded highway has been destroyed.

Many areas of the region, apart from Kabul, have sustained heavy damage to physical infrastructure and services. Although Kabul province accounts for some 55~ of the region's population, over 85~ of the region's health care facilities are in Kabul. Similarly 75~ of the region's 250 primary and secondary schools are also in Kabul.

The southern areas of the region have good roads and viable access from the eastern border. Many of the returning refugees will return via this route. The initial relief and rehabilitation should be focused in the southern areas.

Preliminary reports indicate presences of mines in many areas. This region will also have to be given priority with regard to the charting of mined areas and mine clearance programmes as and when feasible.

In this region desertACKU conditions and flat lands are predominant in the provinces of Nimroz, Helmand and parts of Kandahar and Farah. The region is scarcely populated, with a present density of about 5.7 persons per sq km. If all refugees and the displaced persons from this region were to return, the density would increase to 13.7 persons per sq km. This will have tremendous impact on the available infrastructure and the services.

49 The region's infrastructure has suffered some of the most severe damage of the war. There are three main urban centres, namely, Kandahar, Lashkesgah and Qunahar. Two-thirds of Kandahar city as well as all villages within a 30 km radius have been heavily damaged by the war.

The Kandahar-Herat paved highway with its link to Quetta via Charman, is likely to be the main route for the return of displaced populations as well as the delivery of most of the relief and rehabilitation needs. Although the road in general is passable, parts of it are in need of repair and resurfacing.

Some estimates indicate that there are about 100 primary and secondary schools in this region. With the eventual return of the large displaced population, the number of schools will have to be more than doubled. The region has seven hospitals with a 420 bed capacity, of which Kandahar city accounts for more than 60%. There are also 16 rural health centres. Most of this rural health infrastructure, however, has been severely affected by the conflict and many of the rural health centres are in need of major repairs. Also the capacity of rural health centres will have to more than double to meet the needs of the returnees.

The provinces in the South, especially Nimroz, Helmand and Kandahar are likely to be among the first areas when the displaced populations will return. Hence it is important that the rehabilitation of the basic physical infrastructure in the south be given high priority.

Preliminary information indicates that many areas in this region are infested with mines. The identification and charting of the mined areas as well as implementation of mine clearance programmes should be carried out as soon as possible. ACKU

~~North West~~

~~Most of the land area in this region is flat lands except for the mountainous areas in Eastern Ghor and the desert land in West Herat. The region has good arable land.~~

~~50 At present the population density is 5.7 persons per sq km and this will increase to more then 9.8 person per sq km if the refugees, mainly in Iran, return.~~

The strategic city of Herat lies at the intersection of the main highways linking the region with the Soviet Union and Islam Qila in Iran. Most houses along this highway have been destroyed and also there has been considerable damage in Herat city and surrounding villages. Other small towns in the region, Torogonde, Qala-i-Nau, Farah Markez, Farah Rud, and Bala Boluk have also reported extensive damage.

~~The road network is generally good and should be utilized for any relief and rehabilitation supplies via Iran.~~

The region has some 20 rural health centres and 90 primary and secondary schools. Many of these are in need of repair and rehabilitation and will need considerable expansion to meet the needs of the returnees.

If accessibility via the Islamic Republic of Iran becomes feasible and operational, this region could also form a strategic transit point to reach nothern parts of the south region as well as the East Central region.

~~ACKU~~

~~51 4. AFFECTED POPULATION IN AFGHANISTAN~~

~~4.1 Introduction~~

In 1978-79, the total population of Afghanistan was some 14.2 million, of whom about 13~ were residing in urban areas. The nine years of war has resulted in widespread suffering and dislocation of millions of Afghans.

Today more than five and a half million Afghans are living as refugees in neighbouring countries (see section 5). Another 100,000 people have migrated overseas; the majority of these are skilled professionals who could potentially make a major contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

More than two million people have also had to flee their homes for the apparent safety of urban centres and remote rural areas. The plight of this internally displaced population is of particular concern since most are living under difficult and overcrowded conditions.

~~The long years of bitter fighting and war has caused not only the reported death of almost a million people, but has also resulted in hundreds of thousands of widows, orphans and disabled people.~~

Taking account of the major dislocations of the population, it is now estimated that there are about 11.7 million people in the country, of whom some 25~ are in the urban areas. The almost two-fold increase in the urban population is largely due to the influx of internally displaced people.

Most of the rural populationACKU of some eight million in rural Afghanistan have received hardly any relief or development assistance during the last nine years. The incomes and standard of living of most of these people have declined significantly. For early rehabilitation and recovery of the rural economy, it is critical that priority relief and rehabilitation be provided in the rural areas as soon as the security situation allows. This is also particularly important in the context of return of the internally displaced and the refugee populations, the majority of whom will resettle in rural

52 areas. Every effort must be made to ensure that the basic infrastructure in agriculture, health, education and other social services - is in place such that the resident and returnees can begin the difficult and lengthy task of achieving self reliance and sustainable development.

While most people in the rural areas and the poor in the urban areas will require considerable assistance, there are a number of vulnerable groups who have suffered most and will require special priority assistance programmes. Among these groups, the internally displaced, the disabled, the women and children and the nomads are in urgent need of immediate relief and significant rehabilitation assistance.

~~4.2 Internally displaced~~

The problem of the internally displaced population is a particularly difficult one. Information on their present place of abode, area of origin as well as the numbers involved is not available. There is an urgent need for surveys to obtain this information, especially in areas with large numbers of internally displaced populations.

Some estimates suggest that there are more than a million displaced persons in urban centres including Kabul city, Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif, Ghazni and Gardez. A number of people had also migrated to the cities of Kandahar, Helmand and Herat but had to move on (mainly to Iran) as these cities became centres of intensive fighting.

In addition to the urban displaced population, some 500,000 to a million people have been forced to seek the safety of safer remote rural areas, especially the mountainousACKU regions in the north central part of the country.

During the nine years of conflict, these internally displaced populations have somehow survived with hardly any relief assistance. As most of these populations are living in extremely difficult conditions with little access to employment and earning opportunities, they will be first to make the decision to return to their homes as soon as the military operations and the conflict in the rural areas terminate. Recent reports indicate that some of the

53 displaced populations from Panjshir have already begun to return to the Valley from the Kabul area. In the coming months, large movements of the internally displaced population are likely to occur and it is crucial that they be provided with the necessary assistance to enable rapid settlement and early self-reliance in their home areas.

~~4.3 Disabled Persons~~

The nine years of war in Afghanistan has resulted in heavy injuries and maiming of tens of thousands of people. Many of these people are victims of sophisticated modern mines causing severe disability - often with major injuries to legs and hips.

~~This massive problem of disabled persons is likely to increase many- fold in view of the mines and unexploded ordnance that litter the country-side of Afghanistan.~~

As in all wars, the innocent children become the first victims. The problem of these disabled children has been further compounded by the increasing incidence of polio. As Afghanistan is among the poorest of least developing countries, it does not have the institutional arrangements to deal with problems of so many disabled children, who will need constant care and attention for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, as in many developing countries, institutional care is not so relevant in Afghanistan as the traditional family structures will provide the most relevant care and assistance to ensure social assimilation for the disabled.

At present there is a chronic shortage of surgeons, doctors, other medical staff as well as techniciansACKU who are essential. Many of these professionals, who were working in Afghanistan prior to 1979, have migrated to third countries and are unlikely to return in the near future. Even if intensive training programmes were to start immediately, it would take several years before a local capacity can be created to deal with the problems of disabled persons, especially in rural Afghanistan.

~~The disabled population not only must be given immediate surgical and medical assistance, but also provided with necessary orthopaedic devices and~~

54 continuing physiotherapy and monitoring. Moreover, longer-term vocational rehabilitation, training, employment and social integration will also be required. The Afghan tradition and culture at the family village and community level will no doubt facilitate the social integration of the disabled but it must be remembered that the disabled will be returning to an environment that has been socially and economically devastated by the long years of conflict.

In recent years, a number of organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross, Red Crescent Societies and Operation Handicap Internationale have been providing invaluable assistance to disabled Afghans.

The ICRC rehabilitation centre in Kabul for war disabled, especially amputees, became operational in January 1988. Thus far some 860 pairs of elbow crutches have been supplied and 48 prostheses (artificial legs) have been fitted and repaired. The centre employs some 50 Afghans, of whom seven are technicians in charge of production of crutches, nine are being trained in the production of prostheses and four are being trained in physiotherapy.

ICRC also runs a 30 bed orthopaedic centre in Peshawar where some 360 prosthetic devices - mainly for children - have been produced since January 1988. Additionally, the ICRC-financed paraplegic centre in Hayatabad near Peshawar, run by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, produced some 138 wheelchairs and 148 callipers during January - June 1988.

Operation Handicap Internationale has run an orthopaedic and physical rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Quetta, Pakistan since June 1985. The centre has treated and provided orthopaedic devices to more than 3,000 Afghans. During JuneACKU 1988 altogether 234 Afghan and 97 Pakistani patients were registered for assistance and of these, over 40~ were children. Also in this period the centre completed the production of 317 orthopaedic devices.

The above mentioned organizations and some others have been providing a commendable service to the disabled Afghans. However, to reach the massive numbers of disabled Afghans, these organizations and many others will need considerable financial resources to start and expand operations in Afghanistan.

55 In order to develop a comprehensive and integrated programme of assistance to the disabled population, the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan, has convened a Committee on Assistance to Disabled Afghans. This committee includes relevant United Nations agencies including WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, CSDHA/UNA, ILO, UNHCR, UNDP as well as ICRC with observer status. The Committee's programme for priority activities include:

(a) To compile and disseminate information on the situation of disabled Afghans and on programmes proposed or under way to assist them; (b) To formulate and present to the Co-ordinator a master plan for the care, rehabilitation and social integration of disabled Afghans; (c) To identify agencies having the necessary expertise and resources to undertake projects within the framework of the master plan; (d) To review progress in the implementation of programmes and evaluate their impact on the situation of disabled Afghans; propose further action where required; (e) To promote and support the development of co-ordinating mechanisms within Afghanistan which will ensure a continuing integrated approach to the problems of the disabled.

The disabled population in Afghanistan is likely to increase significantly as a result of the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance in the countryside. The international community must provide timely and substantial financial resources to meet the tragic needs of all disabled Afghans.

~~4.4 Women and children~~

~~Over 70% of the refugeeACKU and the internally displaced populations are women and children. This amounts to a population of some 5 million that will require special assistance programmes.~~

Women in the Afghan culture do not have the same mobility as men since traditions discourge women from having a substantive economic role outside of the home other than in traditional handicraft sectors. Many of the refugee women have had to face numerous social difficulties in crowded refugee settlements. They will need special assistance to enable them to overcome the effects of these years of confinement and very limited opportunities.

56 The level of health care available to women in the refugee camps has been superior to that which was available in Afghanistan before the conflict. This could become a problem due to raised expectations of the refugee returnees, which will make readjustment in war-torn areas in Afghanistan much more difficult. The training of female health workers must be given the highest priority attention as large numbers of them will be required in the rural areas once the refugees and the internally displaced populations return to their home areas.

More than 3 million children among the displaced population will require extensive health care including mass immunization, supplementary feeding, etc. as well as special education programmes to overcome the long years of confinement in camps and a restricted environment. The more than one million children born and brought up in the camps have seen little of what a growing child in normal surroundings would have experienced. These children need to be given not only hope that there is life beyond the temporary shelters, but they must be provided with intensive assistance, especially schooling to make up for the "lost" years.

The nine long years of struggle in Afghanistan has resulted in the death of up to a million people. A recent survey among refugee populations has indicated that more than 60~ of the casualties were adult males. This implies that there may be as many as 700,000 widows and orphans. In the traditional Afghan society, this population group would be easily assimilated and taken care of at the extended family and village community level. However, the dislocation of millions of people, devastation of village community life and destruction the country's economy will inhibit the rural populations from extending the traditional care and attention to the widows and orphans. It is critical that this highly ACKUvulnerable group be explicitly catered for in the relief and rehabilitation assistance programmes related to Afghanistan.

~~4.5 Nomads~~

Prior to 1979, there were some 2 million nomads whose main livelihood was livestock. They were the major producers of meat, milk oil and hides and skins. Due to the decimation of the livestock herds during the years of the conflict, there is a severe shortage of meat in some areas and when available prices are exhorbitant.

57 The nine year conflict has disrupted, a traditional way of life for many of these people. The rebuilding of the livestock herds and a gradual resettlement/reassimilation of part of this population group will be particularly difficult since a few years will be required to rebuild herds and to enable nomads to become self-sufficient from livestock earnings.

The destruction and degradation of grazing in some areas as well as the continuation of fighting has put a severe strain on the seasonal movements of livestock in search of pastures. There now appears to be a tendency of north/south travel by nomads with their livestock herds as opposed to traditional east/west movements. This will affect the supply of meat and other livestock products to areas which in the past were supplied by nomads.

At present there are more than two million livestock, primarily sheep, goats and cattle in the refugee settlements of Pakistan. When substantial numbers of refugees and their livestock begin to return, special measures will be necessary to avoid minefields; in addition in some areas the provision of animal feed and pasture will have to be considered.

~~ACKU~~

~~58 TABLE 4: ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION OF AFGHANISTAN~~

~~1979 1987 Afghanistan Refugees ~ ~~~

~~Push tun 39 84.6 Tajik 26 6.0 Hazara 10 0.1 Uzbek 10 0.5 Turkoman 3 1.0 Nuristani 1 2.9 Buluch 1 3.6 Others 11 1.3~~

~~Total 100~ 100~~~

~~ACKU~~

~~59 5. A.FGHAN REFUGEES AND THEIR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION~~

~~5.1 Introduction~~

The refugee population consists of a multitude of groups reflecting Afghanistan's ethnic diversity: the numerically and politically dominant Pashtuns, or Pathans, who speak Pashto and inhabit a wide belt stretching from north eastern to south western Afghanistan, the Dari-speaking, a Turco-Mongol ethnic group located primarily in the north east, the Hazaras, a Dari-speaking Mongol race from mountainous central Afghanistan, traditionally the nation's poorest and most underprivileged ethnic group, the northern Turkmen and Uzbeks, who speak Turkic dialects, and the Baluch, from the south west. Other groups include the Qizilbash, the Kirghiz, and the Nuristanis. Regardless of ethnic affiliation, the refugees are Muslim, most follow the Sunni branch of Islam. The Hazaras are the largest Shia minority and, therefore, have important links with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

~~5.2 Background - Refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran~~

According to Government estimates, the refugee population in the Islamic Republic of Iran totalled 2.35 million Afghans at the end of 1987. Precise information regarding their place of origin in Afghanistan is not available. Some evidence indicates that most of these refugees have originated from the provinces of Nimroz, Farah, Ghor, Herat, Badghis and Kandahar.

A council of Afghan refugees was set up in 1979 under the Iranian Ministry of the Interior and the government provided relief assistance with special emphasis on self-reliance programmes and local integration of the refugees. The Government ofACKU the Islamic Republic of Iran set up 12 transit centres each with a capacity of some 50,000 people. In these centres, the refugees were provided with medical treatment, especially for diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, measles, cholera, etc. Following this medical assistance, the refugees, thanks to the generous governmental policy on local integration, were able to leave the centres and provide for themselves finding employment in many areas of the country in relation to place of residence and employment permits. The Afghan refugee population in the Islamic Republic of

60 Iran has generally had complete access to health care, education facilities and all the social services available to the local population. In addition to government relief programmes, the host population in many areas have also provided generous assistance especially with regard to social integration etc.

The UNHCR programme for Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which began in 1983, has remained modest in volume as compared to the assistance provided to refugees by the Government since the influx into the country in the late seventies. During the first years, UNHCR assistance was limited to the international procurement of relief supplies principally intended for the widespread network of refugee reception, quarantine and transit centres.

In 1984, a UNHCR office was opened in Tehran and as from mid-1986 efforts were undertaken to re-orient assistance programmes to support the local integration policy and efforts of the Government, giving more emphasis to refugee self-reliance in parallel with more systematic strengthening of basic services, notable in the health and water sectors. These efforts achieved considerable success in 1987 following a joint UNHCR-Government effort to strengthen co-operation relations, redefine priorities for international support and establishing new modalities and approaches to communication and programme implementation. Contacts and arrangements for drawing on the support and expertise of other specialized agencies of the United Nations systems were also established.

In 1987, WFP started a food aid programme for 54,000 newly arrived refugees and for 212,000 ACKUrefugees living in spontaneous settlements. During 1987, UNHCR programmes focused on the provision of the basic requirements of some 300,000 refugees in rural sites in the provinces of Khorasan and Sistan-Baluchistan who settled spontaneously in villages where basic services are virtually non-existent. Under a major health programme implemented by the Ministry of Health, a network of primary health care centres staffed by specially trained Afghan refugees has been established. Appropriate measures were also initiated with the Government to provide safe and sufficient water supplies to 6 refugee settlements which are currently suffering from particularly critical water problems.

61 Based on the experience drawn from a pilot project, a detailed plan for the construction of communal facilities, in particular schools, modest public baths and bakeries in several refugee villages was formulated by the Ministry of Housing. To complement the Government's endeavours to establish organized agricultural settlements, UNHCR has contributed towards the execution of soil and water surveys and the preparation of irrigation development plans for two sites in Khorasan and Kerman Provinces. Logistical support was provided to provincial offices of the Council of Afghan Refugees (CAR) in the form of vehicles spare parts, tyres and office equipment to ensure efficient administration and adequate monitoring of assistance programmes in the field.

Limited assistance has also been provided to some urban refugee groups, particularly in the health and income-generation sectors. A successful sewing training project was established for refugee women in Khorasan and Tehran Provinces which by the end of 1987, had trained 1,000 women, half of whom were gainfully employed at the end of the year. In addition some 10,000 destitute refugee school children and their families were provided with relief assistance in some urban slums of Tehran and Mashad.

~~5.3 Outline of current programmes and proposals for 1989~~

The activities envisaged for 1988 and 1989 are based on surveys and needs assessments undertaken over the past two years. Current assistance programmes aim principally at continuing the implementation of major sectoral projects begun in 1987 or early 1988 to improve basic services in refugee villages of Khorasan and Sistan-Baluchistan Provinces. Particular attention is being given to health, water, sanitation, income-generation and the construction of communal facilities and access roads. Most of these projects which provide practical training opportunitiesACKU to refugees, depend on refugee labour and contribute to improving the basic infrastructure of the area for the mutual benefit of the local population and the refugees. A second major objective of the current programme is the strengthening of selected health and educational services in deprived urban areas in Tehran and some provincial capitals.

~~In developing and strengthening the refugee assistance programme in the Islamic Republic of Iran, UNHCR has increasingly drawn on the support of other~~

~~62 TABLE 5: UNHCR REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME 1988-89~~

~~Pakistan Islamic Republic of Iran~~

~~Sector 1988 1989 1988 1989 US$ US$ US$ US$~~

~~Supplementary Food 20,000 11,000~~

~~Transport/Logistics 483,000 1,458,000 400,000 400,000~~

~~Domestic needs/ ~ Household support 7,433,000 6,829,000 800,000 200,000~~

~~Jwater supply 4,218,000 3,699,000 2,800,000 1,500,000~~

~~Health/Nutrition/Sanitation 7,055,000 6,970,000 5,800,000 5,772,000~~

~~Shelter/Other Infrastructure 614,000 481,000 1,000,000 1,500,000~~

~~Community Services 161,000 221,000~~

~~Education 5,869,000 6,257,000 850,000 1,000,000~~

~~Livestock 483,000 483,000~~

~~Income Generation 7,178,000 7,041,000 1,683,000 2,500,000~~

~~Agency Operational Support 6,382,000 6,221,000~~

~~Leasing of helicopters 1,829,000 2,000,000~~

~~Staff costs 3,086,000 2,958,000 2,343,000 2,510,000~~

Access Road Construction 1,100,000 1,500,000 Operational Support ACKU200,000 200,000 Total 44,812,000 44,629,000 16,976,000 17,082,000 specialized agencies of the United Nations. In 1987, WFP approved an emergency food aid programme worth US$ 5.8 million for Afghan refugees in Iran which is currently under implementation. In 1988, a total of some US$ 6.4 million, and for 1989, some US$ 8 million worth of basic food supplies will need to be mobilized largely through WFP but also through bilateral contributions. WHO's contribution in planning all health assistance measures has been invaluable and a senior WHO consultant is now permanently stationed with the UNHCR Office in Tehran. Close consultation with IFAD and the Iranian Government have resulted in the design of a major aid and development project aimed at the rehabilitation of rangelands in South Khorasan whose ecology has been severely damaged through years of overgrazing by refugee livestock. The project is valued at US$ 10 million and is due to be implemented over a three-year period starting in early 1989.

~~All in all, some US$ 75 million have been made available by UNHCR for the Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran since the beginning of the programme.~~

~~5.4 Arrangements for implementation~~

The UNHCR assistance programme is implemented by the Government. The Council for Afghan Refugees (CAR) is responsible for the overall co-ordination of assistance activities and implementation of relief assistance projects. Technical projects are implemented by the appropriate ministries and specialized institutions under agreements with CAR and UNHCR.

~~5.5 Background - Refugees in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan~~

The movement of Afghan ACKUrefugees began in 1978 and accelerated rapidly during 1981. Although the precise number of refugees in Pakistan remains difficult to determine, the Government estimates that 3,156,000 Afghans were registered and living in officially established villages at the end of 1987.

UNHCR assistance to Afghan refugees in Pakistan began in 1979. In the early years of the programme, the principal objective was to meet the immediate needs of recent arrivals, particularly with respect to health, water and shelter. By the end of 1981, the programme had expanded to include additional services, and emphasis was placed on consolidating infrastructure within established refugee villages. By the end of 1984, most districts affected by the presence of refugees had adequate health facilities, a primary school system, sufficient shelter, generally in the form of mud houses constructed by the refugees themselves, and an acceptable water supply. The basic food basket was provided by the World Food Programme, supplemented by tea and sugar purchased by UNHCR.

More than 75~ of the refugee population are women and children, most of whom have not been to Afghanistan since seeking asylum in Pakistan. Of the 1.6 million children, more than a third have been born and brought up in the refugee camps.

The situation of the women has been particularly difficult due to the fact that Afghan culture and traditions strictly discourage contact between women and outsiders. Most women have been confined to stay in their shelters with very little social contact. In many cases this has resulted in psychological depression and despair.

More than a third of the refugee families have also experienced the death or disablement of one or more members. In spite of these tragic events the refugee population has survived on relief assistance, with the primary goal and hope of one day returning to Afghanistan.

The Government of Pakistan has provided almost half of the relief assistance to the refugees, the balance being provided by the international community through UNHCR, WFP and a number of non-governmental organizations. The policy of the GovernmentACKU has been to provide this humanitarian assistance on a temporary basis such that when conditions in Afghanistan normalize, the refugees can return voluntarily and in honour and dignity.

The relief assistance to the refugees has cost about $1 million a day. This amounts to only about 30 cents per capita per day. Some refugees have been able to augment this meagre assistance by finding employment in trading and handicrafts. The World Food Programme has provided the basic food rations, spending about $85 million annually on its operation and which in 1987 involved the delivery of over 400,000 mt of food aid.

Bilateral programmes have also included the provision of trucks and spare parts from the Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany, ambulances from China and the Republic of Korea, kerosene from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, medical equipment from Norway and substantial food aid and agricultural rehabilitation contributions from the USA.

By and large, thanks to the efforts of the international community and the hospitality of the Government and people of Pakistan, the conditions of livelihood of refugees in Pakistan have been satisfactory. Basic health services and some schooling facilities have been available. Significant efforts have also been made in the field of vocational training. The fact that such services have unquestionably deteriorated inside Afghanistan underscores the importance of a timely rehabilitation and reconstruction effort inside the country, if refugees are to be induced to return to their homelands.

Most of the refugees - some 80~ - originated from rural agrarian societies in areas less than 200 km inside Afghanistan. The refugees also brought with them some two million head of livestock. The limited grazing in most border areas has often resulted in severe degradation of land and conflicts with the local population with regard to access to pastoral areas.

The refugees live in some 350 refugee camps and villages mainly in the North West province and Baluchistan, along more than 1,500 kms of common frontier with Afghanistan. ACKUAlmost half this population is resident in refugee settlements within 30 km of the border.

It is likely that as and when conditions allow, many of the refugees will return to their areas of origin in Afghanistan. The proximity of the areas of origin narrows the logistical burden of repatriation as well as the provision of initial food supplies, agricultural inputs and essential drugs and medicines which could rapidly be delivered from pre-positioned stocks in Pakistan.

66 In provinces where the expected number of returnees will be significant in comparison to the rural resident population (who remained in their home areas during the conflict), special efforts and programmes will be essential to ensure a smooth integration and early productive resettlement of the returnee population.

During the last few years, increased efforts have been made to expand activities which encouraged self-reliance among the refugee population. These activities included education at the primary and secondary levels, veterinary services for Afghan-owned livestock, vocational training and income-generating projects. To support the active promotion of self-reliance schemes, some 30 percent of funds requested for the 1987 Annual Programme was earmarked for such activities.

To complement the self-reliance schemes funded under the Annual Programme, UNHCR also raised funds for the second phase of an income-generating project supervised by the World Bank. Phase I of this project, which had the twin objectives of repairing ecological damage and providing employment opportunities in areas affected by the presence of refugees, ended in mid-1987. It was followed in September 1987 by Phase II, which has the same objectives as Phase I and which will expand the activities and provide a larger number of Afghan refugees with employment.

~~5.6 Outline of current programmes and proposals for 1989~~

UNHCR will continue to provide assistance to the Afghan refugees in Pakistan until their voluntary repatriation. Increased emphasis will be given to priority measures suchACKU as immunization, which will cover the needs of the refugees when they return home. Activities promoting self-reliance and upgrading of skills have been expanded and the number of participating beneficiaries, especially women, has increased significantly.

~~Since the majority of Afghan refugees in Pakistan have attained self-reliance to a limited extent only, the provision of relief assistance~~

67 continues to occupy an essential, although declining, part of the multipurpose programme. Although mechanisms to identify and assist vulnerable groups have already been established, further improvements are being implemented.

~~All in all, some US$800 million have been made available by UNHCR for Afghan refugees in Pakistan since the beginning of the programme.~~

~~5.7 Arrangements for implementation~~

The principal implementing agency for the UNHCR assistance programme for Afghan refugees is the States and Frontier Regions Division of the Government of Pakistan. The World Food Programme provides basic food commodities and is responsible for food aid co-ordination estimated at some US$ 115 million in 1988. Some 30 voluntary agencies also implement projects particularly in the health and self-reliance sectors.

~~5.8 Approach to Voluntary Repatriation~~

The initial plan of operations developed jointly by UNHCR and WFP contained a number of assumptions and assistance options which have now been further refined through a process of continuing assessment of a dynamic situation.

~~UNHCR has a clear protection role in the context of voluntary repatriation. The principal protection functions can be summarized as follows:~~

~~(i) to promote the right of refugees to return, and consequently to~~

~~intervene when itACKU appears that refugees are being prevented from~~

~~exercising this right;~~

~~(ii) To ensure that the voluntary and individual character of a return~~

~~is respected;~~

~~68 TABLE 6: VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME Relief and Rehabilitation Phase 1988-89~~

~~US$ million~~

~~Health and Nutrition 8.00~~

~~Transport and Logistics~~

~~75 7 to 8 ton trucks and spares 4.25 50 project vehicles 0.80 Warehouse construction/improvement 3.00 Fuel and maintenance services 3.00 Incountry transport costs 156.00 Labour costs 2 . 40~~

~~Water Supply System~~

~~Equipment, construction and improvement 3.00~~

~~Household Goods~~

~~Stoves, quilts, buckets etc. 5.00~~

~~Shelter~~

~~Refugees - tents I tarpaulins 15.00 Community - tents /tarpaulins I prefab 2.00 Site I land I roads preparation 5.00~~

~~Agricultural Inputs 4.80~~

~~Agency Operational Support~~

~~Communications equipment 1.80 (telex, radio, vehicles, office supplies etc.)~~

~~Personnel costs (UNHCR) 5.00~~

~~Personnel costs (WFP) 1.40~~

~~Aircraft charter ACKU 3.00~~

~~Administrative costs 2.00~~

TOTAL 225.45 (iii) to promote a safe return in dignity. This implies that UNHCR is involved during the planning stages and present generally during the repatriation exercise with a view to ensuring safe conditions for the return;

(iv) to monitor the consequences of the return. This involves a presence in the country of origin through which the Office can monitor the fulfillment of any guarantees or conditions on which the refugees' decision to return was based.

The provisions of the bilateral agreement signed in Geneva on 14 April 1988 between Afghanistan and Pakistan offer the formal guarantees under which the repatriation of Afghan refugees can take place. These guarantees include the following:

~~(i) all refugees shall be allowed to return in freedom to their homeland;~~

~~(ii) all returnees shall enjoy the free choice of domicile and freedom of movement within the Republic of Afghanistan;~~

~~(iii) all returnees shall enjoy the right to work, to adequate living conditions and to share in the welfare of the state;~~

~~(iv) all returnees shall enjoy the right to participate on an equal basis in the civic affairs of the Republic;~~

(v) all returnees shall enjoy the same rights and privileges, including freedom of religion,ACKU and have the same obligations and responsibilities as any other citizens of the Republic of Afghanistan without discrimination.

In this context, and as stipulated in Article VI of the bilateral agreement between the Republic of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the voluntary return of refugees, UNHCR signed agreements with the

70 Government of Afghanistan on 28 April 1988 and with the Government of Pakistan on 9 June 1988. Both agreements re-affirm the voluntary character of repatriation and define the general modalities of assistance, including the presence of UNHCR staff and facilities granted to such staff in all areas to which refugees might return. Although not yet translated into a formal agreement, similar guarantees and facilities have been discussed and agreed between UNHCR and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Over the past several months, meetings have been held with the representatives of the Afghan refugees in Peshawar and Quetta in Pakistan and in Tehran and Mashad in Iran to explain to all concerned UNHCR's approach to voluntary repatriation and the proposed modalities of an eventual assistance programme.

The fulfilment of UNHCR's protection mandate as well as the necessary contingency planning for assistance require an increased field presence. The Office has established a presence in Kabul through the despatching of a mission team. Measures are also being taken to increase the number of UNHCR "territorial officers" in Pakistan and to establish nine additional outposted offices in the North West Frontier Province, in Baluchistan and in the Punjab. Discussions are also underway with the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the establishment of a field presence on the border with Afghanistan.

The task of relocating more than five and a half million Afghan refugees and providing them with the ability to become self-sufficient within a wrecked economy and war-devastated land, will be formidable. At present, fighting and conflict is continuing in many areas and the security situation remains unclear. The refugee populationACKU is unlikely to return in substantial numbers until and unless there is a reasonable assurance that the large-scale military operations and the conflict in Afghanistan have ended.

~~5.9 Operational Approach~~

~~The timing and full scope of voluntary repatriation from Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty at this~~

71 time. It is however still possible that limited movements could occur already this year and that much larger groups could decide to leave immediately after winter. Given the much larger degree of economic integration of Afghan refugees in the Iranian society and economy, it is also expected that repatriation movements from the Islamic Republic of Iran might be slower and affect initially only that part of the refugee population that has settled spontaneously in the provinces of Khorasan and Sistan - Baluchistan. However, now that there are prospects of peace in Afghanistan and that some of the refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran will seek to return horne, all efforts are being undertaken to fully prepare these populations.

In order to be in a position to respond without delay to the needs of up to one million beneficiaries, UNHCR and WFP are taking steps to obtain and store in Pakistan and in Iran the food relief items and operational equipment required to launch a relief programme at short notice.

~~In planning and preparing for v oluntary repatriation, the following assumptions and considerations are taken into account:~~

(i) At least initially, repatriation movements will be spontaneous and will be based on the refugees' own assessment of security conditions in their places of origin. It is important that relief items and food are prepositioned in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran and not inside Afghanistan in order not to create and artificial "pull fact or". Similarly, it has been agreed that existing relief assistance in countries of asylum should not be reduced until it becomes clear that large movements are taking place; ACKU (ii) Assistance will follow the refugees and, as a principle, will be distributed inside Afghanistan and benefit also displaced persons and other categories in need;

(iii) Rather than entertaining the notion of a single universal package of commodities and goods available to each beneficiary, the approach will be based on the direct assessment of needs area by area and be adapted to different geographical and social conditions through discussions with l o cal authorities;

~~72 TABLE 7: PRIORITY FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT FOR REPATRIATION PROGRAMME IN 1988 Total needs US$19.40 million~~

~~US$ million~~

~~Strengthening of Repatriation Monitoring/preparedness 4.40 - Field presence in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan - Data collection (initiated in March 1988)~~

~~Procurement and Pre-positioning of Relief Items in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan for up to 1 million beneficiaries~~

~~Transport and Logistics: light vehicles, 2.75 construction/rental of warehouses and other equipment~~

~~Water Supply: Equipment, Tank, Tankers 1.00~~

~~Agricultural Tools 1.00~~

~~Medical supplies and establishment of health 0.60 posts at crosspoints and transit centres~~

~~Shelter: Tents, Tarpaulins, Blankets, Quilts 6.15~~

~~Operational Support: Mobile Offices and Equipment 0.50~~

~~Pilot Projects: 3.00 in collaboration with NGOs/local authorities, small scale irrigation, seed production/ distribution and health~~

* See also section 7 ACKUon financial requirements of the United Nations Logistical Operation.

73 (iv) The programme will be implemented in full consultation with all concerned authorities but, as a rule, assistance will be channelled as directly as possible to the intended beneficiaries through NGOs or local civilian authorities representing beneficiaries;

(v) The question of distribution policies and systems, particularly as regards food, continues to be a subject of concern given the possible disruptive effects large quantities of commodities could have on the local market and on food production. It is more than likely that a varied combination of distribution systems will be required for different items and in response to different conditions prevailing in each area of operation.

~~5.10 Special measures of preparation~~

~~UNHCR, through its General Programmes in 1988 and 1989, is intensifying its activities in certain key areas that will have a significant impact on the voluntary repatriation programme.~~

Immunization Programme: UNHCR and UNICEF co-operate in this effort to achieve an 80% vaccination rate among the target group of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Additional staff needed have been employed, outreach work by vaccination teams has been greatly stepped up, vaccines and needed supplies are being fully provided and on-going evaluation surveys are being carried out. Although, reaching the above target figure of 80% will most likely not be possible by the end of the year, it is hoped that it will be achieved during 1989. Likewise, the major intensive vaccination campaign in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which began in mid 1988 in consultation with WHO and the Ministry of Health, is ACKUproceeding toward the established objectives of urgently meeting the needs of the Afghan refugees with a particular emphasis toward pre-repatriation preparedness on this essential preventive health care component.

~~Vocational training programmes: The vocational training programme, implemented by ILO in Baluchistan which covered skills useful in Pakistan at~~

74 the refugee village level, has been redirected to polyvalent training to prepare as many refugees as possible in a short period of time for the reconstruction activities which will have to be undertaken inside Afghanistan once the refugees return.

In WFP also the skills training projects are being redirected to suit the needs in Afghanistan. More blacksmiths are being trained with a view to increase the possibility to produce agricultural tools from scrap materials which are available inside Afghanistan.

Disabled: Operation Handicap International has, with UNHCR financing, run an orthopaedic and physical rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Quetta, Pakistan since June 1985. The centre has treated and provided orthopaedic devices to more than 3,000 Afghans. During June 1988, 234 Afghans and 97 Pakistani patients were registered for assistance and of these, over 40% were children. Also in this period the centre completed the production of 317 orthopaedic devices.

~~ACKU~~

~~75 6. FOOD AID~~

~~6.1 Food Aid and Development Activities 1970-1979~~

~~WFP's involvement in development activities in Afghanistan had been very extensive. Of the total United Nations system and World Bank assistance to~~

~~the country in 1979, WFP alone accounted for 38~. It was the only development agency - bilateral or multilateral - to have operations in each of the country's 29 provinces.~~

By 1980, WFP had invested more than US$69 million in development projects and emergency operations in Afghanistan. At the end of 1979, WFP had operational development projects with a combined value of US$49.2 million in

~~the country. Of this sum 85~ was allocated to agriculture and rural~~

~~development, while the remaining 15~ was for education and vulnerable-group feeding.~~

The Programme's involvement was scaled down in 1979 and brought to an abrupt close in January 1980. For practical reasons it had become impossible to continue providing assistance since access to areas outside the immediate vicinity of Kabul was limited and effective monitoring became impossible. For these reasons, WFP's international staff was then withdrawn.

Being a land-locked country, deliveries of food had to be channelled through neighbouring countries and these were largely reluctant to allow continued transit traffic. Furthermore, the government could not guarantee the safe arrival of food shipments to the countryside as these areas were not controlled. The Programme did, however, permit the continued use of its unconsumed commodities withinACKU the same project framework until they ran out.

~~The operational WFP development projects, worth about US$50 million, were suspended at the end of 1979. At this time nearly 100,000 mt of food was committed to these five projects described below:~~

Food assistance to Marastoon Institutes (US$ 689,000): The "marastoons" were charity institutions, mainly funded by the Government. These institutions provided food assistance and skill training programmes to permanently disabled

~~76 TABLE 8: ANNUAL WFP FOOD AID DELIVERIES FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES IN PAKISTAN 1980-88~~

~~Wheat Edible Dried Dates Value including oil Skimmed transport milk mt mt mt mt US$~~

1980 93,697 6,618 7,050 31,395,000 1981 181,255 6,850 1,550 1,800 46,862,000 1982 397,961 21,648 16,371 1,200 120,142,000 1983 285,433 7,232 11,504 3,000 75,787,000 1984 249,404 10,021 4,000 2,500 62,608,000 1985 340,560 21,947 3,092 3,000 87,582,000 1986 382,959 19,147 3,600 5,000 92,033,000 1987 386,399 21,912 3,407 82,135,000 1988 382,399 15,177 1,905 70,090,000 ACKU

77 people, the handicapped, mentally retarded children, orphans and vocational training to young people in general. During the period 1974-79, WFP assisted four such marastoons in Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Herat with a total population of approximately 1,400 people.

Food assistance to educational institutions (US$ 2,255,000): During the period 1969-79, this project provided supplementary food rations to some 30,000 boarding-school, secondary and vocational schools and University students.

Food assistance to health centres, polyclinics and kindergartens (US$ 4,658,000): From 1972 to 1978, this WFP nutrition project provided assistance to some 100,000 pregnant or nursing mothers, and pre-school children and hospital patients.

Multipurpose rural development (US$ 28,735,000): This project represented WFP's major effort in rural development. The commodities provided were wheat, edible oil, sugar, tea and corn soya blend. Rural development was stimulated by the promotion of small scale, labour intensive schemes in all provinces of the country. Through project activities more than four million trees and vines had been planted, 8,000 hectares of land brought under irrigation, 1,400 kilometres of road constructed and nearly one-half million people received access to drinking water. During the project's first three years, temporary and seasonal employment amounting to 7.2 million man days was provided.

Agricultural settlement (US$12,915.000): In 1978-79 WFP provided food rations and assistance to construct houses and physical infrastructure to some 13,000 settler families in ACKUnew irrigation schemes, the largest of which was the Helmand-Arghandab. In these new agricultural areas, each family purchased two hectares of land to be planted with wheat, maize and cotton.

~~6.2 Refugee Food Aid Operations 1979-1988~~

~~In October 1979, WFP committed the first funds to assist Afghan refugees in Pakistan - 20,000 tons of food for 185,000 people. It was to become the~~

~~78 TABLE 9: FOOD AID RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Food cost Transport Support Total costs (in US$ million)~~

~~Repatriation of refugees and assistance to internally displaced 117.4 122.0 239.4~~

~~Rehabilitation, food for work 41.5 32.5 6.0 80.0~~

~~Vulnerable groups 3.6 2.5 6.1~~

~~School children 2.8 2.5 1.0 6.3~~

~~Agency operational costs 3.5~~

~~Total 164.5 159.5 7.0 335.4 ACKU~~

79 longest and most extensive refugee operation in WFP's history. By the end of 1987, a total of 27 emergency operations had been approved with a total funding of nearly US$400 million, close to one-fifth of the WFP's total emergency commitments in its 25-year history.

Many donors have made use, not only of the WFP's shipping and transportation services, but also of its expertise in buying commodities. Over the past two years, nearly one half million tons of food have been purchased and shipped. Japan alone has ordered the purchase and shipment of more than 115,000 tons of wheat annually.

Co-operation between WFP and UNHCR during the first five years of the emergency led, in 1985, to the adoption of annual joint WFP/UNHCR missions to assess requirements. A further streamlining of operations was agreed to in 1987 when the two organizations jointly recommended to donors, on an experimental basis to channel all food assistance to Afghan refugees through WFP.

In recent years WFP/UNHCR assessments have focussed on the total q ua n tity required to feed substantially more than two million refugees in Pakistan. During 1988 that requirement was set at: wheat (450,000 mt), edible oil (25,800 mt), sugar (17,200 mt), tea (1,290 mt), dates (8,600 mt) and dried skimmed milk (5,500 mt). This allocation allows each recipient to receive a daily ration of half a kilo of wheat, 30 grammes of oil, 20 grammes of sugar in addition to smaller quantities of other commodities. There have been no indications of malnutrition and the 1987 WFP/UNHCR assessment categorically states that "all surveys, indicators and observations present a satisfactory picture, in that reportedly, no starvation has so far occurred and the nutritional status of the refugeesACKU has generally been adequate''. Over the past few years, WFP has met 60% of the total requirement of wheat, edible oil, dates and dried skimmed milk while UNHCR has been the primary supplier of sugar and tea.

During 1987 the Programme's assistance was extended to cover the Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although limited quantities of food aid had been provided by UNHCR from 1985, no major assistance programme had

8.0 hitherto been requested by the government. WFP decided to provide relief food for two categories of Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran - the newly arrived refugees and those living in spontaneous settlements.

The first group were those waiting for the completion of initial registration in quarantine stations near the border. Many of the new arrivals were weak after an exhausting trek to the settlements and food supplies were extremely limited. The second group to receive WFP assistance was refugees living further inland in so called ''spontaneous settlements''. WFP decided to provide a full ration to 54,000 new arrivals, while the more settled group of 212,000 persons would receive a smaller ration of rice, vegetable oil, dried skimmed milk and dates.

~~6.3 The future scope of assistance to returnees~~

WFP will focus on using food aid in the best way possible to lessen the burden of those afflicted by the war. The beneficiaries may be returning refugees who were forced to leave their ancestral homes; they may be the many internally displaced now eeking out a meagre existence on the fringes of urban centres and remote rural areas.

WFP sees its duty as assuring an adequate food supply both for emergency relief and for longer-term developmental programmes to ensure a rapid and smooth reintegration. It will not be a simple task; due to the lack of accurate information and statistics, traditional means of project formulation and implementation are not applicable. WFP therefore foresees the need for maximum flexibility and creativity - while remaining cognisant of the requirement for continued assistance to refugees remaining in the Islamaic Republic of Iran and in Pakistan.ACKU

It is expected that several hundred thousand refugees will head back to their home areas immediately following the end of the winter season in March/April 1989. Many of the refugees will need food assistance during and immediately after repatriation. Upon returning, people will find former fields bare after abandonment and war damage. They will need food assistance to sustain them through a period of adjustment and until their own labours produce a decent crop. Food aid must be distributed not only to those joining in organized repatriation but also to people who spontaneously cross the border returning home. At present, WFP foresees a requirement for returnees consisting of about 28,000 tons of food during the second quarter of 1989, rising to 84,000 tons during the third quarter and peaking at about 89,000 tons during the last three months of 1989.

~~6.4 Food-for-Work Programme~~

Food for work schemes will assist Afghans, whether refugees or the internally displaced, to move towards self-reliance in agriculture and to repair and restore community infrastructure. The widespread destruction of agricultural lands, the neglected irrigation systems on which Afghanistan so heavily relies, and the dilapidated or destroyed houses, schools and clinics will necessitate years of arduous work. The road network, especially rural roads, have suffered from damage and lack of maintenance.

With the devastation the country has undergone, many men will find that their former source of income and livelihood has disappeared. The male returnees of working age, alone, number several hundred thousand. For them, and for other Afghans who have been deprived of income, food for work schemes will offer the possibility of contributing to the rehabilitation of their communit i es while offering a source of income.

WFP will co-operate closely with the Office of the Co-ordinator and the relevant United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations in designing and overseeing activities which it supports with food-for-work. The ILO experience in labour intensive rural public works is particularly relevant.

These projects will cover a wide range of activities in agriculture and rural development and rehabilitation.ACKU Food aid could also help to provide vocational training in crafts, trade, health and education.

WFP will also consider selling part of the food aid to generate cash. This cash for work input is necessary to allow beneficiaries to purchase other essential items. It may in fact evolve that, under certain selective circumstances, food for market sales is the appropriate modality for meeting community needs.

82 During 1989, the Programme estimates the food requirement for these activities at 8,000 tons for the first quarter and 27,000 tons for each of the remaining three quarters of 1989. Thus, the total food requirement for 1989 needed to fund food-for-work projects is 89,000 tons.

~~6.5 Vulnerable group feeding programme~~

As mentioned, many of the returnees will be children, aged, sick and disabled. WFP's will provide food aid including wheat, edible oil and dried skimmed milk to these vulnerable groups. To assist vulnerable groups, the WFP sees the need for 1,710 tons during the first quarter of 1989, increasing to 4,840 tons during the second quarter with a further increase to 14,510 tons in the third quarter and 19,350 tons during the last three months of 1989. Thus, in total WFP foresees the need for 40,400 tons of food to carry out its humanitarian programmes.

~~6.6 Support costs and prepositioning of food in the Islamic Republic of Iran and of Pakistan~~

WFP's forthcoming involvement in the repatriation of refugees and resettlement of the internally displaced as well as subsequent endeavours in rehabilitation and helping the most vulnerable groups in Afghan society, will require a substantial amount of food aid. The needs of a country ravaged by nearly a decade of conflict are undoubtedly vast. Initially many of the food aid assistance schemes will involve non-governmental organizations operating across the border. To support these schemes, there must be a food stock in place to draw upon.

In order to ensure thatACKU food can be readily mobilized at short notice, WFP appeals to donors for pledges amounting to 283,000 tons of wheat, 25,500 tons of edible oil, 10,500 tons of dried skimmed milk, 9,000 tons of sugar and 1,500 tons of tea in order to meet projected needs until the end of 1989. The total food cost is estimated at US$74.1 million. These commodities will, however, only be called forward as the situation unfolds. The Programme requests donors to supplement each in-kind contribution with transport and handling costs, estimated at US$190 per ton or a total of US$62.6 million. Without the provision for such funds, food donations can simply not be utilized. To provide the required lead time for commodities to be made available by donors and shipped to destination, an immediate contribution of 50,000 tons of wheat, 1,500 tons of edible oil and 300 tons of dried skimmed milk is required to be prepositioned in Iran and Pakistan as contingency stocks.

The massive task of delivering and monitoring food assistance under these difficult circumstances will apply extraordinary pressures on the limited regular budget of WFP. Already, a full time "task force on Afghanistan" has been constituted at headquarters to oversee the vast amount of preparatory work. In the field, additional assistance and incidental equipment is required to initiate groundwork activities to enable a quick reponse to constantly changing situations. These activities include the assessment of food needs, liaison with non-governmental organizations and other international organizations, negotiations with governmental and commercial organizations on food storage and exchange facilities, collection and dissemination of information and the like. WFP estimates that it will require US$2 million to provide for such support over a period of 18 months.

Of the US$335.4 million of food aid needs in the Secretary-General's Appeal, WFP has thus far received notification of pledges totalling nearly US$50 million, including pledges which still await final confirmation.

~~ACKU~~

~~8:4 TABLE 10: UNITED NATIONS LOGISTICAL AND TRANSPORT OPERATION RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Transport and Logistics US$~~

150 diesel trucks* left hand drive 12-15 ton, 6x4 chasis 12,000,000 150 trailers 8-10 ton, heavy duty Light vehicles (18) 324,000 Spare parts (15~ of value of fleet) 1,800,000 Tyres 900,000 Automotive tools and equipment 250,000 Miscellaneous transport and storage equipment 75,000 Initial operating capital 3,000,000 3 mobile workshops 360,000 Warehousing Purchase/installation 30 units Quetta/Chaman and 50 units Peshawar (500 mt capacity each) 1,600,000

~~Sub total 20,309,000~~

~~Administrative support~~

Construction UNILOG facilities 600,000 at Quetta and Peshawar Islamabad Management Office (rent) 48,000 Communications equipment (radio) 400,000 Computer equipment 35,000 Furniture and office equipment 100,000

~~Sub total 1,183,000~~

~~Personnel~~

~~17 International staff 1,190,000 95 National administrative staff 760,000 150 Truck drivers ACKU600,000 20 Mechanics 125,000~~

~~Sub total 2,675,000~~

~~GRAND TOTAL US$24,157,000~~

* Donated trucks should be of similar make and model in fleets of 50 vehicles. All trucks with spare parts should arrive in Karachi Port to 1 January 1989.

~~Note: A smaller scale UNILOG operation in the Islamic Republic of Iran is provisionally estimated to cost some US$5 million.~~

~~85 7. UNITED NATIONS LOGISTICAL AND TRANSPORT OPERATIONS (UNILOG)~~

7.1 Background The Co-ordinator, in close collaboration with UNHCR and WFP, have identified the urgent need to promote a well-organized and coherent transportation system to meet the logistical requirements of all United Nations agencies, donor government agencies and non-governmental organizations engaged in providing assistance to Afghanistan. The rationale for this UNHCR/WFP jointly managed operational logistical and transport project rests in the recognition of the need to fully co-ordinate the United Nations relief and rehabilitation programmes, particularly the repatriation responsibilities of UNHCR, WFP's role in ensuring a sufficient supply of food, FAO's central role in Agricultural rehabilitation, the WHO/UNICEF responsibility with regard to the health sector and other relevant United Nations organizations.

It is anticipated that better co-ordination, increased efficiency and the optimum use of resources will result from a single, unified transportation system. The basic objectives of UNILOG are the following:

- to provide the regular availability of transport and storage capacities necessary for United Nations and other agencies to fulfill their responsibilities with regard to the relief and rehabilitation programmes related to Afghanistan; - to provide a rational and coherent management structure for the control and co-ordination of the required logistical services.

Commercial transport will have to be relied upon for the predominent portion of UNHCR and WFP transportation requirements into Afghanistan estimated to be at least 450,000ACKU mt per year. However, in order for UNILOG to achieve its operational authority, and to be able to respond with the flexibility that the repatriation and rehabilitation programmes demand, it is essential for the project to possess a modest truck fleet under its own authority to provide its own transportation on immediate notice for needs that commercial transportation cannot address. In an uncertain Afghan operational environment subject to security precautions, trucks clearly identified as being neutral United Nations vehicles will facilitate the movement of urgently required materials. UNILOG will also provide regular information on port and transport facilities enabling shippers to more effectively schedule their consignments and provide users with local transport services.

~~86 7.2 Organization and Structure~~

Through donor contributions to the Afghanistan Trust Fund, UNHCR and WFP will staff and finance the establishment of UNILOG jointly and further ensure that it has initial operating capital. UNILOG intends to meet its recurrent operational costs through efficient charging on a tonnage basis for the commodities handled.

It is proposed that UNILOG will be directed by a management committee composed of the representatives of UNHCR and WFP in Pakistan, the representative of the United Nations Co-ordinator and the UNILOG Project Manager. The Government of Pakistan and ACBAR (the voluntary agencies co-ordinating body) will participate in the committee as observers. UNILOG is expected to be fully operational by February 1989.

The trucks would be assigned initially to two operational bases, with a standarized fleet of 50 located in Quetta/Chaman and the remaining standardized fleet of 100 trucks assigned to Peshawar. The three mobile workshops would be similarly deployed with one in Quetta/Chaman and two in Peshawar.

The UNILOG management office will be set up in Islamabad, Pakistan. The trucks will be registered and owned by WFP. They will be operated by UNILOG under the direction of a professional fleet management team, comprising of:

Fleet Operations Manager - Islamabad Fleet Manager - Peshawar Fleet Manager - Quetta/Chaman Vehicle Service and WorkshopACKU Manager - Peshawar Spare Parts Manager - Peshawar Vehicle Service, Workshop, Spares Manager - Quetta

This operations team is required in Pakistan by 1 December 1988 for a period of two years. The responsibilities of the Fleet Operations Management Team will be the organization, direction and management of all aspects of UNILOG's own truck fleet operations. The UNILOG fleet operations will entail the following activities:

87 - The management of UNILOG's own fleet operations and the related maintenance of the fleet Dispatch and allocation of the fleet in accordance with movement programme established by the Project Manager - Appointment, direction, control and administration of drivers and other required transportation staff - The issue, management and control of fuel and lubrication resources and equipment Direction (with necessary training and instruction) and provision of all maintenance, service, and repair of all UNILOG vehicles - Direction and management of workshops, including stock and inventory control of spare parts, tools, and equipment - Appointment, direction, discipline, and administration of workshop staff, mechanics, and other service staff - Establishment and management of all operational records and activity reporting pertinent to transportation resource utilization, fleet management and vehicle service

As conditions warrant, UNILOG may also establish operational bases in Afghanistan with contingent staging areas contemplated in Iran. The cost of this operation is provisionally estimated at about US$5 million.

In view of the many imponderables at this time over the scheduling and extent of the repatriation, implementation of the project will be phased over a period of time in accordance with the unfolding situation. It is intended that initially only a small core international staff will be attached to UNILOG to carry out preparatory work using commercial facilities where available. ACKU While it is possible to employ personnel on a progessive basis, the same degree of flexibility is not available for the positioning of equipment and basic infrastructural facilities in view of the longer lead time required for their manufacture and construction. To await a triggering event may be too late and may have serious immediate effects.

~~The Co-ordinator for United Nations Humanitarian and Economic Assistance appeals to the international donor community for timely commitments and delivery of pledges in the setting up of UNILOG.~~

~~88 TABLE 11: AGRICULTURE: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total Needs US$ 332.4 million~~

~~US$ million~~

~~Agricultural Inputs 164.5 Irrigation Rehabilitation 53.1 Agriculture Services/Extension 56.8 Rural Development 58.0~~

~~ACKU 8. AGRICULTURE~~

~~8.1. Background~~

Agriculture has been and continues to be the backbone of the economy of Afghanistan. Before the war it was estimated that some 85% of the population derived its livelihood directly from agriculture and other rural-based activities (forestry, handicrafts, rural trade, etc.). Agriculture alone contributed over 50% of the GDP and to roughly half of the country's export earnings.

2 The area of Afghanistan is 647,497 km of which less than 15% is estimated to be arable land. From the point of topography, the country can be divided into three parts: the fertile plains and foothills of the north adjacent to the Amu Darya, the central area of high mountains and very rugged terrain, and the southern desert and high plateau.

Irrigated production is affected by the seasonality of rivers and streams, wells and spring-fed karezes (traditional small-scale underground irrigation canals). Areas under cultivation before the war were estimated at 7 . 6 million hectares (of which 68% were irrigated). This irrigated acreage may be overestimated, due to variable supply of water in some areas. Double cropping is practiced on about 1.4 million hectares.

Much of the agricultural production is geographically concentrated in the northern plains, the upper and lower Kabul river valleys as well as the Helmand river valley where extensive traditional and some modern irrigation systems existed. Wheat is the most important staple crop, followed by maize, rice and barley. Before theACKU war, the major cash crops were cotton, sugarbeet, oil seeds, fruits and nuts and vegetables. The average yields of the main crops were very low, as a result of poor soils, salinity, wide temperature variations, water scarcity and limited availability of fertilizers and pesticides.

90 The performance of agriculture during the decade up to 1979 had been unsatisfactory due to constraints on land and water use, farm management, land ownership pattern and lack of supporting services like agricultural inputs, credit and extension. These constraints are still in effect.

Livestock is an important component of rural economy. Nearly two-thirds of the country is rangeland. In 1978 there were some 25 million sheep (including karakul sheep) and goats, with pastoralists and nomads moving their herds from the plains in winter to the mountain pastures of the Hindu Kush in summer. The cattle population was estimated at 3.6 million. Cultivation depends on animal power and it is estimated that there were some 300,000 to 500,000 pairs of oxen.

The patterns of land use and subsistence farming in the pre-1978 agricultural society were as follows: 50% of the farmers owned their land and were self-sufficient or produced some surpluses, 25% were share-croppers and 25% were landless labourers. Large farms (over 100 ha) hardly existed except in the south, e.g. Farah province, the majority of farms were between 2 and 10 ha in size, the average farm size being 3.3 ha. The typical agricultural cycle would have farmers cultivating irrigated (abi) valley-floor land and driving their flocks to graze in the hills each day. At higher altitudes or in the oasis areas rainfed or snowfed cultivation (lalmi) replaces irrigated farming. In the dry areas of the south and west, cultivation is made possible by extensive networks of underground karezes and rivers, e.g. Helmand Arghandals. Irrigation is of course vital to agriculture; more than 70% of the wheat crop is produced on irrigated land.

Despite the difficult physical conditions which govern agricultural production in Afghanistan,ACKU some progress towards food self sufficiency was experienced during the immediate pre-war period. Up to 1973 annual wheat imports averaged 115,000 tons. In 1974 the country was practically self-sufficient in wheat and there were increasing exports of fresh and dried fruit, cotton and hides and skins. Agricultural exports in the pre-war years represented nearly two thirds of total exports of about $330 million.

~~91 8.2 Consequences of the war~~

Nine years of war have had devastating effects on the society and the agricultural economy of Afghanistan. The rural areas have been severely affected both in terms of physical destruction of agriculture (irrigation schemes, livestock including draught animals) and in terms of dislocation of the population.

Agricultural incomes and poverty have been traditionally closely related to irrigated land ownership. In 1978-79 the Government introduced land tenure reforms to correct the fundamentally feudal and skewed land ownership patterns. All land in excess of a prescribed ceiling (depending on its quality) was to be confiscated without compensation and distributed to landless farmers. The land reform programmes met with considerable resistance and created widespread dissatisfaction, personal hardship and had an overall depressing effect on the agricultural sector. Opposition to land distribution came understandably first and foremost from the relatively wealthier farmers who are said to constitute a portion of the refugee population. Indeed, reports from inside Afghanistan, would seem to indicate that the average area cultivated on farms owned by farmers, who sought refuge, was nearly 50% greater than the area cultivated by farmers who remained inside the country. This fact, which is compounded by indications that abandoned land is being cultivated by farmers who have remained in their villages, will undoubtedly have implications regarding conflict over land when refugees return.

In terms of agricultural production the consequences of the war have been dramatic: levels of production of major crops have steadily declined. Wheat, the major staple, has declined by almost one third. Sugar beet is no longer being produced; cotton productionACKU is 52% below the levels of ten years ago. During the nine years of the conflict, the production of fruits, nuts and vegetables has been disrupted by marketing problems, high incidence of disease and pests due to lack of pesticides as well as the destruction of many orchards especially along primary and secondary roads.

~~As a result not only has export of agricultural crops been severely curtailed, but food shortages have increased and internal distribution and~~

92 transport of available surpluses have posed serious problems. For example, in order to overcome food shortages in Kabul, the Government has had to import large quantities of grain, from the USSR, averaging 250,000 tons a year.

The principal reasons for the decline in agricultural production are of course related to the war, i.e., to large scale abandonment of land, to physical destruction and to deterioration of irrigation works due to neglect and lack of maintenance. According to the Swedish Committee's Agricultural Survey of Afghanistan, the interrelated causes which explain the decline are:

(i) the chronic farm labour bottlenecks due to migration and displacement of almost half of the rural population. This has been further exacerbated by an almost 50% reduction in the availability of oxen,

~~(ii) a 40% to 50% reduction in the numbers of livestock due to exoduses to neighbouring countries,~~

~~(iii) a decline in the genetic quality of wheat seed,~~

~~(iv) a shortage of inputs including fertilizers, pesticides and veterinary services.~~

Opium poppy cultivation and illicit drugs production: Before the war Afghanistan was one of the world's major sources of illicit narcotics: 200 to 400 tons of opium and up to 500 tons of cannabis were being produced annually. Opium is still thought to be grown in most if not all the traditional growing areas and production is estimated to be above 1978 levels. Moreover, itACKU appears that large amounts of opium are being converted into heroin in laboratories illicitly established within Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Some of the areas where relief and rehabilitation works will take place are traditional poppy growing areas; it is ther efore essential in preparing a strategy for recovery to bear in mind the devastating implications of production and trafficking in opium and heroin. The menacing trend in opium

93 production is likely to accelerate unless action is taken to offer satisfactory opportunities to farmers in the producing areas to grow their own food and earn cash incomes. A carefully designed rural development programme will be required if increased problems of drug production and abuse are to be averted. The United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC) is monitoring the situation and collaborating with the Office of the Co-ordinator in formulating appropriate strategies.

8.3 Agricultural production: According to FAO information and in-country assessments there appears to be enough food from domestic production and some imports to sustain the existing population of about 11 million inside Afghanistan. During the years of the conflict, reports from medical personnel and observers have indicated no widespread malnutrition. Production in 1988 is expected to be higher as precipitation has been good in most areas. The

~~33~ drop in wheat production is compensated by the fact that more than one third of the population is no longer in the country.~~

~~Information of yields is at best sketchy and somewhat contradictory. Some sources indicate that there has been a steady decline in dry land wheat~~

(up to 50~) and irrigated wheat (about 33~). This may be excessive, given that as mentioned above a food equilibrium situation exists in the country. Other sources claim that dry land yields have not declined substantially. Irrigated yields are down, because of canal damage but they were normally quite low in any case.

Returning refugees and the internally displaced will alter the balance of food availability. More wheat will have to be imported, stored and distributed at least until land can be cultivated and a first crop harvested. Current information suggestsACKU that a minimum of 180 kg of wheat per capita per year is required to sustain the population. No significant returnee movements have been noted to date. Assuming that one million refugees return next spring an additional 180,000 metric tons of wheat would have to be made available to the population.

~~With regard to other important crops, fruits and vegetables are produced locally with some seasonal exports to Pakistan. Orchards and vineyards have~~

~~94 TABLE 12: AGRICULTURE: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Irrigation Rehabilitation needs: $53.1 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Rehabilitation of traditional and modern irrigation system 16.1 Drainage of Helmand Project and maintenance of irrigation systems 15.0 Gawargan Chardara Irrigation Project 5.0 Kajakai Spillway Gates 5.0 Khanabad Irrigation Project 8.0 Studies and Designs for New Irrigation Projects 4.0

~~ACKU~~

95 suffered considerable damage through the combined effects of the war (including destruction of orchards along roads for strategic reasons), unavailability of pesticides and damage to irrigation systems. Given that it takes over five years for seedlings of fruit trees to become productive, rehabilitation of orchards, though it will have to be addressed rapidly, will not bear tangible results in the short-term. Other important staples e.g. sugar and edible oil production are minor with the bulk of consumption being imported. Virtually all tea is imported. Meat and other livestock products are also in short supply and it will be some time before livestock herds can be rebuilt.

The large displacement of the agricultural population during the nine years of the conflict resulted in the abandonment of many farms. The extent to which land abandoned by refugees or displaced farmers has been taken over by farmers who remained behind is not known. There are indications that a considerable number of refugees have, over the years of the conflict, frequently visited their home areas inside Afghanistan. Often, these visits have been during the planting and harvesting seasons, such that some farming of their land has continued. Whatever the extent of this cross-border traffic, it is inevitable that in some areas conflicts between local residents and returnees will arise over land, irrigation systems and water allocations, livestock pastures, etc. In the traditional rural Afghan society such conflicts would have been resolved by the village and religious leaders. However many of the traditions and village decision-making systems may have changed and furthermore, refugees as a result of many years of absence, may find themselves at a disadvantage. It will be some time before traditional or new cultural systems take hold.

8.4 Irrigation is crucial ACKUin Afghan agriculture. There are three types of water management systems: major infrastructure projects (e.g. the Helmand/Argahndab and Kunduz/Khanabad systems), traditional canal systems in the North and the underground Karezes primarily south of the Hindu Kush. War damage, lack of maintenance and neglect have severely reduced the effectiveness of all systems. Some of the traditional large canal systems in the north have been damaged and many Karezes have collapsed, requiring repairs and de-silting. Maintenance and repair will require labour intensive efforts, and it is likely that there will be considerable labour shortages in the

~~96 TABLE 13: AGRICULTURE: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Agricultural Inputs Needs: US$164.5 million~~

~~Quantity Value MT US$ million~~

~~Wheat seeds 50,000 25.0 Cotton seeds 5,000 2.5 Vegetable seeds 1,000 2.0~~

~~Fertilizers - urea 50,000 9.0 - phosphates 100,000 25.0~~

~~Animal vaccine 1.5 Animal feed 2.5~~

~~Agricultural tools 75.0 Draught animals/small 22.0 tractors ACKU~~

97 country due to the magnitude of rehabilitation tasks to be performed in all sectors. It is expected that farmers will be able to handle the repair of the traditional systems, since they have been used to doing this in the past. With minimal imported materials (including cement, iron bars, etc.) they will probably be able to cope with problems. Feeder canals and larger infrastructures will, however, require "public works" interventions. In addition to irrigation canals, innumerable springs and wells will have to be rehabilitated. The key figure in all traditional irrigation systems is the Mirab (or watermaster) who is in charge of water allocation and distribution. The authority and the function of the Mirab will have to be strengthened in view of any social changes that might have occurred during the conflict period. It is imperative that the traditional systems are put in place to ensure that all farmers, those at the head of the canals as well as those at the lower end, are provided with fair access to the irrigated water supply.

8.5 Seeds: It is widely held that the wheat seed which has been used in Afghanistan for the last 15 years has lost part of its genetic potential and needs to be replaced. FAO estimates indicate that 50,000 mt of seed would be required over the next two agricultural seasons. Possible sources of improved wheat seed include Pakistan, Turkey and USSR. However, it is essential that wide distribution of imported seeds should not take place due to the inherent risk of using untried seed which may not adapt to local conditions. Hence it might be prudent to provide small quantities of seeds to the farmers. It is estimated that about 10,000 tons of new seed would be sufficient to up-grade existing stock. One alternative would be to provide each returning farmer as well as resident farmers with 5 kg of improved wheat seed. This would be enough for 1/Sth of an acre. If the seed performs well, the farmers would use it the following year and/or sell it or exchange it with neighbouring farmers to improve the overall geneticACKU potential of the seed. Improved varieties of seed would, however, only give good results if coupled with efficient irrigation and fertilizer use.

Prior to 1979 there were a number of successful seed farms, primarily financed by the Agricultural Development Bank. However, these activities were largely suspended in 1979. The highest priority should be given to the rehabilitation and expansion of these seed farms.

98 8.6 Fertilizers: Irrigated yields in Afghanistan could be doubled with appropriate fertilizer application. At present about 120,000 tons of urea are being produced by the Mazar-i-Sharif fertilizer plant. While domestic production of urea is probably sufficient, DAP (white fertilizer) is scarce. 50,000 tons per year are imported from the Soviet Union. The Afghan Fertilizer Corporation (AFC) had a relatively good network of warehouses and supply depots before the war (there was at least one warehouse per province). Reports indicate that many of these structures are still in place and that AFC still functions to some extent, especially with regard to state farms. The full re-establishment of the AFC network should receive priority as soon as conditions permit. It should be emphasized that many returnees as well as resident farmers may not have the cash resources to purchase fertilizers, especially in the initial period of rehabilitation. Hence fertilizer grants and/or credit should be given serious consideration in the short term, especially for the first two agricultural seasons.

8.7 Farm Power: The constraint of the shortage of farm labour has already been mentioned. This is compounded by the destruction of an estimated 150,000 pairs of draught oxen (about half the total stock). It is highly unlikely that such a large number of oxen could be replaced in the near future. The substitution of animal traction by mechanized tractors would be difficult and prohibitive, given the low and inefficient levels of mechanized agriculture before the war; the lack of distribution facilities and shortage of diesel in many rural areas would also severely restrict the use of tractors. If the return of displaced populations takes place gradually over a few years, priority consideration should be given to rebuilding the oxen population rather than introducing tractors. While a limited scope for tractor imports may exist in the areas where some degree of mechanized agriculture has already beenACKU introduced in the past, a viable strategy in the medium term would be to use oxen where applicable and some small tractors in productive areas where oxen are not available. It is important that this strategy be combined with a rational use of any other inputs, namely, improved seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation.

~~8.8 Agricultural Tools: Although there will be a shortage of farming implements to meet the needs of the returnees, considerable blacksmith~~

99 capacity is available at the village level in some areas. With appropriate provision of equipment, for example welding equipment, most farm implements could be manufactured at the local village level. In many areas scrap metal from war equipment is available and could be utilized. Hence imports of farm implements should be considered only when local alternatives do not exist. It should be emphasized that in the initial period (first two agricultural seasons) cash grants or credit facilities will be required to facilitate purchase of farm implements.

8.9 Livestock: No accurate estimates exist on the present size of the animal population. Some evidence suggests that there has been a substantial decrease, both directly because of the war (deliberate killings of animals) and indirectly (increased sales of animals by farmers and herders in order to raise money for the journey out of war-affected areas and in some cases increased consumption of meat for lack of other staples). Most refugee families also took livestock with them to Pakistan/Iran. In view of the reduced livestock populations inside Afghanistan, it is likely that some of the rangelands which were heavily overgrazed have had time to regenerate. The rebuilding of flocks and herds of livestock should be given some priority since livestock has always been a source of economic strength to the agricultural sector, especially in areas where sufficient supplies of fodder and grass are available. Given the importance of maintaining the existing stock, the provision of a minimum of veterinary services is important. In the interim, mobile para-medic veterinary teams could be set up inside the country. With regard to the returning refugees, their livestock should be treated and provided with veterinary service at frontier posts or even in the refugee settlements in Pakistan, prior to departure.

8.10 The forestry sector shouldACKU receive special attention in the rehabilitation programme. Extensive damage to forest cover is reported in many parts of the country, especially in Paktia, Kunar and Badghis provinces. Forestry-related facilities and infrastructures have also been destroyed and commercial forestry activities seriously disrupted. The return of displaced families will result in increased needs for construction timber (roof beams in particular) and for fuel wood which will put an additional strain on scarce forestry resources. Early planting of deforested and new areas with, for

~~100 TABLE 14: AGRICULTURE: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Agricultural Services/Extension needs: $56.8 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Agricultural credit 11.0 Seed production, certification, distribution and storage 7.5 Fertilizer distribution and storage 12.5 Veterinary services and animal health, and setting up of 75 field clinics 6.0 Tree crop plantation - orchards and nurseries development 6.0 Training and expansion of extension service 4.0 Food procurement and storage - additional capacity of 15,000 tons 6.5 Livestock production programmes 1.0 Agricultural Research 1.3 Maintenance of agricultural machinery 0.5 Planning and implementation capacity of Ministry of Agriculture 0.5

~~Additional projects* (identified August 1988)~~

Agricultural inputs for 1988-89 crop seasons Project management (FAO) 0.2 Seed research: Testing and multiplication (through Swedish Committee) 0.1 Provision of seeds, fertilizers, oxen (through selected NGOs) 2.0 Repair of irrigation systems in South region 1.1 Repair of irrigation systems in East and north East regions (UNDP through NGOs) 2.2

~~Tentative projects*ACKU (not yet casted)~~

Crop production and extension, feasibility study on the provison of agricultural inputs with emphasis on fertilizer, and feasibility study on the supply of tractors and other agricultural machinery (Eastern Regions) and Long-term forestry rehabilitation

*Not included in the Secretary-General's Appeal

101 example, poplars, introduction of new tree varieties, watershed management works and nursery development should form the core of the forestry sector programme. The planning and management capability of the forestry department will need to be strengthened. A study should be undertaken to devise a long term strategy for the conservation and development of Afghanistan's forestry resources.

8.11 Agricultural services: Agricultural extension and credit services traditionally have not been well managed. Agricultural research remains the weakest link in the chain of institutions and services. The 1978 ratio of extension agents to farms was inadequate (1:1 000 to over 2 000). Farmers depend on informal credit markets in spite of the growth of institutional credit facilities. Agricultural Development Bank (AgBank), though expanding the financing capacity especially to co-operatives, was still probably assisting no more than about 8% of total farmers. In most of the war affected areas, there has been a major disruption of agricultural services including extension, veterinary, provision of inputs, rural co-operatives and marketing, storage, rural credit, etc. All these will have to be restored and expanded to facilitate an early recovery of the agricultural sector. However, given the uncertainties of the political and socio-economic conditions that will prevail in the near future initial agricultural services should focus on enabling farmers to achieve food self-sufficiency. The upgrading of storage facilities, however, needs to be given high priority since food security stocks will be essential during the first season and perhaps even the second agricultural season, while farmers resettle and begin to rebuild their farms and their homes.

8.12 Rural development In view of the prevailing instability, institutional weaknesses and limited humanACKU resources available in the country, it would be prudent to concentrate rural development interventions at the grassroots level, i.e. to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of small scale rural infrastructures (e.g. minor irrigation systems, storage facilities, bridges and washcrossings, feeder roads etc). Such programmes would bring direct tangible benefits to the farmers, encourage production and provide easier access to markets. Rural labour intensive participatory "public works" projects would also meet the additional need to supply income to farmers, who would need both food and some cash in the immediate return stage. Food-for-work and cash-for-work projects would be suitable, for example, for

~~102 TABLE 15: AGRICULTURE: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Rural Development: Rehabilitation Needs: $58 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Rehabilitation and reconstruction of rural infrastructure 51.0 Rural development training centre 1.5 Upgrading rural development centre, workshop and establishment of regional workshops 3.5 Ghazni-Wardak integrated rural development project 2.0

~~Tentative Projects (not yet casted)~~

~~Rural Public Works - Eastern Regions~~

~~ACKU~~

1~ the rebuilding of irrigation canals, levelling of bomb craters in fields, clearing of fields which have not been cultivated for a number of years, etc. While food for work may satisfy much of the food requirements, some income generation is essential so that the farmers can become progressively integrated in a market economy which would supply inputs, fertilizers, pesticides, tools, etc. As the marketing of agricultural products develops, a much greater emphasis on credit will be required both at the village level (e.g. of the Grameen Bank type) and at higher institutional levels (Agricultural Development Bank).

FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other United Nations organizations including WFP, ILO etc. in close collaboration with the Office of the Co-ordinator, are identifying priority rehabilitation projects for agricultural recovery in Afghanistan. This will be based not only on the physical resource endowments, but will also take into account the technical implementation and management capacity at the local level. Overall, special emphasis will be placed on appropriate strategies to benefit the resident and the returnee farmer.

UNDP - in collaboration with the Office of the Co-ordinator has prepared a draft project for the restoration of the rural infrastructure, particularly irrigation, in 15 development areas based on the traditional concept of the "woleswoli" or administrative area within a Province normally associated with a given valley. One of these projects will be initially based in Quetta covering the southern provinces and the other one in Peshawar covering provinces in the East and North East regions. The local villagers would be the direct beneficiaries of each project, under the overall supervision of a development committee or "shura" for each "woleswoli". Construction materials, tools and equipmentACKU will be provided to the local people, with appropriate NGOs used as implementing partners of the United Nations to organize project management and supervise progress. If the initial pilot project is successful, a pattern will be established for the expansion of this rural development activity throughout the country, responsive to local needs and making full use of local skills and resources. The 15 development areas for this important pilot project have not yet been selected. Access, security and local political acceptance are prerequisites which have yet to be achieved.

~~104 TABLE 16: AFGHANISTAN: CROP CALENDAR~~

~~Region/Crop Tilling Planting Harvesting~~

~~North Balkh, Samangan, Jowzjan: Wheat Aug/Sept Oct/Dec June/July~~

~~Faryab: Wheat July/Aug Sept/Oct July/Aug~~

~~North East: Baghlan, Takhar, Kunduz, Badakashan: Wheat Aug/Sept Oct/Dec June/July~~

~~East: Nangrahar, Laghman, Kunar and Paktya (lower elevations): Wheat Aug/Sept Oct/Dec June/July Corn April/May June/July Oct/Nov Rice April/May June/July Oct/Nov~~

~~Paktya (higher elevations): Wheat July/Aug Sept/Oct July/Aug~~

~~East Central: Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan, Logar, Wardak, Ghazni, Bamyan (lower elevations): Wheat July/Aug Sept/Oct July/Aug~~

~~Wardak, Ghazni, Bamyan (higher elevations): Wheat March/Apr May/June Sept/Oct~~

~~South: Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Nimroz, Uruzgan and Paktika (lower elevations): Wheat Aug/Sept Oct/Dec June/July Corn April/May June/July Oct/Nov Rice April/May June/July Oct/Nov~~

~~Uruzgan (higher elevations): WheatACKU March/April May/June Sept/Oct Paktika (higher elevations): Wheat July/Aug Sept/Oct July/Aug~~

~~North West: Herat, Badghis: Wheat July/Aug Sept/Oct July/Aug~~

~~Farah: Wheat Aug/Sept Oct/Dec May/July Corn April/May June/July Oct/Nov Rice April/May June/July Oct/Nov~~

~~Ghor: Wheat March/April May/June Sept/Oct~~

~~105 8.13 Regional Summaries: Agriculture~~

~~North (provinces: Faryab, Balkh, Samangan, Jowzjan)~~

Good rain-fed agriculture and fertile soil makes the north region the second most important agricultural area of the country (after the north east). Medium sized farms, relatively large tenant holdings and low population density allowed the region to produce agriculture surpluses before the war. The topography is mountainous in the south of the region, becoming flatter in the north and east towards the Amu Darya. The most important crops are, respectively, wheat, barley, cotton, flax and sesame, maize and rice.

The area has 24~ of the total irrigated land and 25~ of the total dryland farming area of the country and accounts for approximately 28~ of wheat production (but only less than 7~ of fertilizer use). The country's only nitrogen fertilizer factory is located at Balkh. The region is particularly noted for its sheep herding (17~ of the national flock of common sheep and 86% of the national Karakul flock). Ginning and textile manufacturing are important industries. Carpet weaving is also an important cottage industry especially among the Turkoman.

Reports from the area seem to show that the main war damage was caused by the destruction of villages and irrigation systems as well as shooting of livestock. Shortage of labour, draught animals, fertilizer (in some areas) and lack of pesticides were also reported. Refugees and the internally displaced represent only a small proportion of the population of the region: less than 3~ of the resident population is estimated to have left the region during the conflict. The majority of refugees - Turkoman and Uzbek - are settled in the Punjab and, ACKUaccording to some observers, they may be among the first to return to Afghanistan because of the social problems they have encountered in Pakistan.

Prospects for recovery are relatively good in this region. The region's surplus production could easily cover the immediate food needs of the returnees. Rehabilitation of irrigation schemes and increased availability of fertilizer would help in increasing crop yields. Wheat yields are estimated

~~l~ AFGHANISTAN MAP 7~~

~~ESTIYATED ACREAGE UNDER WHEAT~~

~~LEGEND~~

~~AREA IN HECTARES~~

~~~ +200000 0 +125000 bS) + 100000 rn ·50000 B •25000 D <25000~~

~~~ 50 100 KH~~

~~AFGHANISTAN MAP8 ACKU~~

~~ESTIYATED WHEAT YIELD~~

~~LEGEND~~

~~YIELD IN METRIC TONS PER HECTARE~~

~~~+I . 80 !Lj•l . 60 (S) +I 40~~

~~rn ·I . 20 a·l . 00 o·0 50~~

~~0 50 100 KH~~

~~l.O£P/ GRll>~~

107 at 1.03 mt per ha, which is the lowest for any region in Afghanistan, the national average is at 1.25 mt per ha. Present wheat production is estimated at 545,000 mt. Assuming a per capita consumption of 185 kg per year, this would be more than sufficient to cover the needs of both the resident and returning population, leaving at least one-third of production as surplus for other regions.

Storage facilities: Pre-war cereal storage capacity in the region was 78,000 mt. Some damage to facilities may have occurred and repair work may be necessary. A 40,000 mt silo exists in Balkh. The other godowns are smaller steel and brick/stone buildings. Fertilizer storage facilities: 5,000 mt in Mazar-i-Sharif.

~~Northeast (Provinces: Baghlan, Takhar, Kunduz, Badakhshan)~~

This is the region with the highest agricultural potential in Afghanistan - Baghlan province is perhaps the richest in the country and has traditionally accounted for large food surpluses. There are, however, wide differences within the region: wide fertile plains dominate in the north towards the Amu Darya but the south and east are mostly mountainous and agriculture can only be carried out in narrow valley bottoms and small pockets of flat land. Rainfall is generally plentiful and traditional irrigation systems abound. Before the war this was the most important agricultural zone in the country, with a highly productive system of irrigated agriculture (17% of the national total) that allowed double cropping in most areas. Dryland agriculture (30% of national total) was also significant. The most important crops are, respectively, irrigated wheat, dryland wheat, rice, cotton, barley, maize and sugar-beet. Organic fertilizers and some chemicals (fertilizer/pesticides) areACKU extensively used. The region accounts for approximately 18% of the country's fertilizer consumption. Yields for wheat are average except in Kunduz where they are high and where most of the fertilizer is being used. Sheep herding was also important and provided the raw material for the carpet weaving cottage industry. Farm sizes are relatively large compared to central Afghanistan; freehold and tenant farming is common. A small amount of mechanized farming takes place especially in the northernmost areas.

~~l~ AFGHANISTAN MAP 9~~

~~ESTJ}lATED WHEAT PRODUCTION~~

~~LEGEND~~

~~PRODUCTION IN METRIC TONS~~

~~~ +150000 E2J •125000~~

~~~ +100000~~

~~[] +75000 B .. 50000 D .. 20000~~

~~~ 50 100 KH~~

~~AFGHANISTAN MAP 10 ACKU~~

~~ESTIMATED CEREAL STORAGE CAPACITY~~

~~LEGEND~~

~~STORAGE CAPACITY IN METRIC TONS~~

~~~ +150000 f2J +40000 [SJ +10000~~

~~[[] +5000~~

~~B .. 3000~~

~~0+1000~~

~~0 50 100 KM~~

109 As in the north, surveys report major damage due to destruction of villages, livestock and irrigation schemes. Shortages of manpower, seeds, fertilizer and pesticides have also been reported. Some rehabilitation work is being carried out by the local authorities.

~~Most of the internally displaced population from this region has migrated~~

to Kabul or to the mountains to the north of Panjshir. About 19~ of the region's population is estimated to have sought refuge, mainly in Pakistan. As in the north, a gradual return of the refugee population would probably not create major problems. Current wheat production is estimated at 456,000 mt, with yields close to the country average of 1.25 mt per ha. Hence food production would be sufficient to cover both the needs of the resident population and of the returnees. Assuming that the refugees all returned and that wheat acreage and yields remained at present levels, the region would still have a surplus wheat production of about 160,000 mt.

Storage facilities: Pre-war storage capacity was at 73,000 mt for the whole region. A 40,000 mt silo is in place in Baghlan. Several 2,000 mt steel hangars are available in each province. Brick/stone facilities total 18,100 mt. Fertilizer storage facilities total approximately 16,000 mt.

~~East (Provinces: Paktya, Nangrahar, Laghman, Kunar)~~

The eastern provinces are mountainous and densely populated with small farms and intensively irrigated agriculture. The main crops are wheat, maize, rice, sugar cane, vegetables and cotton. The area is warm with mild winters and hot summers. The region accounts for about 4.5% of national wheat production, but the average wheat yield of 1.85 mt per ha is one of the highest in Afghanistan. ThisACKU is perhaps explained by the relatively widespread use of chemical fertilizer (13% of national consumption) in addition to organic fertilizer. There is little mechanized cultivation. The major livestock are goats and cattle. The eastern provinces are the main forested zone of the country accounting for 52% of Afghanistan's forest cover.

Farmers surveyed in the region have reported that the main war damage was destruction of villages, livestock and of irrigation systems. The lack of farm labour, fertilizers, seeds and agro-chemicals have all severely affected the region's agricultural production.

~~110 The four provinces in this region account for the largest proportion of~~

the refugee population. More than half (58~) of the region's population is estimated to have fled to Pakistan. The proximity of the border and ethnic ties to Pakistan among the population made asylum there the most viable option. The region has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the war because it is crossed by a number of the major supply routes for the resistance. This has severely affected agricultural production through damage to irrigation, destruction of villages and livestock. The lack of farm labour due to migration and the non-availability of essential inputs (seeds, fertilizer and pesticides) have made the situation worse.

With almost 60~ of the population out of the country a massive return of refugees is likely to create formidable problems in this region. At present wheat production in the region is estimated to be around 85,300 mT which corresponds to less than half the requirement to feed the population presently

in the region. The 50~ shortfall is partially being made up through informal trade links from Pakistan. If more than a million refugees return from Pakistan to their home areas in this region, conceivable surplus from other regions inside Afghanistan would be totally insufficient to meet the increased needs. Careful planning and security stocks close to the Pakistan border will be essential to ensure that at least an additional 160,000 mt of grain are made available to cover the needs of the residents and the returnees for one year.

Storage facilities were limited before the war and totalled 24,600 mt. There is no silo in the region. Steel hangars and brick/stone constructions totalling 12,000 mt may have suffered because of the war. Fertilizer storage: 14,000 mt in JalalabadACKU and 4,000 mt in Laghman. East Central (Provinces: Kabul, Bamyan, Parwan, Logar, Wardak, Kapisa, Ghazni)

Most of this region is cool and mountainous with a short growing season. River bottom land is irrigated and cultivated with wheat (single crop). The uplands are cultivated with dry wheat, maize and potatoes. The region accounts for about 11~ of the country's wheat production (and 27~ of fertilizer consumption). Yields, at 1.44 mt per ha are slightly above the

~~111 national average. The area is important for its fruit production (21~ of the national total) with grapes, apples and pears being the most common~~

~~varieties. Land holdings are small and there i~ limited mechanized~~

~~cultivation. With 11~ of the national sheep flock, wool production is important to the regional economy.~~

The east central region is strategically important since it is crossed by the main north-south link between Kabul and the Soviet Union. Wide perimeters have been cleared of vegetation and houses on either side of the main highways. Surveys conducted in the region show that considerable damage to the agricultural potential of the region has resulted from destruction of villages, livestock and irrigation systems. In addition, lack of farm labour, draught animals, seeds and chemical inputs have affected agricultural production. Horticulture in this region has been particularly hard hit.

The number of refugees is estimated at approximately 22~ of the total population of the region. Two thirds have fled to Pakistan and one third to Iran. Current wheat production in the region is estimated to be around 228,000 mt which corresponds to less than half the amount required for the resident population. The increased urban demand in Kabul has been met largely through government imports from the Soviet Union (250,000 mt a year) and from the surplus production areas of the north. Assuming that both these sources of wheat (and other coarse grains) remain at the same level, an additional 210,000 mt would be required to meet the food needs of some 1.1 million returnees.

Storage facilities: Kabul has four silos with a total capacity of more than 120,000 mt. Pre-war facilities included two steel hangars in Bamyan and Ghazni; remaining facilitiesACKU totalling 30,500 mt are in brick/stone. Fertilizer storage: Kabul 11,000 mt and 8,000 mt elsewhere in the region.

~~South (Provinces: Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Paktika, Uruzgan, Zabul)~~

This region is mostly desert with patches of oasis agriculture where wheat is doubled-cropped with corn and some rice. In addition to the well developed modern irrigation systems of the Helmand Valley (where there is

112 particularly good agricultural land), there are also traditional irrigation systems based on springs and karezes throughout the region. In all, the region represents 22~ of the national irrigated land, and 11~ of the rainfed farmland. The region accounts for nearly 30~ of all fertilizer consumption in the country. Fertilizer use is concentrated in the Helmand province (this province alone absorbs 23~ of fertilizer) where average wheat yields are the highest in the country (1.98 mt per ha against the national average of 1.24 mt per ha). Kandahar has been an important fruit production area with an important dried fruit and fruit canning industry. Land holdings tended to be larger than average and mechanized cultivation has been common. The districts of Khakreez, Shah Walikot and Keshki Nakhud, where there is quite good agricultural land, have been badly damaged during the war. The same is true of the lower Helmand Valley, Arghesan, eastern Nimroz and Zaranj which have also experienced significant population displacement. Tirinkot in Uruzgan and some areas of Paktika have suffered a high rate of destruction but otherwise most of Uruzgan and much of Nimroz are among the areas which have been least affected by the war.

Reports from the region indicate that the clearance of mines from fields and roads is likely to be a critical problem. Agricultural rehabilitation needs include repair and maintenance of large and small irrigation systems and provision of pesticides and seeds. Some areas such as Zabul will require farm power (either mechanized or animal) since a severe shortage of draught animals has been reported.

As in the East, intensive population movements both internal and external have occured in this region. It is estimated that more than half of the population has left the country (more than one third are in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the remainderACKU in Pakistan). Kandahar province alone is thought to be the origin of more than 600,000 refugees who have settled around Quetta and along the Baluchistan border. Despite the war situation it would seem that there is sufficient food at present in the region to feed the resident population. If the 1.6 million refugees and other internally displaced persons were all to return, a food deficit in the order of 40-50% would occur for wheat and other coarse grains. Conflict situations may arise between returnees and resident farmers who may be cultivating land abandoned

113 by refugees or internally displaced farmers. The magnitude of such problems is not known but there are indications that because of the large size of farms it may be a greater problem in this region than in other areas.

Storage facilities: one 30,000 mt silo in Kandahar. Total pre-war storage capacity stood at 42,500 mt, with several modern steel hangars. Fertilizer storage capacity: Kandahar 5,000 mt and Helmand 11,000 mt.

~~Northwest (Provinces: Herat, Ghor, Badghis, Farah)~~

The region is relatively undeveloped with limited irrigated cultivation of wheat, maize, cotton, rice and fruit. Wheat yields are among the lowest in Afghanistan and fertilizer is not widely used (except in Herat province where the yields are also above average). Forests, mainly of wild pistacchio, account for 12~ of the national timber stock. Ginning and silk production have been the main local industries. Herding is important to the livelihood of the region's population, which owns 22~ and 25~ of the national flock of common sheep and Karakul sheep respectively. As in the south, reports show that the region has suffered severe war-related damage due to destruction of villages, livestock and of irrigation systems.

Refugees are estimated at close to 40~ of the total population of the region. They have settled mainly in the Iranian provinces adjacent to the border. Some of these migrants may in fact be "economic refugees" who had settled in Iran before the war. However, it is likely that some of these refugees will want to return to a stable and peaceful Afghanistan; recent reports indicate that a number of refugee families are beginning to return to Herat from Islamic Republic of Iran. Very little is known about conditions in the four provinces of this ACKUregion. Widespread destruction of villages is reported in Herat province and along the major highways.

Information on agricultural production is sketchy but would seem to show that there is sufficient wheat in the region to feed the present resident population and perhaps as much as one half of the 680,000 refugees who would

114 be likely to return to the region. The magnitude of the internally displaced population is not known. Clearly if the internally displaced and all the refugees returned to their homes there would be a significant food deficit.

Storage facilities: There is a 30,000 mt silo in Herat. Total prewar cereal storage capacity was only 35,800 mt. Fertilizer storage capacity for the region now estimated at approximately 10,000 mt mostly in Herat.

~~ACKU~~

~~115 9. HEALTH~~

~~9.1 Background and Consequences of War~~

Health services in Afghanistan were rudimentary before the war and have deteriorated over the past nine years, especially in the rural areas. Reliable data and information on health status of the population hardly existed before and is even more fragmentary now, but it is clear that health in all its facets - promotive, preventive and curative - has been a major casualty of the war which has affected the resident population, the internally displaced and the refugee populations. A massive effort will be required to rebuild and rehabilitate the health infrastructure to bring it up to pre-war levels and an even more formidable effort will be necessary for a long term development of health services.

Even before the outbreak of war, infant and child mortality rates were among the highest in the world and there was a high incidence of malnutrition and of communicable diseases. Infant mortality is estimated to have increased from 190 to more than 220 per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth is reported to have dropped from 41 before the war to 38 years. According to a study undertaken in 1973-74 in the greater Kabul area - where access to health services is much better than in rural areas - the maternal mortality rate was found to be more than 100 per 10,000 births, four and a half times higher than that of other developing countries.

Many of the operational disease control programmes have been severely disrupted or have totally broken down. Tuberculosis is on the rise and the incidence of malaria has reached epidemic levels. There is also a high prevalence of respiratory ailments,ACKU eye disorders and of gastro-intestinal disorders, measles and polio, especially among children. Lack of safe drinking water, poor environmental health conditions and low literacy rates, especially among women, are highly conducive to high morbidity, infirmity and mortality.

In addition to direct casualties of the war, the country is also confronted with the serious problem of tens of thousands of disabled persons. In view of the mines and unexploded ordnance that litter the Afghan

~~116 TABLE 17: HEALTH: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total needs US$64.2 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Essential drugs and vaccines 19.0 Reconstruction and rehabilitation of health centres 8.0 Logistics of health services 5.0 Health manpower development 4.5 Preventive and curative programmes Immunization of mothers and children against diptheria, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis and measles 5.0 Malaria control: case detection and treatment, drug distribution, sector control operations 7.0 Programme for the control of diarrhoeal diseases 1.5 Tuberculosis control including training of staff at district level and assistance to central laboratory 2.5 Blindness prevention: surgical treatment drugs, provision of glasses and training 0.5 Assistance to Disabled - surgery, orthopaedics, physiotherapy 0.2* Nutrition support, health and nutrition education 1.5 RehabilitationACKU and equipment for urban hospitals 3 . 0 Rehabilitation of Nursing schools 1.0 Surveys, planning and management 9.5

*Estimated need will be substantially higher in view of the scale and severity of this problem; a masterplan for assistance to the disabled is being prepared.

117 countryside, this problem of the disabled is likely to increase substantially over the coming years. The disabled population will require not only immediate surgical and orthopaedic assistance, but will also require years of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

The deterioration of the national health infrastructure, the loss of a significant proportion of the trained health manpower through overseas migration and the massive displacements of population both within and outside the country have compounded the problems in the health sector. The training of health manpower has also been severely curtailed. International assistance in the health sector has been drastically reduced and in effect limited to the Kabul area. Basic health services have however, been provided to refugees in Pakistan as well as the Islamaic Republic of Iran) and in many cases the quality of such services is better than what the population was accustomed to in the rural areas of the country before the war. The resistance groups have also set up their own very rudimentary systems inside the country and some NGOs have organized cross-border health programmes from Pakistan. These programmes are predominantly surgical treatment of the wounded and curative with little or no preventive content.

9.2 Health Infrastructure and Manpower: Of the 5,100 hospital beds reported to be available in 1986-87 approximately 58% were located in the Kabul area and the remainder in the urban provincial centres. Similarly, of the 2,400 doctors, 80% were working in Kabul and other urban centres (this implies that the eight million people living in the rural areas of Afghanistan are only served by less than 500 doctors, or a ratio of one doctor to some 20,000 persons). Generally speaking, urban health facilities, especially in Kabul, have continued to function during the war years and have been, to some extent, able to cope with theACKU resident and displaced urban population. But health services in the rural areas have deteriorated dramatically. The number of basic health centres and sub-centres declined from over 220 in 1978, to about 90 in 1987. The situation is particularly serious for the sub-centres: Most of the 80 rural health sub-centres were reported to be totally destroyed during the same period. Little is known about the operating capacity of the remaining facilities, the number and level of training of remaining practitioners, the availability of essential drugs and medicines, etc. The

118 existing public health infrastructure is believed to be capable of providing basic health services to 10~ of the rural population as against 19~ in 1978. The security situation, the lack of incentives to attract and retain qualified staff and severe shortages of medical supplies and equipment have all added to the low efficiency of these services.

The major health problems include the extensive prevalance of malaria, respiratory ailments, gastro-intestinal disorders, eye disorders, tuberculosis and the six preventable diseases of children under five, i.e. diphteria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles. The needs and the care of the disabled are an additional problem.

9.3 The incidence of malaria has reached epidemic levels in many areas of the country. A strong malaria control programme had, prior to 1979, managed to significantly bring down the incidence. According to figures available, from as low as some 36,000 cases detected in 1979, the number has risen to more than 420,000 reported cases in 1985-86, despite the fact that almost a third of the population was out of the country. The destruction and lack of maintenance of irrigation canals, which in certain regions also acted as drainage canals, have contributed to the malaria problem. Epidemics of malaria have been reported from the eastern and north eastern regions bordering Pakistan, particularly in areas to which the refugees as well as the majority of the internally displaced are expected to return. An added complicating factor is the rising incidence of chloroquin-resistant cases, making malaria control measures more difficult. The implications are obvious for the refugee population who have experienced a substantial lowering of incidence of malaria due to the health programmes available to refugees in Pakistan. A similar situation would seem to prevail on the Iranian side. A well-organized malaria controlACKU programme must, therefore, constitute a major thrust of the health sector programme during repatriation of the refugees and the internally displaced.

9.4 Tuberculosis is a major problem in all regions of Afghanistan. According to available data the incidence is one of the highest in the world. It is estimated that as many as 150 people out of 100,000 would be smear-positive. In the relatively controlled situation of refugees, both in Pakistan and Iran,

119 the incidence of TB has decreased but the stresses and strains of return journeys, institutional deficiencies and disruption in the continuity of treatment would have a detrimental effect. Besides, the population in the locations of return where preventive and curative facilities are not likely to be available, would present high figures of incidence and also increase the potential for reinfection. The implementation of an effective tuberculosis treatment programme will pose immense organizational problems, particularly in the initial phase of repatriation and rehabilitation, because of the basic requirements of tuberculosis control, namely, not only the provision of adequate chemotherapy to detect infectious cases but also proper dosage, regularity and adequate duration of treatment to achieve cures or render patients non-infectious.

9.5 Diarrhoeal Diseases are also a major health hazard in Afghanistan. The situation is complex because it involves deep-rooted cultural and behavioural factors in addition to the objective factors of poor sanitation, inadequacy of health facilities and trained medical personnel particularly in rural areas, lack of monitoring, reporting, insufficient supply of ORS sachets, etc. Poor personal and communal hygiene also add to the complexity of the problem (and contribute to the incidence of other communicable diseases). Another major contributing factor is the general lack of access to safe drinking water combined with the generally poor standards of health education. A national programme for control of diaorhoeal diseases was started in 1983. However, due to the prevailing security situation this was limited to Kabul and the surrounding areas and its impact has been minimal. Among the refugee population in Pakistan and in Iran the incidence is considerably lower thanks to the availability of diarrhoeal disease control programmes, case management, health care and epidemic control and accessibility to ORS and awareness of its use. In any case, these diseasesACKU remain amongst the major health problems and will require priority attention and a multi-disciplinary approach.

9.6 Eye infections and diseases Incidence of eye diseases leading to blindness, mainly trachoma and vitamin A deficiency in children under 10 years and cataract amongst adults, is known to be high. According to survey data in Afghanistan in 1984, some 25% of pre-school children (under 5 years of age) and 10% of school children (ages 6-19 years) were reported to be suffering from trachoma. Incidence of vitamin A deficiency has also been reported to be

~~120 TABLE 18: HEALTH: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Water Supply Programme: Total Needs US$17.7 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Rehabilitation and expansion of rural water supply schemes 9.0 Rehabilitation and expansion of water supply systems in provincial towns 2.0 Kabul water supply Phase II 2.0 Management of village water supply systems and community training 4.7 ACKU

121 quite high. With regard to the refugee populations, the preventive and curative aspects of the Refugee Health Programmes, the situation may have been reasonably controlled. Even so, unhygienic conditions and distruption expected during the repatriation phase combined with the unsatisfactory situation in the areas of return, is likely to result in resurgence and high incidence.

9.7 Rehabilitation of the disabled The severity and extent of disability either caused by the armed conflict or due to other health problems will be a major problem requiring years of medical care and assistance. The prevalence of mines throughout the country will remain a very serious problem for the years to come. For the victims of mine accidents, often limbs have to be amputated by people with little surgical experience. Protheses are difficult to come by and are often difficult to fit. In the initial phases the needs of the wounded and amputees will require priority assistance over other categories of disabled (deaf, dumb, mentally retarded). Given the magnitude of the problem, the only option is the implementation of community-based rehabilitation programmes given the practical difficulties for centrally- based institutional programmes to reach the needy at the periphery.

9 .8 Th e nutritional status of the population as a whole is not alarming but maln u t rition among children is estimated to be high. The latter will present a major problem during the initial phases of the returnee movements. In most rural areas where people remained until 1981, lack of sufficient food was the main cause for out-migration in later years. Drought conditions in 1984 and 1986 and systematic destruction of crops contributed to this exodus. The internally displaced population in the north and central provinces are said currently to be the most prone to malnutrition because of the lack of access to productive land as well ACKUas to employment and earnings opportunities. 9.9 Special target groups: women and children Even in the absence of reliable information on the conditions prevalent in Afghanistan, immunization programmes have either broken down or have at best been very patchy in most areas except for Kabul and its immediate surroundings. A country-wide immunization campaign will be required. This task will be enormous and will require the concerted effort of WHO, UNICEF, donors and NGOs as well as of the

122 central and local Afghan authorities. The situation among the returning refugees may be more satisfactory given the partial coverage already provided to women and children by the refugee health programmes. In this context, it is crucial that every effort be made to fully carry out the immunization programme prior to the departure of the village populations from Pakistan and Iran. Simultaneously, immunization campaigns launched across the border with the co-operation of NGOs should be intensified to cover as much of the internally displaced as well as local population in order to minimise risks in areas to which the displaced population is likely to return.

9.10 Water supply and sanitation. Safe drinking water is a scarce commodity in both rural and urban areas of the country. While there are urban piped water systems in place, only 30~ of the urban population has access. In comparison, less than 8~ of the rural population has access to piped water. According to some reports, none of the piped water schemes provide safe drinking water. Wells have suffered considerable damage in the rural areas both because of the war and because their cleaning and maintenance has been neglected. Cleaning and repairs of wells can be accomplished with local manpower and resources.

The relief and rehabilitation programme will give priority to the repair of existing drinking water supply systems and will assist, on a limited basis, towards the provision of new water systems for villages to which returning refugees and displaced persons return in large numbers. Efforts will be made through food for work and cash for work programmes to repair existing drinking water supply systems and to expand their output both in rural and urban areas. For those villages where major reconstruction is required, support will be extended to the digging and lining of open wells. Initial efforts will be made to supply a fewACKU hundred hand pumps to try to make the open wells more sanitary for human consumption. Where there are large population concentrations (over 2,000 people) standpipe supply systems may have to be set up. In those areas where gravity feed systems are used for irrigation, efforts will be made to extend them for improved drinking water supply.

~~123 9.11 Cross-border health care delivery inside Afghanistan~~

A number of non-governmental organizations and resistance-related organizations, in particular through the Alliance Health Committee (ARC), have been providing some health care assistance to areas inside Afghanistan. Various types of activities have been undertaken: staffing of health facilities with some expatriate medical personnel, training of Afghan medical personnel and supplies of drugs, medicines and medical equipment. It is difficult to determine the exact level of the resources made available inside the country and the impact of these health programmes. Understandably, lack of continuous communication and monitoring is a major problem for cross-border assistance. In addition there has been some lack of co-ordination and some overlap in funding and supplies among participating agencies. According to some sources, cross border agencies, including ARC are running 291 "clinics" throughout Afghanistan, with a staff of some 40 qualified doctors. In addition there are some 570 ARC basic health workers who are able to provide some level of basic health care service. The distribution of clinics and medical personnel is extremely uneven and little information exists as to their actual operational capacity.

~~9.12 Health care available to refugees~~

The health situation of refugees in Pakistan is relatively satisfactory. A number of clinics, mostly financed by UNHCR, are operated by the Government and the NGOs with expatriate and Afghan doctors and para-medical personnel. The ARC is also operating a number of health clinics.

The UNHCR-funded, WHO-co-ordinated health programme for Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of ACKUIran has also made significant contributions in the improvement of health status by strengthening the national health services in locations where refugee influx had put severe strains on these services. Some of the NGOs as well as the ARC have conducted training programmes for paramedical personnel but their exact number and the quality of the training provided are not known. Most of the training seems to have been ad hoc and on the job to be able to deal with major ailments, injuries, etc.

124 The health situation among refugees in Pakistan was surveyed in 1984 and 1985 by the Centre for Disease Control, USA, in collaboration with UNHCR. It revealed that some health indicators showed a distinct improvement over the correponding data for pre-war Afghanistan (in particular the infant mortality rate was found to be about 120 per 1,000 live births, which is less than half the most pessimistic current estimates for inside Afghanistan). The most common and frequent diseases among refugees included diarrhoeal and parasitic infections.

The fact that, in relative terms, health conditions are better among the refugee populations than in the rural areas inside Afghanistan, may become a factor that refugee families will take into consideration when deciding if and when to return to their original homes.

~~9.13 Health Sector Relief and Rehabilitation Programmes~~

The main features of this WHO/UNICEF programme include: - rehabilitation of health facilities and their equipment - health manpower needs for staffing of health services, training, retraining and recruitment of health personnel of all categories - epidemiological surveys, programme planning for disease prevention, treatment and control - re-establishment of the logistic and supportive mechanisms required to sustain the restored health services

The programme will support the relevant authorities and supportive agencies in the task of rebuilding basic health facilities, establishing rational and feasible policies, strategies and plans for implementation in the medium term and strengtheningACKU the capacity of communities, district and national authorities to plan and manage the work of the health sector. It is intended through this process of recovery and rehabilitation to move progressively to the development of an operational health care delivery system to meet the health needs of all Afghan people.

~~125 The salient components of the programme are:~~

- the supply of drugs and medicines for making health centres and sub-centres operational during the initial repatriation and resettlement phase - a training programme for all categories of personnel, particularly for disease control programmes, mid-wives and community health workers. This training programme should become operational before the return of refugees and internally displaced persons commences. - the extension of immunization services. Expenditures will be incurred towards the provision of vaccines, training of personnel, storage and distribution facilities and immunization equipment. - a malaria control programme during the repatriation and rehabilitation phases mainly providing insecticides and spraying equipment, intensive training of personnel and provision of anti-malaria drugs with the aim of reducing the incidence of malaria, and preventing mortality, particularly among infants and children - the control and treatment of diarrhoeal diseases, especially for mothers, infants and children - tuberculosis control giving priority to smear positive cases and children at special risk. Funds will mainly be utilized for chemotherapy drugs, laboratory equipment and personnel training. - the prevention of blindness due to Trachoma and Vitamin A deficiency affecting children and cataract through the distribution of eye ointment, Vitamin A, surgical treatment and training of personnel. - a regionalized programme for the disabled should be initiated before repatriation starts. For the initial phase, the needs of the wounded and amputees - surgical treatment, orthpaedic workshops, physiotherapy centres and trainingACKU of staff including technicians - should take priority while those of other categories such as the deaf, blind and mentally retarded, will have to be covered through a wider, long range programme of rehabilitation.

Within the relief and rehabilitation programme's framework, WHO - in collaboration with the Co-ordinator - undertook in August 1988, a mission to Pakistan to review the experiences and capacities of operational agencies

126 including cross-border NGOs. The mission also collected information on drug and medical supply needs as well as the training/retraining of various categories of health workers, with a view to developing a regionalized health rehabilitation programme for Afghanistan. To this end an inventory of the skills available is being prepared and an assessment of of the quality of the training presently carried out by various agencies is being conducted. This information will facilitate the development of a co-ordinated programme based on an integrated primary health care system.

While the above reflects activities which will constitute the health sector component of the Afghanistan assistance programme, some priority programmes need to be launched urgently, even before repatriation/resettlement activities get underway. These relate to procurement of essential drugs and supplies to rehabilitate health units and cater for repatriation/return, launching of intensive, comprehensive training and retraining programmes for development of health manpower, consultancy missions to assess epidemiological and health services needs, development of basic health information system, strengthening of ongoing disease control programmes and initiation of a managerial process for effective planning, implementation and evaluation of health sector programmes.

~~9.14 Regional summaries: Health~~

Health coverage in this region is at a very low level. According to pre-war estimates there were 12 hospitals (195 bed capacity) and 28 rural health centres and sub-centres throughout the region. The extent of the damage to these centres isACKU not known but up to 60% may be non-operational. Reports indicate that some 30 clinics are currently being run by the Alliance Health Committee (AHC) and by NGOs, but only four medical doctors are accounted for in the whole region. On the basis of one clinic per 15,000 population, a minimum of at least 80 additional clinics would be required to ensure basic health coverage for the resident and returnee population.

~~127 North East~~

Pre-war statistics indicate that there were eight hospitals (200 bed capacity) and 33 rural health centres in the region. It is reported that 28 clinics are being operated by AHC and NGOs. Most of these are operating under the aegis of the Shura of the North which has set up a relatively effective health system. The Shura also operates two field hospitals and a training facility. An important aspect of this health system is that it operates under the larger administrative structure of the Shura which, for example, is able to mobilize road construction to link clinics with hospitals. Assuming that government-run facilities are 60% non-operational, at least 60 additional clinics would be required to cover the health needs of the resident and returnee population.

There were seven hospitals (605 bed capacity) and 35 health centres in the region before the war. Of the four eastern provinces, Kunar and Paktia have reasonably good health coverage while Nangrahar, because of the size of the population, will require considerable expansion of its health care facilities. There are 10 medical doctors providing services to 30 clinics under the AHC and non-governmental health programmes. A large percentage of the Basic Health Workers have been trained by the Alliance Health Committee. As more than half the population has left the region, the return of the displaced population is likely to p ut a severe strain on the existing health structures. In order to meet the goal of one clinic per 15,000 population, an additional 140 clinics would be needed. East Central ACKU Kabul with 17 hospitals (2613 bed capacity) and 58 health centres claimed a disproportionate amount of the pre-war health facilities in this region; there were only six other hospitals (143 bed capacity) and 23 clinics in the remainder of the region. Facilities in Kabul have been maintained and even partially improved during the war.

128 There are reasonably adequate health resources in a number of the East Central provinces, especially Ghazni, Logar and Wardak, where the resistance has been effective at developing health facilities and training staff. Fourteen medical doctors are accounted for in the non-governmental health system as well as 110 clinics and nearly half of all Basic Health Workers trained by the Allliance Health Committee. The region has the largest and most continuous presence of expatriate health workers of any region in the country. Medecins du Monde operates a surgical hospital in Wardak with expatriate staff. Parwan and Kapisa are incorporated into the health system of the Shura of the North. CAP ANAMUR (Federal Republic of Germany), operates a hospital in Bamyan; MSF Holland and Belgium jointly sponsor a medical team working with Hazaras in Parwan; MSF/France operates a hospital in Ghazni; and, the Norwegian Committee places expatriate doctors in Ghazni periodically.

~~Health facilities in Kabul will not generally require priority rehabilitation attention. For the remaining provinces of the region, an additional 54 clinics would be required.~~

There were only seven hospitals (420 bed capacity) and 16 clinics throughout the whole region before the war. The ARC and NGOs are reported to be staffing 32 clinics. However, with the exception of Kandahar province, the availability of medical resources in the region is limited. Only four medical doctors are accounted for in the non-governmental health system. Mercy Corps International and the Islamic Aid Health Centre fund and supply a number of stationary and mobile health facilities throughout the south. Health Unlimited (UK) formerly staffedACKU a clinic in Uruzgan with expatriate personnel. In this region, like in the East, more than 50% of the population is displaced. Returnees are likely to put a severe strain on existing facilities. An estimated 150 additional clinics would be required to meet the target of one clinic per 15,000 people.

~~129 North west~~

Before the war, Herat had four hospitals (160 bed capacity) and 15 health centres. The remaining provinces only accounted for four hospitals (80 bed capacity) and five health centres. The resistance in Herat provides a medical system similar to that existing in the north east. There is a hospital and 11 working clinics plus a mobile unit staffed with a surgeon. This programme regularly places students in Peshawar-based training programmes and also runs a 3-month training course at the Herat Central Hospital. Because of the flat topography of the area, there is little security for health personnel. Of an original six medical doctors working in the system, two were killed when their underground hospital was bombed. One doctor had to change the site of his clinic 17 times last year. The AHC has only 13 Basic Health Workers in the entire region.

~~In order to meet the target of one clinic per 15,000 individuals, an additional 70 clinics would be required to meet the needs of the resident and returnee population in this region.~~

The above regional assessment has shown that a massive effort will be required to rehabilitate and restore a functioning basic health system. Co-operation between WHO, UNICEF, ICRC and LRCS as well as NGOs will have to be strengthened to provide a coherent programme of support. The most pressing need is to restore a minimal level of health services through the rehabilitation of health facilities, including health posts, health centres, some regional and local hospitals and their equipment. Overall some 550 additional health centresACKU or clinics would be required in order to meet the basic health needs of the resident and returnee rural population. Manpower needs in public health must be met by recruitment, training and retraining. Because of the cultural resistance barring the examination of female patients by male medical personnel a special programme will be required for the training of Afghan women health workers and for the upgrading of the skills of traditional birth attendants. A variety of preventive and curative

130 services, such as immunizaton, malaria control, diarrhoeal diseases control, tuberculosis control, prevention of blindness and nutritional support need to be strengthened. Edpidemiological surveys for programme planning and other assessment and monitoring activities need to be initiated. Surgical and orthopaedic assistance will be required to address the immediate needs of the disabled, as well as long term physiotherapy and rehabilitation programmes. Once the logistic and supportive mechanisms to sustain restored health services have been put in place, the development of health systems which can meet the full range of the needs of the Afghan people can properly begin.

Considerable external assistance will be required to provide technical support to the relevant health authorities at the national, regional, provincial and community levels in the enormous task of rehabilitation of facilities, establishing of feasible policies, strategies and plans for the development of an operational health system to meet the needs of all Afghan people. The concept of an integrated approach based on primary health care should be followed from the very beginning and vertical programme implementation avoided, as far as possible. The vital role that the strong network of tradtional medicine can play in this process should be enhanced to the extent possible.

~~ACKU~~

~~131 10. EDUCATION~~

~~10.1 Background~~

The literacy rate of about 10~ in Afghanistan is one of the lowest in the developing world. It is highest for urban males and lowest for rural females. Overall, only about 3~ of Afghan women are literate. Due to efforts to expand primary education in the past two decades the younger age groups are more literate than the older ones. For example, in the 15-24 age group about

~~20~ are literate, in the 25-49 age group about 10~ are literate and in the above 50 age group only about 7~ are literate.~~

Despite large-scale international assistance in the 60's and 70's for primary and secondary school improvement, progress has been very limited. At the end of the 1970s, Government efforts to extend primary school enrolment and particularly the introduction of compulsory female education, met with considerable hostility. Many, especially in the rural areas, perceived education to be irrelevant to their needs and traditional values. Hostility also increased when changes in the curriculum were introduced and the Koranic education component greatly reduced.

~~10.2 Consequences of war~~

Over the past 10 years, except in a few urban centres, the education system has practically collapsed. This is particularly true for primary and secondary as well as literacy education in the rural areas. Primary school gross enrolment has dropped from about 30~ in 1978/79 to about 18~ in

~~1986/87. Girls account for only 15-20~ of pupils. Secondary and vocational school enrolment has also decreased,ACKU but somewhat less dramatically (by approximately 10~).~~

In all areas, except for Kabul city teacher training, vocational training and university education are basically non-existant. However, enrolment in vocational schools and institutes of higher education in the capital has been on the increase. There are about 17,000 students in the universities, compared to 11,300 in 1978/79.

~~132 TABLE 19: EDUCATION: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION 1988-89~~

~~PROGRAMME: $50.0 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Crash training for skilled personnel pool 3.5 Teacher training project 1.5 Technical assistance to Faculty of Veterinary Science 1.0 Technical assistance to Faculty of Agriculture 1.0 Technical assistance for special education 0.5 Development of curricula and instructional materials 3.0 Rehabilitation of Education Press 1.0 Rehabilitation of School Buildings 26.5 Supplies and equipment to primary and secondary schools 9.0 Engineering Faculty of Kabul University 0.5 Technical Faculties of Kabul and Nangrahar Universities 0.5 Rehabilitation and reconstruction of vocational schools 2.0

~~Culture: Relief and Rehabilitation Phase 1988-89 Technical assistanceACKU for museum development 2.7~~

133 With regard to the refugee population in Pakistan of 3.2 million, about 30% of whom are school age children in the 6-14 age group, some schooling has been provided in the settlements. The refugees have made some attempt to provide educational services for their children by building schools with the help of UNHCR and they have prepared their own curricula and published textbooks. In the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, about 8.6% of the refugee children (90% boys and 10% girls) are attending the 456 UNHCR-assisted primary schools. The total number of refugee students financed by UNHCR in Pakistan is 116,000. Similarly, in Baluchistan and in Punjab, some 13,000 primary school students (94% boys) are attending 113 UNHCR-assisted primary schools. In addition to these schools, the main political parties of the Alliance have their own Koranic schools (mederssas).

With regard to some 700,000 refugee children in the Islamic Republic of Iran, most have been attending normal Iranian schools as a result of the local integration policy of the Government. UNHCR is currently providing some supplies and equipment for printing facilities for primary school books to the Ministry for Education and Training.

For refugee families in which children do go to school, however, the availability of basic schooling facilities in their home villages may become a factor for consideration when deciding whether or not to return to their original homes.

In rural Afghanistan, a few communities have attempted to maintain or reconstruct their primary schools but success has been limited due to severe shortage of teachers, and school material. In many areas the process of formal education has practically come to a halt on account of the security situation. In some areas, ACKUhowever, the traditional Koranic schools have been maintained and developed.

~~10.3 Primary and secondary education~~

According to some estimates, 2,000 schools (or two thirds of the total) have been either damaged or abandoned during the past ten years. With meagre formal education facilities available in the countryside, there has been a

~~134 TABLE 20: ESTIMATE OF NUMBER OF SCHOOLS* AND TEACHERS REQUIRED FOR THE RESIDENT AND RETURNEE POPULATIONS~~

~~Region Number of schools required for 40~ Number of enrolment rate of 6-14 age group teachers~~

~~North 693 5199 North East 615 4617 East 1099 8247 East Central (excluding Kabul) 924 6933 South 1137 8527 North West 667 5004~~

~~Total 5135 38527~~

* Some 2,000 schools out of this total will require varying degrees of rebuilding and repair. Taking into account that according to government figures some 740 schools are operating, more than 2,000 schools would have to be built from scratch. ACKU

135 steady migration to the capital in search of schooling, and as a result there is serious overcrowding in Kabul schools and the standard of teaching has fallen. The fact that many male teachers have either left the profession has further added to the problem.

A massive reconstruction effort is therefore an obvious priority. Assuming an average of 300 children per school and one teacher for 40 pupils, a rough estimate can be made of the school building and teacher training requirements by region in order to provide for the schooling of 40~ of the resident and returnee children in the 6-14 age group. Local skills and labour will have to be mobilized particularly in the rural areas in order to involve the beneficiary communities from the very beginning in the reconstruction of primary schools. Food-for-work and cash-for-work should be considered in this reconstruction effort. Secondary and vocational school buildings will also have to be rehabilitated.

Special consideration will have to be given to the city of Kabul where educational services have suffered greatly from the strains placed upon them by the large influx of internally-displaced people from the provinces. An emergency programme of educational assistance to the capital will be necessary if its schools are to be rehabilitated and expanded within a reasonable period of time.

The rehabilitation and reconstruction of an education system that only worked marginally before the war and has deteriorated dramatically over the past nine years will be a difficult task. The local population, village as well as religious leaders, will have to be associated with the design, planning and implementation of a relevant educational system. If a relationship of trust is notACKU built up between the education sector and communities at the local level, especially in the rural areas, the prospects of recovery will be poor. Past experience has shown that unless curriculum, school timing and learning materials are relevant to the community evironment, values and culture, they will not be accepted.

136 Traditional opposition to schooling in general and to schooling for girls in particular should not be underestimated. An appropriate strategy, emphasizing the selection and effective teacher training of local personnel and the relationship between the school and the community, might help in overcoming such opposition. The focus on mere literacy needs to be replaced by learning-by-doing and getting the child to interact with his/her environment through the process of education.

An incentive programme to induce primary and secondary teachers as well as skilled personnel in settlements in Pakistan to return to rural Afghanistan deserves priority consideration. Action is now being focused on the preparation of an inventory of skilled personnel available among the refugees and on the expansion of existing training schemes in the refugee settlements.

~~10.4 Vocational training~~

In recent years, the number of technical institutions has been increased, curricula have been improved and the length of courses extended, while final qualifications have been upgraded. But suitable employment opportunities for technical school graduates are not to be found outside Kabul and other urban centres, and rural areas have benefitted little from the expansion in technical education. The pressing need today is for competent personnel able to carry out essential tasks such as building houses, schools and clinics, agricultural extension and animal health services. Priority should also be given to the reconstruction and refurbishing of rural vocational schools during the immediate phase of the reconstruction programme.

Vocational training ACKUhas been an important feature of assistance programmes for refugees. Several thousand skilled workers, e.g. carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, etc. as well as instructors have been trained. It is essential that maximum use should be made of these skilled craftsmen for the reconstruction process inside Afghanistan. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) has carried out an extensive survey of skills, employment and income patterns, social relations, occupational aspirations and related aspects among the refugees in Pakistan. ILO has also proposed a number of skill-strengthening and vocational training programmes for the refugees.

~~137 10.5 University education~~

Although the institutions of higher education have suffered less than the other parts of the educational system, they should not be neglected during the reconstruction phase. The enrolments in higher education have increased from 11,300 students in 1978/79 to 17,000 in 1986/87, indicating an average increase of about 4% per year. But during the same period Afghanistan has also lost an estimated 25,000 professionals and skilled technicians, many of whom may not return. There will therefore be an increasing need for skilled engineers, doctors, administrators, planners, etc. to begin the major task of development and reconstruction of Afghanistan. There are up to 100,000 skilled Afghans from many professions and disciplines scattered throughout the world and the Co-ordinator's office is in close liaison with the Inter-Governmental Committee on Migration (ICM) and its efforts to prepare an inventory of this vital human resource while also helping to facilitate a voluntary return home.

~~10.6 Literacy programmes~~

The need for a massive literacy programme for adults while important cannot, in all likelihood, be immediately addressed. Preparations for such an effort should however be given priority so that an appropriate campaign can be mounted at a later stage. Functional literacy programmes at the village level are likely to be effective if they focus on topics of direct interest to the beneficiaries (e.g. household food security, kitchen gardening for women, first aid training, midwife training etc.) Such programmes may also contribute to raising the consciousness of women concerning their daughters' education and the role they will play in building a new Afghanistan.

~~10.7 Education needs of theACKU disabled~~

The educational needs of the disabled - particularly disabled children and youths - will have to be addressed at a very early stage. School and educational buildings and teacher training programmes will have to be adapted to the needs of the disabled.

~~138 AFGHANISTAN MAP 11~~

~~NUllBER OF SCHOOLS PER 100000 r X RESIDENT POPULATION \ ----~ LEGEND~~

~~NUMBER OF SCHOOLS~~

~~~ 2S TO 40 f2j 20 TO 2S [SJ IS TO 20 r / UJ 10 TO IS / / EJ5 TO 10 D I TO 5~~

~~0 50 100 KH -...... =-----~~~

~~AFGHANISTAN MAP 12 ACKU~~

~~NUllBER OF SCHOOLS PER 100000 RESIDENT+ REFUGEE POPULATION LEGEND~~

~~NUMBER OF SCHOOLS~~

~~~ 2S TO 40~~

~~E2J20 TO 25~~

~~[SJ 15 TO 20 UJ 10 TO 15 EJS TO 10 D I TO 5~~

~~0 50 100 KH~~

~~139 10.8 Education rehabilitation priorities~~

The role of education in any national reconstruction effort is a major one. In this instance, the Afghan people themselves will have to decide the kind of educational services they want and will have to create the local organization capable of providing them. An urgent task for UNESCO/UNICEF will be to find out what the wishes of the Afghans are and to draw up any plans for assistance accordingly. Without the full involvement of all concerned from the outset there will be many obstacles in the way of implementation. A tentative programme of implementation envisages the following:

Liaison with Afghan leaders and groups to discuss ways and means of implementing the international aid programme in education. The formation of a group or groups of Afghan nationals responsible for the organization and operation of the programme. The formation of an inter-agency co-ordination group in the area responsible for the administration and operation of the assistance programme in education and for liaison with Afghan local authorities. The compilation of information relevant to the groups to be repatriated, e.g. numbers of children by age and educational status, numbers of skilled workers capable of carrying out specific tasks, etc. The training of specialist groups to be entrusted with specific reconstruction tasks in education, e.g. builders, technicians, midwives, primary health care workers, literacy teachers, compilers of functional literacy texts, agricultural workers, etc. Certain members of these groups would also have responsibility for training others in the skills in which they are proficient. The development of an emergency programme of assistance for the rehabilitation of educationalACKU services in Kabul and the surrounding area which have been badly affected by overcrowding following massive migration to the capital. The distribution of basic equipment and school supplies to communities under the supervision of local leaders and community representatives.

~~140 AFGHANISTAN MAP 13 ..,-, ~ / ' v~ ""' S.Bl ~ ~~~

./" J iC' ~~ :t .,- v F'JJ!Y.~ If"~ ,... > / \ ~ '-... ) "'- ~ ~ ~4\ t:r: X~-./ >' "/ X ~ ~ ~ X~ ~ ...... / ~ ~~ll~i s ~ / ll"" _/ / ~ 'C7 ' J ). ~ . ., G ~ ~ -:>-.. / m:ID ~ 0 ~~ ,(< ~- "-----"' "' :::::J ./ ~ NUWBER OF SCHOOLS PER 10 0000 RESIDENT F ..,. ....,_ ~ ~ +REFUGEE(PAKISTAN BASED) POPULATION LEGEND

~~.,./ ~ / / NUMBER OF SCHOOLS / ./ I' ' ~25 TO 40 ~ TO 25 ~ !2 20 - 1 ~ - ...... - ~15 TO 20 lN!H'lO ~ / TO 15 / rn 10 / - TO 10 / \ as / 1 / TO 5 F I 01 ACKU~ ' - ~ 50 100 KH - - - - ~~~

~~- 141 10.9 Culture~~

In the past, UNESCO has provided assistance to the Kabul museum and work has been done on the restoration and preservation of such monuments as the Friday mosque at Herat, the minaret of Djarn, the Buddhas at Barnian, the sites at Hadda and Tap-i-Marajan, etc. Many places of historical and cultural interest have suffered from neglect and pillage as well as from the consequences of conflict. Whole villages where traditional crafts such as pottery were practised have disappeared along with the craftsmen and their ancient skills and the task of saving the nation's cultural heritage is a formidable one. The United Nations appeal provided for a total of $2.7 million to prepare an inventory of monuments and historical sites, plan for their restoration, and make a survey of museum needs as well as providing training for museum personnel.

~~ACKU~~

~~142 TABLE 21: INDUSTRY: RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total Needs US$40.3 million US$ million~~

~~Rehabilitation and Completion of Herat Cement Plant: 3.0 Capacity 150,000 tons per year, plant started in 1977~~

~~Rehabilitation of Existing Cement Plants: 5.0 Annual capacity of 160,000 tons~~

~~Rehabilitation and completion of cotton Gin and Press 1.0 in Badghis - Annual Capacity 4,000 tons, also oil extraction facility~~

~~Rehabilitation and Completion of Herat Cotton Plant 1.0 Annual capacity of 40 million metres of cotton fabric and 1,000 tons of yarn; 95~ of project has been completed~~

~~Rehabilitation and Completion of Kandahar Cotton Plant 1.0 Annual capacity of 40 million metres of cotton fabric and 1,000 tons of yarn; 95~ of project has been completed~~

~~Rehabilitation of Existing Cotton Ginning Plants: 7.0 Annual capacity of 58,000 tons, of which the Kunduz Plant constitutes 60~, Helmand Plant 10~ and the Balkh ginning plant 17~~~

Rehabilitation of Existing Four Textile Factories: 6.0 Gulbahar, Jebel Seraj, Balkh, Bagrami - with annual capacity of about 100 million metres. This project could supply some 60~ of national textile needs

~~Rehabilitation of Existing Oil Mills: Annual capacity 6.0 of 16,000 tons~~

~~Completion of Baghlan Sugar Factory: 5.0 Annual capacity 27,000 tons, started in 1977~~

~~Rehabilitation of Existing Baghlan Sugar Factory: Annual capacity of 16,000ACKU tons 1.0 Credit to Industrial Development Bank of Afghanistan: 3.5 Main source of credit to private sector enterprises.~~

~~Industrial Extension and Training Centres: 0.3~~

~~Afghan Management Institute 0.5~~

~~143 11. INDUSTRY, MINING AND ENERGY~~

~~11.1 Industry~~

Economic and industrial planning in Afghanistan has been based on a succession of medium-term plans. The country completed three Five-Year Plans in the period from 1957/58 to 1971/72. The draft Fourth Plan (1972/73-1976/77) had not yet been approved by the Parliament when a change of government took place in 1973. For some years thereafter, planning was undertaken on an annual basis until in 1978, a new Five-Year Plan was established for 1979/80-1983/84 but this was not implemented. A new Plan covering the 1986/87-1990/91 was recently announced.

Investment allocations to the industry, mining and energy sectors have always been assigned an increasingly high priority; around 30% in the first three Plans and increased to 37% and 52%, respectively in the fourth (1972/73-1976/77) and the fifth (1979/80-1983/84) Plans.

The industrial objectives laid down in the latest Plan include the introduction and/or expansion of several heavy industries (e.g. copper and iron smelting, chemical fertilizers, petroleum refining) as well as the establishment of consumer industries (e.g. sugar refineries, textiles, vegetable oil plants). Coal, construction materials, pharmaceuticals and food industry are also planned to expand at above average rates.

In ownership terms, the country's industrial strategy can be characterized as following a clear public sector priority. At present, the bulk of production activities in industry and mining fall within the public sector whose role has been ACKUexpanding. The share of Government-owned and mixed enterprises in total production stood at 39% in 1978 and reached 53% in 1980.

~~11.2 Industrial performance~~

~~Recent statistical data on the Afghan economy are incomplete and, to the extent available, often conflicting. Overall, the industrial sector accounts for some 14% of the GDP.~~

144 Manufacturing activities are undertaken mostly on a small-scale and largely based on the processing of locally available agricultural and non-agricultural resources. There are some larger production units mainly in the public sector, including several cotton mills and cement plants. Chemical fertilizers are produced from natural gas at the Mazar-i-Sharif plant. Other existing industries include flour and bread, carpets, furniture, leather products, plastic shoes, pharmaceuticals and simple metal products. At present there are 30 public industrial enterprises in the country employing about 21,000 workers. In a 1983 report, the number of certified private enterprises including small scale handicraft and village industries was put at over 230, providing employment to about 14,000 workers.

The manufacturing sector is dominated by food products and textiles. Between 1976 and 1985 the share of food products increased from 17 to 53% whereas the share of textiles decreased from 53 to 21%. Indeed, textile industries have been among those most seriously affected by the country's adverse economic and war situation. Actual production stands at approximately 20-25% of installed capacity, due to the combined effect of an irregular supply of imported raw materials as well as electricity and labour shortages.

~~With regard to exports, the main trends during the 1978-86 period were:~~

~~- the remarkable increase in the share of natural gas from 16 to 47%,~~

~~- the decline in the share of dry fruits (mostly raisins) from 31 to 24%,~~

~~- the virtual elimination of ginned cotton from the export scene; its share declined fromACKU 11 to 2%.~~

~~11. 3 Industrial development~~

Industrial development in Afghanistan is seriously constrained - quite apart from the overall security situation - by a number of factors. The most important ones are the narrowness of the country's domestic market, widespread shortages of skilled labour (both at the managerial and operational level),

145 energy shortages and supply irregularities as well as the country's severe scarcity of financial resources. Furthermore, industrial activities (apart from mining and quarrying) are overwhelmingly agro-based and hence crucially dependent upon the performance of the agricultural sector which has suffered the most damage during the last nine years.

During the period of the rehabilitation programme, emphasis should be placed on increasing the availability of consumer goods, whose scarcity acts as disincentive for production activities, particularly in the rural sector of the economy. Likewise, measures should be taken to rehabilitate those enterprises which supply intermediate goods and raw materials in support of agricultural production, small scale industries and handicrafts. The strategy would also accord priority to those industries which generate net export earnings.

In the light of these strategies, priorities would be given to the rehabilitation of flour mills, cotton ginning plants, textile factories, fruit processing facilities, cement factories and sugar plants.

The Government should adopt practical measures to increase capacity utilization in the public industrial enterprises, making them financially viable. It will be necessary to reschedule the debt burden of enterprises, provide them with working capital and access to inputs.

In Afghanistan public and private industries are complementary. The private sector has a considerable comparative advantage in small-scale industries, processing agricultural raw materials for export and import substitution. Every effort should be made by the government to encourage private investments in theseACKU areas. To this effect the government should adopt a clear industrial policy and fully implement the Private Investment Law of 1975 which provides adequate incentives to domestic and foreign private investors. The Industrial Development Bank of Afghanistan (IDBA) should be assisted by external financial and technical assistance to provide financial, institutional and technical support to the private sector. In the allocation of resources, priority should be given to those private industries which were damaged by the war.

~~146 TABLE 22: POWER AND ENERGY RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total need: US$29.9 million~~

~~Projects US$ million~~

Training of manpower 1.2 Strengthening of power authority 0.5 Strengthening of Ministry of Water and Power 0.2 Extension of 110 kv Transmission line to Kandahar and Lash Kargarh (220 km) 10.0 Rehabilitation of provincial diesel power stations 5.0 Rehabilitation and completion of diesel power plant in Herat 2.0 Completion of hydro power station at Bamyan 1.0 Rehabilitation of distribution network - Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Ghazni 10.0 ACKU

~~147 11.4 Minerals and Mining~~

The known major deposits of mineral and energy resources of Afghanistan are primarily located in the northern regions; the area north of the Hindu Kush mountains is the country's richest region in terms of mineral deposits and sources of energy. This region produces half of Afghanistan's export earnings. Of total export earnings (US$557 million) for 1985, over half were earned in exports from sales of natural gas alone. The mining and energy sectors accounted for some 30% of the overall GDP.

Afghanistan is endowed with substantial and commercially viable deposits of a wide range of minerals. The real extent and potential value of these mineral resources is not generally known. A number of specific geological surveys have been carried out, but in most cases the results of the surveys are not available.

~~According to presently available information, Afghanistan's mineral resources are as follows:~~

~~Minerals known to exist:~~

~~Coal, salt, chrome, talc, mica, iron ore, copper, barytes, gold, uranium, asbestos, mercury, bauxite, nickel, lead, zinc, wolfram, lithium, rubies, silver, sulphur, fluorite, magnesium, lapis lazuli.~~

Survey results indicating potentially useful deposits: Absestos, mercury, bauxite,ACKU nickel, lead, zinc, wolfram, lithium, rubies. Prospecting and survey results indicating commercially viable deposits:

~~Iron ore (Hajigah/Kabul and Bamyan), copper (Aynak Mines), gold.~~

~~Commercially extracted at present:~~

~~Coal, (Karkar and Dodkash mines), talc, mica and barytes, (Herat Province) and uranium (Koh Mir Daoud between Herat and Shindand, Kandahar and Kabul Provinces) as well as salt and chrome.~~

148 The extensive mineral wealth of Afghanistan could make a major contribution to the rapid development of all areas of the country. The efficient development and marketing of these resources will entail the utilization of the most competitive mining technology as well as access to world-wide markets to maximize export earnings. Some of the mineral deposits are located in remote areas and in this context, large investments in transport infrastructure will be a prerequisite. These investments could, however, be financed on the basis of priority development and international marketing of accessible mineral resources and using the resultant export earnings to finance transportation infrastructure and development of the mineral deposits in the more remote areas.

~~11.5 Power and Energy Resources~~

Natural Gas: Natural gas deposits situated in the northern regions are the country's most abundant and known energy source. With reserves estimated at 100-150 billion cubic metres, gas has been extracted in recent years at an average rate of about 2.0 billion cubic metres per annum. Of this, more than

~~95~ is exported to the Soviet Union. In January 1988, the gas sales agreement between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan was revised with a 30~ increase in the export price.~~

In the early 1980s, an increase in the extraction of natural gas was made possible with the completion of the Jarkuduk gas installation, some 50 km from the Soviet border. In addition to natural gas, this site also produced 15,000 tons of condensate annually. By the mid-1980s, however, gas extraction from this site levelled off and in latter years there was some decline in production due to lack of adequate investment, poor management as well as periodic disruptions causedACKU by the conflict.

Coal: The nation's coal reserves have been officially estimated at 100 million tons, but some reports indicate that total reserves could be as high as 400 million tons. At present, coal production amounts to 145,000 tons annually and the production target from 1991 onwards has been set at 370,000 tons. However, due to poor management and lack of investment, it is unlikely that this target can be achieved in three years' time.

~~149 In early 1986, agreements were signed between Afghanistan and Czechoslovakia for a coal mine project in Herat Province and for the development of a mine in Sabzak.~~

Coal production has taken place primarily at the Karkar and Dodkash mines in the northern part of Afghanistan. Much of the output from these and other mines has been consumed in power stations and local industries mostly in the area of Mazar-i-Sharif. Coal has also been important in providing household energy and this, together with firewood has accounted for 80~ of domestic household fuel consumption.

Oil: Drilling and exploration for oil began to be intensified in the 1970s both on the ground and by satellite. Efforts to identify new wells continued to be pursued throughout the 1980s. Officially, oil reserves are estimated at 100 million barrels, but reserves are believed to be much higher judging from the degree of investment in this sector made during the past nine years.

Oil fields in Dasht-e-Laili, Andkhoi and Sari Pul in the northern and south western parts of the country have been developed and oil storage facilities have also been constructed. Preliminary plans have been proposed for the building of a 50,000 ton per annum oil refinery in Shiberghan for benzine, diesel and fuel oil but investment plans and project schedules remain to be finalized.

Electricity: At present the generation of electricity amounts to 825 gwh and is only available in major cities and townships. Afghanistan's total installed electrical capacity is estimated at 408 MW, of which 256 MW is hydro, 48 MW is gas power andACKU the remainder is diesel-generated power. Only 6~ of the population has access to electricity and over 75~ of the nation's total electricity production is utilized at the community level, mainly in Kabul for home heating and cooking purposes.

Hydro-electric stations and dams in the Kunduz River in the north provide the principle portion of Afghanistan's electrical generating capacity. The majority of these sites were built with assistance from the Soviet Union. During 1979-1986, output of electricity in real terms grew at an average rate of 4~ annually and currently, its share of total GDP is estimated at 3.5~.

150 Developing electrical power distribution networks throughout the country has been one of the government's development objectives. In May 1986, an agreement was concluded with Czechoslovakia for the purchase of 134 small diesel generators to cover some of the electricity supply needs of provincial capitals, districts and sub-districts in the border provinces. In addition, Czech turbines were purchased for the Sarubi II power plant and for plants in Panjshir and on the Kokcha and Kunar Rivers.

The government target is to increase electricity consumption by 40% by the end of the current five year plan (ending March 1991). In this context, technical assistance totalling US$5 million has been provided by Bulgaria and India.

Fuelwood: The traditional source of domestic energy for cooking and heating in Afghanistan is fuelwood. However, the extensive use of fuelwood has left many areas barren and ecologically devastated. Due to severe lack of supply in some areas, the population has resorted to using grasses and shrubs, extracted with the roots. This practice is likely to lead to increased soil erosion and land degradation. Afghanistan's 1.9 million hectares of forest - 3% of the total land surface - have become dangerously depleted. From an ecological point of view, the situation is ominous. Deforestation caused by a demand for fuelwood has resulted in the reduction of soil regeneration which in turn, will severely affect agricultural output.

While the government recognizes the dangers of deforestation, it has not been effective in stemming the rate of depletion. The government has sought the assistance of UNDP to develop renewable sources of energy such as solar power, windpower and biogas. Although Afghanistan has an average of 3,000 hours of sunshine annuallyACKU and 120 days a year of high winds, the uses of these sources of energy will not be feasible in the near future. As for biogas production, lack of compost material from plants as a result of deforestation and a sharp drop in livestock populations eliminates this as a viable energy source in the immediate future. Furthermore, it is much more relevant at present to encourage the use of compost and animal dung as a fertilizer resource.

~~151 11.6 Energy/Fuel Alternatives~~

~~A decentralized regional approach is essential to formulate energy/fuel policies in accordance with the available resources.~~

There is considerable potential for the use of solar energy and windpower at the community and household levels. In particular, the use of small-scale windpower systems for irrigation, small solar cookers, etc. should be given consideration.

In some of the refugee camps in Pakistan, refugees have adopted a coal-burning ''Quetta stove''. These low-cost tin stoves are highly fuel-efficient and could easily be manufactured in Afghanistan and promoted for widespread use so long as coal supplies are made available in the rural areas.

The Bellerive fuel efficient stoves have been used in other UNHCR refugee programmes and should be considered. These stoves are designed to use alternative fuel including firewood, charcoal, kerosene, etc.

~~The use of other kerosene stoves may also be an alternative to meeting cooking needs of individuals, provided kerosene is locally available.~~

Coal should be encouraged as an alternative to replacing fuelwood for cooking and household heating throughout the country. However, coal mines are located in the northern areas. Apart from developing national coal distribution networks, surveys and coal exploration programmes need to be initiated in other parts ofACKU the country. With regard to the development and expansion of electricity generation and distribution networks, considerable investment will be necessary over a period of time. The increased electricity supply in key areas will also facilitate the development of industries and the manufacturing sector.

152 The development of natural gas as a viable energy source for domestic use will require substantial investment but if developed, it would in the long term, be a cost-effective source of energy. This will require substantial investments in decentralized infrastructure, transportation and distribution facilities.

Considerable financial and technical assistance will be required for exploration and development of the oil sector including construction of refineries. In the near future, fuel supplies will be required for transportation purposes related to the delivery and distribution of relief and rehabilitation assistance and, in some cases, the transportation of the returnee populations.

The integrated development of coal, electricity, natural gas and oil as well as other mineral resources has the potential to meet the country's internal consumption needs as well as to generate substantial export earnings. The effective use of energy and mineral resources will be particuarly important in meeting long-term needs of reconstruction and economic development.

~~ACKU~~

~~153 12. TRANSPORT, TRANSIT AND COMMUNICATIONS~~

~~12.1 Transport~~

Afghanistan, a land-locked least-developed country, is surrounded by the USSR to the north, the Islamic Republic of Iran to the west and Pakistan to the south and east, with a very small common frontier to the north-east with the Xin Jiang province of the People's Republic of China.

Afghanistan has no railways. Roads provide the basis of Afghanistan's transportation system, for both internal and international traffic, with air transport playing a minor and subsidary role. A considerable amount of traffic is also carried by animals, mostly camels and horses, especially over short distances and on routes not yet covered by the road system.

The past efforts of the Government have concentrated on developing a network of primary highways which have been completed or are under construction. The secondary and tertiary (feeder) roads, however, require considerable improvement.

The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Works are r espectively responsible for the planning and design, construction and maintenance of primary and secondary roads. The tertiary or feeder roads are under the jurisdiction of the provinces which receive technical and financial help from the Ministry of Public Works.

~~The country has less than 20 airports, of which two - Kabul and Kandahar - are international airports, built in the 1950s and the 1960s by the USSR and the USA respectivelyACKU ••~~

The General Transportation Department of the Home Ministry is responsible for the regulation of road transportation, the Civil Aviation Department (Air Authority) for airports and air transportation and the Ministry of Mines and Industries for pipelines.

~~154 TABLE 23: TRANSPORT, TRANSIT AND COMMUNICATIONS RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total Needs: US$ 42.4 million~~

~~Project US$ million~~

~~Maintenance and repair of 1,000 km. 20.4 paved roads, bridges, etc.~~

~~Maintenance and rehabilitation of 21.0 14,000 km. of secondary roads~~

~~Transit traffic study 0.5~~

~~Planning and management Study of internal road transport 0.5~~

~~ACKU~~

~~155 12.2 Road Infrastructure~~

For a geographical area of about 650,000 sq km, Afghanistan has altogether about 17,000 km of highways, of which 2,300 km are paved primary highways, 9,500 km are motorable roads, mostly earth roads partially improved by locally available uncrushed gravel, and 5,000 km of tertiary (feeder) roads, mostly tracks and trails not always passable throughout the year.

The highway network connects the principal agricultural areas and major population centres. This system circumvents the Hindu Kush mountains in the centre, and links Kabul in the East with Baghlan and Mazar-i-Shariff in the North, Kandahar in the South and Herat in the West. This circular route links the following main urban centres and towns: Kabul, Ghazni, Kandahar, Farah, Herat, Maimana, Sheberghan, Mazar-i-Shariff, Samangan and back to Kabul. The trunk roads, including those giving access to neighbouring countries and the secondary and feeder roads branch off from this primary highway route. Although the main road system is well developed, the feeder road system is sub-standard and constitutes a real bottleneck to the economic development of the hinterlands. In many rural areas, cross-country transport on foot or by horse or camel is not uncommon.

Although the primary highway network is paved, the severity of weather conditions during the winter months in the north of the country and the recent intensification of heavy military vehicle flows, have led to many of the highways deteriorating to a low standard.

Road Infrastructure: Areas of priority action The protracted war hasACKU extensively damaged Afghanistan's primary and secondary road networks. Damage to the road network has also resulted from lack of maintenance over the last decade because of the internal situation.

During the period of the recovery programme, emphasis should be placed on protecting present investments rather than on new construction or major improvement programmes. However, in exceptional cases some consideration should be given to the construction of new roads in the highest priority areas.

156 Responsibility for the planning, maintenance and upgrading of rural roads will be vested in Rural Development Department (RDD). A study should be undertaken with expert assistance to identify ways and means through which the activities of RDD in these areas could be expanded. It should also suggest an effective planning and construction of feeder roads in rural areas. The latter should be implemented through labour-intensive participatory public works (ILO) and food-for-work programmes (WFP).

~~In the immediate phase of the rehabilitation programe a system of regular maintenance of roads should be developed to avoid further deterioration. This includes:~~

- Repairs and resurfacing of over 1000 km of existing paved roads, which are the backbone of Afghanistan's domestic and international transport system; - Rehabilitation and maintenance of secondary roads to reduce transport costs, provide better access and facilitate the implementation of the relief and rehabilitation programmes; Maintenance and upgrading of feeder roads in the rural areas to improve accessibility.

There is an urgent need for on-site assessment of the road conditions in order to identify priorities especially with regard to the transport of the relief and rehabilitation assistance. In this context, the following zonal routes are important:

(a) The road Kabul - Pule Matak - Bamyan - Band-i-Amir, (b) The Sheberghan - Andkhoy - Daulatabad - Maimana highway and on to Herat, (c) The Yakchai - Deshu ACKUhighway, (d) The Deshu - Iranian Border highway.

The latter two projects are part of the highway link between Afghanistan and the port of Bandar Abbas in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The alignment is located along the Helmand River valley. It crosses the Iran-Afghanistan border near the town of Tasuke in Iran and continues via Zahedan to Darzin and south via Rudan to Bandar Abbas.

157 On the Iranian side, the condition and status of road construction from the border via Zahedan up to Bandar Abbas is not known. However, a direct highway link from Kabul to Bandar Abbas could be an important route for transit of goods to and from Afghanistan.

Other projects for rehabilitation, upgrading and possible construction which are vital for linking the main cities with rural communities are given below. Some of these projects have been partly realized and further implementation of these road projects requires an appropriate review and on-site inspection, particularly:

Gardez Highway; Gardez-Khost Road; Jalalabad - Asadabad Road; Delaram - Zaranj Road; Gardan Diwal - Punjao Road; Shebergahan - Andkhoy - Kunduz-Khanabad - Kishm Highway; Abdullah Burj - Bagram Road; Kama Khas - Kunar - Marawar Road; Laghman - Nuristan (Kalagosh - Duabi) Road; Herat - Qalai Naw - Maimana Highway; Yakchai - Deshu Highway; Deshu - Iranian Border Highway; Asadabad - Asmar Road; Herat - Chest i Shariff Road; Pule Matak - Bamiyan - Band i Amir Road; Kandahar - Tirinkot Road; Darae Soof - Aibak Road; The Chaghcharan - Kaminj (Momore Jam) road.

~~12.3 Railway Development~~

Afghanistan has so far no railways. However, plans have been under discussions for a number of years to link this land-locked country to the existing railway systems in the neighbouring countries. Earlier Development Plans included the construction of some 1,815 km of railway.

In this connection, itACKU is worth referring to the pre-feasibility study prepared in mid seventies by the French Consultants SOFRERAIL concerning the railway link between Kabul and Mashhad via Herat and Kandahar. The feasibility of this project, particularly the Kabul - Herat line was justified by the proposed transport of iron-ore from the Hajigak mines near Kabul to a steel mill in Iran, which was planned to be built near Mashhad. However, in view of political instability, these projects were postponed. Railway: Areas of medium/long term action

~~The following two technically and economically feasible railway projects should be given due consideration:~~

(1) While the Karachi-Peshawar railway line is the main route from Pakistan to the border of Afghanistan, there is also an alternative railway route via Jacobabad-Quetta-Chaman. The economic assessment and cost effectiveness of the extension of the rail system from Landi-khana (Pakistan) to Torkham (Afghanistan) should be compared to the extension line from Chaman to Kandahar. The latter may be possible by the extension of the Pakistan broad gauge railway from Chaman to a terminal located past Spin Boldak for about 15 km on Afghanistan territory with possible extension up to Kandahar. However, the financial costs of this extension may be prohibitive because the railway would have to climb the altitude difference between Spin Boldak and Kandahar. At the same time, it should be noted that the shortest railway link to Karachi port is from Kandahar and furthermore, the proposed Chaman-Kandahar railway line would facilitate a connection to the railway network of the Islamic Republic of Iran through the branch line Zahedan-Ahmedwal-Spezand.

A more rapid and efficient means to adopt in the interim phase would be to install a terminal with transhipment facilities from wagons to trucks in the vicinity of Spin Boldak and to improve the road link from there to the Kandahar area.

(2) The proposed railway link from Herat to the existing Iranian railway at Mashhad and from Herat to Sarakhs on the USSR border, with transhipment facilities from USSRACKU broad gauge to Iranian standard gauge. A portion of the alignment for this railway link could be used for the Mashhad - Herat railway by branching off at a distance of 120 km from Mashhad. Thus the total length of approximately 360 km for the Herat - Mashhad link would be shortened to about 240 km, of which about 100 km are located on Iranian territory and 140 km on Afghan territory. Since this railway would link Afghanistan to the European railway transport system, the long-term social and economical advantages would be important.

~~159 12.4 Ports~~

The northern ports of Sherkhan Bandar, Hairaton and Turgundi operate predominantly as transhipment points in the transit-transport chain, as customs clearance is carried out elsewhere, mainly in Kabul. The buildings, equipment and facilities at the above three ports were assessed to be inadequate in 1978. The remoteness of the sites and the relatively low level of activity also contributed to port inefficiencies.

Some of the port facilities at Hairaton were being run down in 1978 in anticipation of the construction of the river bridge. Importantly, however, the handling equipment for both ship and rail transfers was in poor condition and no workshop was available for maintenance and repair. The warehousing was also inadequate in condition and capacity.

Sherkhan Bandar had relatively good port handling equipment and warehousing facilities. However, the port had considerable communication difficulties with the Soviet port of Termez, as only one radio telephone link was available.

~~Turghundi, like Hairaton, suffered from lack of workshop facilities and inadequate warehousing capacity.~~

~~12.5 Air Transport~~

The absence of railways, the inaccessibility to river transport, the limitation of road networks and the difficult access to seaports, calls for special consideration of air transport in Afghanistan for the development of its foreign trade and for creatingACKU links with the outside world. Ariana Afghan Airlines has operated on international routes and the Bakhtar Afghan Airlines has covered the domestic network. It has been reported recently that Ariana is now handling both domestic and international flights operations.

(a) International air services: Ariana has been owned jointly (51%:49%) by the Afghan Government and Pan American World Airways. In 1982, the fleet comprised one DC 10 and two Boeing 727. Recent information indicates that Soviet made airplanes have been acquired.

160 Air operations between Afghanistan and Western Europe largely stopped at the end of November 1982. Previously there was a significant flow (by value) of carpets, and handicrafts for the London auctions.

Air cargo operations are presently confined to Amritsar and Delhi in India and various points in the USSR and Eastern Europe, including Moscow, Tashkent and Prague. Negotiatons have been held for several years with the Iranian Government for over-flying rights to open up a regular service to Dubai for the export of fresh fruit and vegetables, some rights were granted for a limited number of flights.

(b) Domestic Air Services: Bakhtar Afghan Airlines served provincial airports out of Kabul. Some of these provincial airports are modern and have considerable surplus capacity. Kandahar Airport, for example, which was built with United States bilateral assistance for tourism development purposes, now only receives few civil flights a week.

It is not certain how much the domestic services have been cut back since the increase in military aviation activity in recent years. However, evidence indicates that the level of internal civil air freight has been much reduced.

~~Air Transport Areas of immediate action~~

An early review of the internal air transport capacity as well as the facilities/infrastructure at provincial airports should be carried out. The internal air transport could be important for any urgent delivery of essential relief supplies to remote areas, especially those cut off from the road infrastructure. ACKU 12.6 Transit infrastructure and services

~~The major corridors for trade and transit transport used in the past, in order of volume of good carried, have been:~~

(a) Through Pakistan: Two routes give access to Pakistan Railways: the Khyber Pass road to Peshawar (Pakistan) and the south-east road via Kandahar to Spin Boldak, with the railway just over the Pakistan border at Chaman. The railway runs, in both cases, to the Pakistan port of Karachi. The Peshawar road is also used by trucks carrying goods in transit to India.

(b) Through the USSR: The northern ports of Hairaton and Sherkhan Bandar, on the Amu Darya river, and Turghundi, in the north-west, are all linked by railways of the Soviet Union to a choice of western, northern and eastern Soviet sea ports.

(c) Through the Islamic Republic of Iran: The road west from Herat crosses the Iranian border at Islam Qila and runs to Meshad on the Iranian railway network, which serves the ports of Bandar Abbas, Bandar Shahpur and Khorramshar. This route also affords direct road access through Turkey and overland to Europe.

~~12.7 Transit through Pakistan~~

Although the Pakistan and Indian trade traffic with Afghanistan has been severely affected by the conflict in Afghanistan, transit traffic through Peshawar t o the port of Karachi has been sustained to some extent by the diver sion of traffic previously using ports in Iran.

The south-east road through Spin Boldak is now used mainly for the transport of local agricultural produce and for the movement of third country goods to and from the Kandahar area; it is no longer used as an alternative and cheaper route from Karachi to Kabul.

Present transit arrangement with Pakistan provides for the use of the railway between Karachi portACKU and Peshawar and Karachi and Chaman as well as the port facilities at Karachi and the transhipment points at Peshawar and Chaman. However, the transit arrangement does not allow through Afghan road traffic either to India or even to Karachi Port. Even though fresh fruit traffic is allowed overland to India it cannot go in Afghan trucks. There are a number of transhipments involved in Peshawar and Wagah. Consequently, these perishable commodities suffer considerable decay and loss. Other commodities destined for India and other countries have to be transported via the port of Karachi, involving enormous delays, demurrage and pilferage.

162 In the past, Afghan goods have had to pay heavy demurrage charges due to lack of railway wagons. There are frequent delays, sometimes as much as 45 days, for wagons to reach Peshawar from Karachi. In the case of the rail route between Karachi and Chaman, although the line capacity seems to be adequate, there is a significant drawback to the route in the hilly area of Quetta where the movement is slow. An additional problem with the railway is that the wagons cannot accept the international standard containers of size 8 x 8 x 20 ft because of inadequate vertical clearance on the Pakistani railway system.

At Peshawar, although the railway stations Cantt and City are used for Afghan transit goods, their capacities are limited and no open storage is allowed due to lack of flood lighting. On top of these there are the transit and customs procedural problems which are frequently time consuming, cumbersome and costly.

Over the coming months, large volumes of international relief and rehabilitation assistance for Afghanistan could be transported via Pakistan, In this context, it is crucial that a number of problems and difficulties be negotiated and resolved:

(a) Afghan trucks should be allowed through passage in Pakistan as well as to Karachi/Qasim ports without any commodity carriage restrictions; (b) Separate transit sheds and open space storage for Afghan goods should be erected and operated in Karachi/Qasim ports; (c) Afghan transit goods should be given priority clearance and expeditious handling at Karachi Port. (d) The railroad transhipmentACKU point at Peshawar should be shifted near the Jamrud railway station to ensure separate handling of Afghan transit goods;

In addition to practical and physical improvements in the transit system through Pakistan, there is a need for inter-regional conventions and customs conventions to ensure the smooth flow of inter-regional transport operations. Consideration should be given to providing Afghanistan with better access to the sea. The shortest railway link to Karachi port is from the Afghan border in Kandahar province. Karachi is congested, however, and transit traffic makes the administration of customs regulations difficult. If a port in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan could be developed essentially for Afghan transit traffic, both the problems of port congestion and customs regulations could be easily resolved. The existing network will be severely overloaded as the rehabilitation programame picks up momentum and the economy moves into the development phase. From this point of view, the new facility becomes all the more important.

~~12.8 Transit through USSR~~

Since 1978, there has been significant increases in traffic via the northern routes. All container traffic and most of the Government imported goods now use these northern routes, to and from places as far away as Europe and Japan.

Until 1982, traffic through the northern ports of Hairaton and Sherkhan Bandar was carried by ferry across the river. Traffic from these ports was channelled through the USSR river port/railway transfer point of Termez. Although Hairaton has always been the most used port, the north-west route via Turghundi, with surface border crossing to the Soviet railway, was also attractive despite the longer road and railway distances involved. However, the opening in 1982 of a road-r&il river bridge at Hairaton, and problems with internal road security, have reduced Turghundi's importance except for imports and exports to the Herat area. Sherkhan Bandar, which still relies on boat transit, is also understood to be lessening in importance except for local traffic. ACKU

The traffic through these points has developed rapidly with the result that the available physical infrastructure is inadequate. At present there is need to repair ports sheds and warehouses, to train port management personneJ and to update port handling and maintenance equipment and clearance procedures. 12.9 Transit through the Islamic Republic of Iran

Due to the Iran-Iraq hostilities, the transit transport through the Islamic Republic of Iran to ports and overland to Europe has been closed to Afghan transit traffic since 1981 except for very localised flows of fruit and vegetables, and similar commodities, in the area immediately adjacent to the frontier.

In the early 1970s there was some shipment of goods through the Iranian ports of Bandar Shahpur on the Caspian Sea and Bandar Abbas. More recently, the port of Khorramshar was used. The Transit Treaty between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan prevents Afghan trucks from proceeding past Mashhad as well as Iranian trucks entering Afghanistan past Herat. As a result of this agreement and the state of the roads between the Afghan border and the south of Iran, goods have been trucked to Mashhad and then taken by rail to the ports.

A major impetus was given to the route through the Islamic Republic of Iran with the establishment of the Afghan International Trucking Company - an Afghan-Dutch joint venture. Transit time to Frankfurt was estimated at 15-20 days at a cost of about $350 per ton including handling, interest and insurance charges. Despite residual problems with high transit taxes en route, notably through Turkey, this venture offered secure and speedy transport to Europe. However, due to the closure of the route in 1981, this joint venture was terminated in early 1983.

The distance from Kabul to Frankfurt via the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Austria is just over 7,000 km. This distance is comparable to the railwayACKU distances through the USSR.

On this route, the use of the Iranian railways offers limited opportunity due to lack of adequate transhipment arrangements at Mashad combined with the problem of change of gauge of Iranian railways. However, the possibility of extension of Iran Railway system up to Herat as well as the link between Kerman and Zahedhan - connecting the railway systems of Pakistan and Iran - provides an opportunity for Afghanistan to link into the regional railway network. The port of Bandar Abbas is uniquely situated for the possible export of Afghanistan's fresh fruits to other countries in the region. At present priority attention should be given to -

(a) allowing Afghan road transport vehicles to use all direct routes to the ports and the use of all the port facilities, (b) in the long term, considering the extension of the Iranian railway system into Herat; thereby providing Afghanistan with railway connection through Turkey and on to Europe, (c) upgrading of warehousing/transhipment facilities at Mashad and streamlining of procedures dealing with Afghan transit traffic, (d) repairing and upgrading of road routes via Zahedan/Darzin/Babzwar and Zahedan/Keranan to Bandar Abbas and Bandar Shahpur.

~~12.10 Internal Road Transport~~

Internal freight distribution is carried out almost entirely by trucks. The public and private truck fleets were reported in 1983 to be around 15,000. The Government has reported that 14% of the State-owned fleets have been destroyed during the war. The private trucking fleet has probably suffered even higher losses due to the conflict as well as lack of spare parts, age of vehicles and maintenance facilities. Some estimates suggest that more than a third of the total trucking fleet has been destroyed.

The Government-owned trucking operations were established after the Saur Revolution. There are now three new corporations operating from Kabul and one from Herat under the control of the Ministry of Transport. In 1983, the USSR provided 900 14-ton trucks.ACKU AFSOTR, the joint (51%:49%) Afghan-Soviet Trucking company and freight forwarding agency under the Ministry of Commerce, has a small separate fleet which is used mainly for the hauling of goods between the northern border and Kabul.

~~The private sector fleet was estimated at 13,000 trucks in 1983. About 25% of these were grouped into unions of up to 200 trucks. The Land Transport~~

~~166 TABLE 24: TRANSPORT, TRANSIT AND COMMUNICATIONS RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total Needs: US$ 16.7 million~~

~~Manpower training 0.5~~

~~Planning, implementation and maintenance 0.2 capacity development~~

~~Rehabilitation of existing channel systems 8.0 (200 km.) and complletion of priority projects (1,800 km.)~~

~~Rehabilitation of local networks 3.0 (3,000 km. in 12 provinces)~~

~~Rehabilitation of urban telephone exchanges 1.0~~

~~Microwave link Torkham - Kabul - Kandahar - 4.0 Herat - Islamqala~~

~~ACKU~~

167 Department of the Ministry of Transport issues permits to unions to pick up private or government goods at specified points. The remainder of the private trucks fleet operates freely and takes on loads as and where they can.

At present there is a chronic shortage of spare parts throughout the road haulage sector, a lack of good mechanics, insecure parking areas at night and poor driving standards leading to frequent and costly accidents.

Truck traffic throughout Afghanistan has been severely affected by present political difficulties in the last nine years. Government-owned trucks travel in protected convoys and private trucks often find that informal " road-tolls" (in either cash or goods) have to be paid for safe transit.

~~1 2 .11 Warehousing~~

There were eight customs warehouses in 1982 for the clearance of imported and exported goods, Kabul being the most significant in terms of volume 2 handled. Each warehouse in general provides storage area of some 1,920 m with the storage height of some 2 . 0 m.

The existing facilities at major transit terminals are inadequate for the current volume of traffic and the facilities at Kabul Customs House, Kabul Airport Customs House, Torghundi and Sherkhan in particular are in need of major improvement if the present bottlenecks at these points are to be eased.

Kabul Customs House: Kabul Customs House is by far the busiest transit terminal in Afghanistan in view of the fact that Kabul is the main export/import centre. Some 300 containers arrive in Kabul on the average each month. The majority of those containers terminate at Kabul Customs House. There is, therefore, the needACKU for an integrated container yard within the customs area. A minimum of at least four additional warehouses are required.

~~Kabul Airport Customs House: The airport customs warehouse has been recently damaged in airport attacks and is inadequate and in need of repairs.~~

168 Torghundi Transit Ports: The port consists of seven railway sidings and four transit sheds. In 1982 the volume of imports through the port averaged 10,000 tons per month and that of export traffic to be some 6,000 tons per month. There is a need to costruct additional warehouses and provide open storage area.

Sherkhan Transit Port: The port consists of five transit sheds. There are two gravelled loading/landing areas at different levels, one at the river bank and the other higher up at the general ground level of the port area.

~~The problems at the Sherkhan port are similar to those at Torghundi, but there is an additional need for more roads and pavements.~~

Other Border Transit Ports: The four remaining border transit ports include Islam-Qala, Hairaton, Torkham and Spin Boldak. These ports also provide border control checkpoints. Improvements are also needed at these ports and assessment should be made during the immediate phase of the port rehabilitation programme.

~~12.12 Communication~~

In the communication sector, high priority should be accorded to the rehabilitation of damaged facilities such as the communication channel systems, automatic telephone exchanges, local telephone lines and postal services. The rehabilitation/reconstruction programme provides a unique opportunity for the effective expansion of communication services at the national, provincial and local levels. This will support future developmental activities, enhance socio-economic integration and above all improve adminstration. ACKU

In 1977 the Government of Japan agreed to finance the Torkham-Islam Qala Microwave project with a capacity of 960 channels. At the same time the Islamic Bank initialed an agreement to finance the Earth station project in Kabul. These projects have not yet been implemented due to the conflict in the country. The implementation of these projects during the period of reconstruction would enable Afghanistan to establish direct international communication links. With the recent population increase, in Kabul city, the existing telephone exchange at Share Nau and Kartq Char are in need of major expansion. The installation of automatic telephone exchanges at provincial level is important, particularly in Sheberghan, Helmand, Maimana, Charikar, Baghlan, Ghazni, Pule Khumri and Gardez. Most of the present telephone systems in these centres are outdated and inefficient.

~~ACKU~~

~~170 TABLE 25: PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION RELIEF AND REHABILITATION PHASE 1988-89~~

~~Total needs: $6.2 million~~

~~Project US$ million~~

~~Planning Unit, Kabul 0.5 Planning Unit, Peshawar 0.5 Planning Unit, Mashad 0.2 Surveys and Feasibility Studies 3.0 Project Management and Monitoring 1.5 NGO Support Project 0.5~~

~~Other tentative projects* Agricultural data collection and processing (1.5) UNV Umbrella project (1.5) NGO Support/Planning unit (additional needs) (0.4)~~

* Not included in Secretary-General'sACKU Appeal

~~171 13. PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION~~

~~13.1 Background~~

Effective co-ordination and efficient use of external assistance in support of repatriation of internally-displaced and refugee populations and the immediate relief and rehabilitation requirements of the resident population in Afghanistan will depend upon the establishment of proper information gathering and planning systems, as well as measures to ensure reliable programme management and administration. To the extent possible, qualified Afghan nationals should be involved in all aspects of planning and administration, not only because of their particular knowledge of their country, culture and language, but also because the planning and administration of recovery activities should be integrated into a permanent overall framework at the national, provincial and local levels as soon as possible.

Given the present uncertainties surrounding the political situation in Afghanistan, it is prudent to assume that in the initial years of recovery, country-wide planning implemented by a central planning authority may not be feasible. Planning may well have to be geographically fragmented, focused on priority needs at the provincial or even district (woleswoli) levels, and projects will have to be location-specific and implemented through a variety of decentralized mechanisms and partners. Resettlement and rehabilitation programmes in particular may initially have to be implemented through decentralized administrative entities and arrangements at the grass roots community and district levels. Planning and administrative arrangements will have to be highly flexible and able to adjust to changing political conditions. The sheer magnitudeACKU and complexity of the rehabilitation problems and requirements in Afghanistan will also require a co-ordinated but flexible selective approach.

The overall responsibility for ensuring coherence in the planning of United Nations system-supported relief and rehabilitation activities falls on the Co-ordinator for Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan. In this context, the Office of the Co-ordinator at

172 Headquarters in Geneva will, in collaboration with relevant U.N. agencies and organizations - UNDP, FAO, UNHCR, WFP, WHO and UNICEF - ensure that project formulation, funding, implementation and monitoring/evaluation are carried out with the central aim of efficient and timely use of donor resources.

The geographical areas in which initial planning and implementation of relief and rehabilitation activities are possible will be identified by the Co-ordinator on the basis of all available information and on the basis of criteria such as demonstrated needs, security and possibilities of access.

Sound planning must be based upon access to all available information on the current economic and social conditions within the country, as well as on the current status of all external relief and rehabilitation assistance. Such information provided on a systematic, ongoing basis, will help the Office of the Co-ordinator to establish not only relief and rehabilitation programme priorities but also additional unforeseen requirements that should be presented in a timely and convincing manner to the international donor community for financing. In addition such planning should help to ensure effective co-ordination of external donor contributions in priority areas.

~~13.2 Resettlement Planning~~

It is recognized that on humanitarian grounds, priority must be given to the resettlement of the very large numbers of displaced persons (over five and a half million refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan and some two million internally-displaced within the country). While many refugees will return autonomously at a time and in a manner determined by themselves, much can be done to facilitate the process, and UNHCR and WFP are now planning for the commodity assistanceACKU requirements and logistical arrangements to help make this possible.

Planning for the resettlement of externally and internally displaced Afghans at the village level can also help to expedite and facilitate the process, and this is envisaged mainly through co-ordinated relief and rehabilitation programmes intended to restore conditions at the village level for productive self-reliance and to provide initially the basic food, agricultural inputs, health and other essential supplies needed for successful resettlement to take place.

~~173 13.3 Relief Planning~~

Relief planning must take into account not only the food aid required for repatriation and resettlement purposes but also the needs of the present indigenous population some of whom may also require supplementary food aid. In addition, there is an urgent need for agricultural inputs - seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides, tools and implements and animal vaccines not presently available in sufficient quantities to the rural population. Also, considerable additional amounts of drugs and medicines are required to meet the basic health needs of the populaticn, especially in the rural areas.

It will be necessary to further refine the above-mentioned commodity relief requirements on the basis of further in-country assessment of the population's current food availability, agricultural and health-related needs as soon as this becomes feasible. This will help to provide a more solid basis for the planning of external relief assistance measures.

Planning will also have to take into account the logistical arrangements to ensure distribution of relief assistance in areas of greatest need. This may include prepositioning of relief commodities at strategic locations within Afghanistan and in border areas, taking advantage of traditional commercial marketing structures to the extent practical.

Finally, planning should give due attention to the use of relief commodities as a resource in longer term rehabilitation programmes. This will initially involve the formulation of food-for-work and cash-for-work schemes intended to help mobilize village labour for the repair of rural physical and economic infrastructure through,ACKU for example, wages for the rehabilitation of traditional irrigation systems, rural roads, replanting of forest areas, repair of damaged health clinics and schools, etc.

~~13.4 Rehabilitation Planning~~

Damage to the Afghan economy has been so extensive that planning of rehabilitation programmes will have to address priority needs in all main sectors: agriculture and rural development, health, education, industry,

174 mining and energy, transport and communications. However, due to the very large numbers of internally and externally displaced populations, initial priority must be given to rehabilitation programmes designed to restore productive self-reliant life in the rural village areas to which these displaced populations will return.

In this respect the decentralized and self-contained planning of rehabilitation programmes must give initial priority to the rapid expansion of food production through the repair of damaged traditional irrigation systems and rural access roads and the provision of essential agricultural inputs. While agricultural inputs initially have to be imported under commodity assistance arrangements, rehabilitation planning will increasingly have to focus on the rehabilitation of local institutions and services able to provide these inputs (e.g. seed farms, fertilizer industry, etc.) without dependence on further external assistance. Rehabilitation planning will also have to give initial priority to the repair and refurbishing of rural health clinics and to the repair and reopening of primary schools.

With regard to the planning of relief and rehabilitation programmes at the field level, the Co-ordinator, in collaboration with UNDP and other organizations and agencies of the United Nations, is currently preparing the establishment of planning units in Kabul, Peshawar and Mashad to address relief and rehabilitation requirements in the accessibile regions of Afghanistan.

~~It is envisaged that these planning units with the full participation of all relevant United Nations offices would have the following core functions:~~

~~(1) collection of all availableACKU socio-economic data and other information on the Afghanistan economy and on donors and NGO relief and rehabilitation programmes and activities,~~

(2) on the basis of such information, the planning of relief and rehabilitation programmes in all accessible regions, including programmes of direct benefit to internally and externally displaced persons returning to their traditional village areas, and to the local resident populations in these areas.

175 (3) providing a focal point for the collation of regular information on the implementation of relief and rehabilitation programmes and on unforeseen additional assistance requirements that need to be brought to the attention of the international donor community. It is envisaged that the United Nations system, the bilateral donors and the operational NGOs in the field will co-operate in a concerted and collaborative effort. For this purpose, the office of the Co-ordinator has prepared field information reporting guidelines (Annex 2).

The Planning Units would be established under the operational aegis of the Co - ordinator, in collaboration with the UN agencies and organizations at the field level, and would be staffed by Afghan and expatriate planners. It is proposed that these units should be assisted and guided through the constitution of field level task forces, consisting of representatives from the participating United Nations agencies and selected members from bilateral agencies and NGOs. In this context !FAD has agreed to provide a technical expert for the planning unit in Peshawar.

An additional responsibility of the planning unit in Peshawar will be to provide technical and administrative support to the major NGOs active in rehabilitation in areas which fall within the priorities of the United Nations Co-ordinator's programme. In this connection, UNDP, in collaboration with the Co - ordinator, is proposing assistance providing technical and administrative support to NGOs in order to upgrade their technical capability and impact in main sectors (rural public works , agr iculture, livestock, health, education, etc. ). This assistance might include the provision of technical expertise, advice on improved logistical and other administrative support, and to some extent supplies and equipment needed in support of crossborder activites. It will be important to establishACKU appropriate monitoring and reporting systems so as to ensure maximum accountability for the funds provided in support of NGO programmes as well as a continuous flow of information on their activities. The establishment of NGOs' co-ordinating mechanisms, such as ACBAR in Peshawar, wil l provide valuable links with the UN system and bilateral donors. In particular, the sectoral sub-committees, bringing together people with experience of work in particular regions and disciplines, will provide important reference for UN assistance programmes.

176 Local counterpart organizations at the field level will vary from district to district, from valley to valley and from village to village. Experience gained by major NGOs already active inside the country stresses the importance of working in partnership with the local community or village committee under the aegis and with the concurrence of the local leadership and/or administration.

At present, the international donor community has only limited information on the nature and extent of damage to the various sectors of the economy. UNDP in collaboration with the office of the Co-ordinator has proposed to establish an umbrella project for the financing of regional surveys intended to facilitate systematic assessment of needs and the preparation of pre-feasibility studies in main economic sectors, manpower training and employment, nutrition and the like.

~~13.5 Administration and Management~~

In most rural areas, provincial district (woleswoli) and local level technical and administration offices of the Government are not functioning. A number of cross-border NGOs have been providing services in the health, agricultural and rural public works fields. Many of these programmes have been carried out under the overall supervision of the traditional village committees (Shuras) with the participation of local authorities.

It is clear that effective administration of relief and rehabilitation programmes will depend on some expatriate managerial and technical expertise and on the recruitment of many qualified Afghan personnel from the region and abroad to help cope with the immediate situation, and on the crash training of additional Afghans to assumeACKU these critical functions in the long run. Many bilateral donors and NGOs currently active in support of refugee, relief and rehabilitation programmes have identified and secured readily available qualified Afghans to help manage and implement their programmes. These Afghans have often been found to be highly motivated and effective.

177 The Inter-Governmental Committee on Migration is also carrying out a survey of highly qualified Afghans abroad willing to return and work, inter alia, in externally supported relief, rehabilitation and repatriation programmes. These measures will help to strengthen Afghan management of essential programmes.

UNDP is presently proposing to establish an umbrella project that will provide qualified United Nations volunteers to assume operational responsibilities of a managerial and technical nature. These UNVs will be made available to progammes of the United Nations system, NGOs and other donors in all main sectors, and in this way will complement and reinforce services rendered by available Afghan and expatriate/NGO staff.

~~ACKU~~

~~178 ANNEX 1~~

~~Types of mines deployed in Afghanistan~~

Preliminary information suggests that some 15 types of anti-personnel and five types of anti-tank mines have been deployed in Afghanistan. Of the anti-personnel, four are scatterable mines and 11 are hand or mechanically emplaced. The general characteristics of these mines are described below. It should be emphasized that this information is incomplete and will be updated as soon as field missions are carried out.

Type PEM-1 (or PMZ): The "Butterfly" or "Green Parrot" anti-personnel bomblet is most commonly dispensed from helicopters and mortars, and has been deployed across Afghanistan, but in particular around the border routes from Pakistan. This plastic mine has an extremely low metallic signature, and is unique in that it can be detonated by distortion to its position, such as being kicked or handled, and also by accumulated pressure. It has no self-destruct or neutralizing capability, and being only 1.5 em high is easily covered by blown sand, grass etc. Its ground burst charge is 40g of liquid explosive and is thus designed to maim.

~~Type PMN (or PMN-6): This manually laid anti-personnel mine is made of duraplastic, shaped like a circular tobacco tin, and contains 240g of explosives. This type of mine is pressure detonated.~~

Type PMD, PMD-6M: This anti-personnel mine consists of 75-200g explosive in an oblong wooden box, with a hinged lid overlapping, and acting as the pressure plate. A large ACKUnumber of booby traps can be used with these mines. Type OZM 3/4 and Type 69: This cylindrical anti-personnel mine can be detonated by pressure, trip wire, electrical or remote means. The body of the mine jumps to 1.5-2.5m, depending on the length of the tether cord, before exploding with a range of 25m. This type of mine causes extensive maiming.

Type POMZ-2: This anti-personnel mine consists of a wooden stake with a cast iron fragmentation body with six rows of fragmentation like a hand grenade, with a cylinder of 75g cast TNT. This type of mine is detonated by a trip wire and generally is lethal.

~~179 Type TM-62: This family of anti-tank mines is generally circular with a slight domed appearance of sheet metal or plastic casing. The main charge weight is 7kg and a tilt-rod detonator is fitted.~~

Type TM-46 and Type 72: This standard anti-tank mine is circular shape and has a metallic case with either a pressure or tilt-rod fuse. These mines have an anti-lift fuse. The charge of 5.3kg is capable of causing very extensive damage to unarmoured vehicles, such as trucks and Land Rovers.

~~Type TM-38: This anti-tank mine contains a thin sheet steel box, with a 3.6kg charge in the lower half, and a pressure fuse in the lid section.~~

~~Type TMD-B: This anti-tank mine consists of a wooden box approx 30 x 30cm, with wooden pressure boards on the top. This type of mine can be easily altered, enlarged and booby-trapped.~~

~~Type TM-41: Identical to the type TM-46 except for the universal pressure/pull fuse. Basically of cylindrical construction, this mine has a main charge of 3.8kg boosted by 74g picric acid.~~

~~Type TS-50 and T/79: This circular plastic anti-personnel mine is pressure detonated, with a main charge of 50g. Large numbers of these mines have been laid on rural access roads and paths.~~

~~Type VS-50: The anti-personnel plastic mine is sometimes fitted with electronic anti-handling and self-neutralisation devices.~~

~~Type SB-33: This circular plastic anti-personnel mine is irregularly contoured, and its low heightACKU (3cm) makes visual detection hard. This type of mine has been widely deployed.~~

Type V-69: This bounding mine is detonated by direct pressure on any of its five 'horns', or by trip wire. The main charge is surrounded by over 1,000 metal splinters, producing a lethal casualty radius of 25 metres.

~~Type AT: This anti-tank mine is non-metallic and anti-lift.~~

~~180 Type AP: This anti-personnel mine has minimal metal content and is pressure detonated with a main charge of tetryl.~~

~~Type AT: This non-metallic anti-tank mine is pressure activated, with the above type AP mine placed between pressure plates and the main charge.~~

~~Type Ml4: This small circular blast anti-personnel mine is of total plastic construction with integral plastic fuse, with a charge of 28 tetryl.~~

~~Type M3: This fragmentation anti-personnel mine in a rectangular case of cast iron with a 400g charge detonated by pressure or pull.~~

~~Type Ml6: This 500g anti-personnel bounding mine has also been widely deployed.~~

~~ACKU ANNEX 2~~

~~FIELD GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING ON THE SITUATION RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN BY THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND BILATERAL DONORS~~

~~Two principal types of fields reports are foreseen:~~

(1) A monthly telex report prepared in accordance with the standard format given under paragraph A below. This monthly report should be prepared at the end of the month to be covered, and reach Geneva at the latest by the seventh day of the new month.

(2) A quarterly review, prepared in accordance with the standard format given under paragraph B below, should provide an overall assessment of developments during the period under review and a prognosis (to the extent this is possible) for the next quarter. The quarterly review should be received in Geneva no later than mid-December, mid-March, mid-June and mid-October.

~~In addition to the above two reports, field organizations are requested to forward any ad hoc reports relevant to Afghanistan.~~

~~A. Monthly Reporting Format~~

~~(1) Monthly telexed report~~

The first monthly telexed report should provide more comprehensive data, sufficient to establish an ACKUinformation base-line. In subsequent monthly telexes, any change over the past month in any of the categories below should be reported with particular care.

~~Annex I provides details of relief and rehabilitation categories that should be on a contact list for the information compiling.~~

~~182 (a) Summarize security-situation, and/or other conditions causing disruption and hardship, indicating which geographic areas are affected.~~

~~(b) Summarize effects on population. Indicate numbers affected and how, such as displacement, or repatriation, loss of means of livelihood, malnutrition, disease and mortality figures.~~

~~(c) Summarize effects on economic sectors such as agriculture including livestock, energy, water supply, transport, health, education.~~

~~(d) Provide brief account of on-going relief operations being carried out in connection with:~~

~~(i) Provision of food-aid, supplementary feeding programmes, etc.,~~

~~(ii) Health actions. Include fielding of medical mobile teams, health relief operations, distribution of medicine, immunization programmes, etc.~~

~~(iii) Water supply activities,~~

~~(iv) Special logistics operation.~~

~~In each case, estimate and indicate the number of people being reached by these operations.~~

~~(e) Indicate any persistent bottlenecks, and actions needed, already taken, or in progressACKU to resolve them.~~

~~(f) Report any major contributions in kind or in cash over the past, month, indicating whether pledge or actual disbursement, specify donor source, etc.~~

(g) Summarize new needs identified in the past month in the following categories: food supply, including supplementary feeding programmes, health actions, including medical programmes and medical supplies, drugs and vaccines, mobile teams, transport and distributions means, relief and survival items, including shelter, blankets, clothing, household utensils, etc., agricultural inputs required in preparation for the next harvest, including farm implements, seeds, fertilizer, oxen, etc.; any other needs not listed above. Where possible provide description, quantities, dollar-values, duration of coverage and indicate who identified new needs.

~~(h) Repeat briefly earlier identified needs not yet met that have become very urgent and require special mobilization. If necessary, provide new priority ranking of needs.~~

~~(i) Indicate any expected or ongoing major visiting missions or consultation-meeting with respect to the relief and rehabilitation.~~

~~(j) Indicate any action/intervention you specially need from the office of the Co-ordinator.~~

~~B. Quarterly review~~

~~This review consists of five parts.~~

~~(i) Introduction: If applicable, review the security situation, population movements over the past quarter and its implications, particularly for the relevant economic sectors.~~

~~(ii) Prognosis for the next quarter; give sources of information and summarizeACKU any recommendations for operational follow up.~~

~~(iii) Estimate priority relief and rehabilitation needs.~~

Provide, for the categories presented below, a description of needs including quantity, approximate dollar value, and duration of coverage where applicable (i.e. supplementary feeding programme for three months; anti-malaria drugs for six months, etc.). Use as much room as needed for each category. Needs from Needs Action in previous recently progress periods identified to meet not yet the needs covered Food aid

~~(cereals) (other bulk food) (supplementary feeding) (financial needs)~~

~~Health-actions~~

~~(medical equipment) (medical supplies) (financial needs)~~

~~Water supply~~

~~(equipment) (supplies) (financial needs)~~

~~Logistics~~

~~(equipment) (supplies) (financial needs)~~

~~Agricultural/Pastoral Inputs~~

~~(equipment) (supplies) (financial needs)~~

~~Relief/Survival items~~

~~(for displaced/repatriation persons or vulnerable groups otherwise affected Include also needs for shelter, water and sanitation ACKU (financial needs)~~

~~Energy supply (if applicable)~~

~~(fuel wood) (supplies) (financial needs)~~

~~Rural Infrastructure Rehabilitation~~

~~(equipment) (supplies) (financial needs)~~

~~Education~~

~~(equipment) (supplies) (financial needs) (iv) Relief Activities~~

Report and review actions by local field authorities, the international community, including United Nations Agencies, donor countries and NGOs. Report co-ordination meetings, their results, and problems, if any.

~~Report any continuing constraints or bottlenecks on monitoring, management and on actual operations and what should be, or is being, done to solve the problem.~~

~~(v) Other relevant developments~~

Report any changes or new developments in regional command mechanisms or policies that address the crisis or issues of somewhat longer term. Briefly indicate any changes in the current social/economic/financial situation which might affect response capacity to cope adequately with the situation. If applicable, report on the results of any recent assessment missions, or any important donor-consultation meetings.

~~ACKU~~

~~186 I. RELIEF ASSISTANCE~~

~~CATEGORIES~~

1. Food aid requirements 1.1 Cereals (i.e. wheat, maize, sorghum, other). 1.2 Other bulkfood (i.e. flour, sugar, vegetable oils, fats, etc.). 1.3 Supplementary feeding programmes (i.e. high-protein mixes, canned foods, milk, etc.).

~~2. Basic agricultural/pastoral inputs 2.1 Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tools, oxen, small tractors, feed supplements, animal vaccines, etc.~~

3. Essential health actions 3.1 Medical supplies, personnel and equipment 3.2 Short-term health services support (for immunization and preparedness, prevention programmes, rural health care, assistance to disabled, etc.).

4. Relief-survival 4.1 Tents, blankets, clothing, cooking utensils, shelter, others. 4.2 Provision of material and training of refugees prior to repatriation, e.g. irrigation, rehabilitation, construction of roofs, etc. ACKU

~~187 ANNEX 3~~

~~OFFICE OF THE CO-ORDINATOR FOR AFGHANISTAN REPORTING FORMAT FOR BILATERAL DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS & NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION'S CONTRIBUTIONS AND OPERATIONS~~

~~For each contribution planned, announced or implemented, please provide, using the the one page attached format, the following details:~~

~~1-2 Source: Donor country and indicate implementing agency or channel of assistance.~~

~~3-5 Time Period: State date of pledge announcement, expected date of delivery and period over which assistance to be provided.~~

~~6 Sector of Indicate sector: e.g. sectors as listed in under Assistance "Relief" and "Rehabilitation" Assistance in Annex 2.~~

~~7-9 Indicate purpose of assistance and destination, e.g. particular province or location, and identify beneficiary group. Also provide brief description of expected impact, outcomes etc.~~

~~10 Item Provide brief but specific descriptions, i.e. wheat, or Description anti-malaria drugs, spare parts for trucks, contribution in cash, rehabilitation of irrigation, road improvement, etc.~~

~~Quantity Tonnage or other measure of quantity~~

~~Value Provide value in donor national currency, or US dollar, indicating whether FOB, CIF, or covered to final destination.~~

11 Other Please provide information on any assessment, provision Information plans and policies as indicated by your field representativesACKU and/or headquarters staff. 12 Donor/NGO address for correspondence.

~~188 OFFICE OF THE CO-ORDINATOR FOR AFGHANISTAN~~

~~BILATERAL DONORS AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION REPORTING FORMAT~~

~~1. Donor Country~~

~~2. Implementing/Funding Agency~~

~~3. Date of Announcement~~

~~4. Date of Delivery~~

~~5. Period of Coverage~~

~~6. Sector of Assistance~~

~~7. Purpose~~

~~8. Beneficiary Group~~

~~9. Destination~~

~~10. Item Description~~

~~Quantity ACKU~~

~~Currency~~

~~11. Other Information including summary of past operations/programmes~~

~~12. Donor/NGO Address ANNEX 4~~

~~RESOURCE DATA BASE FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING - A GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR AFGHANISTAN -~~

~~At the outset it should be noted that the software/hardware utilized in the development of this system will eventually be transferred to Afghanistan for in-country use.~~

~~The following five categories of information provide the basis of this geographic resource information system.~~

~~1. Digitized maps 2. Satellite imagery 3. Any existing census data 4. Aerial surveys 5. Ground surveys~~

~~1. Digitize existing maps such as:~~

~~(a) National and provincial boundaries, (b) Relief contours, (c) Hydrology : rivers, lakes and watersheds, (d) Soil map, (e) Climate/rainfall map, (f) Road transport network map, etc.~~

~~2. Satellite Imagery Data : Two time frames to assess change from pre-1979 to 1988 on the basis ofACKU LANDSAT (USA) or SPOT (FRANCE) systems. Examples of this are:~~

~~(a) Irrigation water resources, (b) Areas under annual crops, (c) Areas under fruit orchards, (d) Areas under grazing (livestock),~~

~~190 (e) Forest areas, (f) Industry and mining locations/areas, (g) Habitation, (h) Transport: road networks, bridges etc., (i) Extent and location of mined areas, etc.~~

~~3. Additional data inputs from any available past census (mainly pre-1979) and surveys, for example,~~

(a) Population by province/location (1978 and projected 1988), (b) Food storage facilities by province/location, (c) Schools by province/location, (d) Health centres by province/location, (e) Livestock by province/location, (f) Fertilizer distribution by province/location, (g) Cereal production by province/location, etc.

~~4. Aerial Surveys~~

Aerial surveys should be considered in the near future as a means of obtaining rapid reconnaissance type of information. Examples of such surveys may include population and livestock movements, areas under harvest, physical damage to irrigation systems, etc. These surveys are particularly relevant to verify the information obtained through the above-mentioned LANDSAT/SPOT imagery analysis.

~~5. Ground Surveys and AssessmentsACKU~~

The information obtained from the LANDSAT data analysis and the aerial surveys can only be useful if followed by ground 'truthing' surveys. Data/information is essential on all aspects of planning and implementation of regional relief and rehabilitation programmes and at the same time the possibility of carrying out on the ground surveys inside all areas of

191 Afghanistan are severely constrained by the present social and political conditions. The satellite imagery analysis and aerial surveys with digitized map information and any available census data would enable the identification of priority areas and sectors for in-depth ground surveys and assessments as and when conditions allow.

~~ACKU~~

~~192 ANNEX 5~~

~~NGO PROFILE INFORMATION~~

This Annex summarizes some preliminary information on non-governmental organizations which are implementing relief and rehabilitation programmes inside Afghanistan or among Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The importance of the work performed by NGOs needs hardly to be stressed. For the past nine years, an increasing number of voluntary agencies have been providing cross-border humanitarian assistance - especially medical assistance and cash grants to families to buy food - inside Afghanistan. Because of their contacts at the grass-roots level, NGOs are also an invaluable source of information on local conditions inside the country.

As the Co-ordinator's relief and rehabilitation programme gains momentum, the NGOs will have a critical role to play in order to assist United Nations system organizations to implement humanitarian relief and economic assistance programmes. The Co-ordinator therefore intends to maintain very close working relationships with the NGOs concerned. The tasks of consultation, communication and exchanging information on NGO activities has been greatly facilitated by the establishment in Peshawar of the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) which represents well over 40 NGOs currently implementing assistance programmes.

The information on some NGO's, summarized below, is far from complete. In order to permit the Co-ordinator's office to update this information and to set up working level relations with regards to particular elements of the relief and rehabilitation programmes, NGOs are kindly requested to provide documentation on their activitiesACKU on a routine basis and to complete the form entitled "Baseline survey of operational NGOs" which appears at the end of the text.

~~- 193 AFGHANAID (UK)~~

Afghanaid aims to improve agriculture and strengthen civilian administration. It manages a tailoring and tent-making project for handicapped refugees in Peshawar and has set up an ambulance system to ferry war-wounded Afghans for medical treatment in Pakistan. Its primary activities have been mainly cash-for-food assistance programmes in the Panjshir area. At present, Afghanaid has seven teams of Afghan monitors working inside the country. Since 1987, assistance has been provided for pilot construction activities in border Afghan villages.

~~THE AFGHAN REFUGEE INFORMATION NETWORK (ARIN/UK)~~

Finances provisions of medicine, setting up of clinics as well as educational programmes, (e.g. provision of school materials), both in Afghanistan and for refugees in Pakistan. Also concentrates on funding projects in their early stages or in need of short-term financing.

~~THE OCKENDEN VENTURE (UK)~~

In co-operation with UNHCR, Ockenden Venture supports a quilt-manufacturing scheme for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which employs 800 men and women full-time, producing about 120,000 quilts a year and runs a marketing centre which provides outlets in Pakistan and abroad for goods made by Afghan refugees. As Ockenden is responsible for the maintenace of official buildings in the refugee camps, it employs about 6.000 Afghan refugees on part-time and full-time basisACKU to carry out the task.

~~AUSTRIAN RELIEF COMMITTEE (ARC/AUSTRIA)~~

~~Active in Peshawar since 1985, ARC is funded by private groups in Norway,~~

Holland and Austria, 50~ of the budget is provided by UNHCR and 25~ of resources are allocated to agriculture development activities. ARC is primarily involved in working with refugees in health, sanitation and

194 self-help programmes in Mardran, Peshawar, Haripur, Bajaur, Chitral, Dir and Kohat in Pakistan. It has also began an agriculture assistance programme in three provinces in Afghanistan since 1985 with a team of trained Afghan agricultural extension workers. In Kunar province, programmes have focussed on the provision of seeds, fertilizer, some oxen, pesticides, sprayers and hand pumps, to a total of 435 families in three villages. In Logar province, ARC has thus far repaired three bridges on rural access roads.

~~SWEDISH COMMITTEE FOR AFGHANISTAN (SCA/SWEDEN)~~

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan was one of the first NGOs to come to Pakistan in 1982 to provide medical aid to the Afghan people. Since 1982 it has financed salaries, medicines and equipment for Afghan medical staff working inside Afghanistan. SCA also makes many of its services available to other agencies, e.g. by supplying trainees from Freedom Medecine, International Medical Corps (IMC) and Medical Training for Afghans (MTA) with salaries and equipment after completion of their training courses. In the educational field SCA provides textbooks in Pashtu, Farsi and assists schools in Peshawar. Half of its US$3 million budget is devoted to medical assistance and the rest to cash-for-food programmes. More than 80% of its funding is provided by from the Swedish Government. SCA has carried out work in some 22 provinces in Afghanistan during 1987. In 1987-88 it carried out a comprehensive extensive Agricultural Survey of Afghanistan.

~~NORWEGIAN COMMITTEE FOR AFGHANISTAN (NCA/NORWAY)~~

The Norwegian CommitteeACKU for Afghanistan is active in cross-border assistance in agriculture, health and cash-for-food. Activities include: karez cleaning, supplying water pumps, rebuilding bombed houses, carrying out vaccination programmes for children between 0-5 years old and providing general medical assistance 9 months a year with Norwegian Medical teams inside Afghanistan. NCA also runs a hopital with several sub-clinics in the the province of Ghazni which is staffed both with Afghan and Scandinavian medical personnel. A medical training programme for Afghans in Pakistan is under preparation. NCA supports agricultural reconstruction by providing oxen,

195 seeds, fertilizer, tractors and carrying out irrigation rehabilitation. NCA's food aid covers about 20 different provinces with the objective of enabling the local population to remain in their villages.

~~VOLUNTEERS IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (VITA/USA)~~

VITA is a private, nonprofit, international development organization. Its agricultural support programme for Afghanistan includes a technical component which provides tools, seed, equipment, draught animals and other livestock and fertilizers and equipment for rebuilding irrigation systems and roads. VITA also has an institution-building component and strives to create a stucture through which the various Afghan political parties and other organizations may co-operate for the most effective use of the resources the programme makes available. A network of programme staff inside Afghanistan assesses the needs and farm materials are then shipped through usual trade routes to Afghanistan. Research is being conducted on new wheat seeds to enhance yields and on new varieties of fruit trees to rehabilitate the orchards. VITA is funded by USAID and other organizations.

~~OPERATION HANDICAP INTERNATIONALE (OHI/BELGIUM)~~

OHI ia a non-profit humanitarian organization created in 1982. With UNHCR financing, it produces orthopaedic devices, using inexpensive locally available materials and appropriate technology. It has set up an intensive training programme for local technicians in the manufacturing of orthopaedic devices and in physiotherapy to encourage complete autonomy. Since 1985, OHI runs an orthopaedic rehabilitationACKU centre for the disabled in Quetta. The centre has provided orthopaedic devices to more than 3,000 Afghans as well as to some 1,500 Pakistani patients. Altogether some 5,000 orthopaedic devices have been manufactured. OHI aims to set up several orthopaedic workshops inside Afghanistan, to establish a mobile unit, to follow up ex-patients, to train local workers and tchnicians and to train physiotherapist assistants. Most of the staff is Afghan.

~~- 196 ACTION INTERNATIONALE CONTRE LA FAIM (AICF/FRANCE)~~

AICF is a French voluntary agency founded in 1979 an~ dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance. Its main concern is to assist distressed populations to become self-reliant, especially in the fields of agriculture and health. Since 1981, AICF has been assisting Afghan refugees in Baluchistan. Activities range from primary health care, vocational training, income generating projects, and more specifically the running of two out-patient clinics for women and children in Surkhab and in Pir Alizai refugee villages. During 1984-86, it organized vaccination campaigns against tuberculosis, measles, diptheria, tetanus and polio which were carried out in Surkhab, Pir Alizai and Saranan refugee villages. Most of AICF's funding comes from governments and international organizations i.e. UNHCR, the EEC, the French Ministry of Cooperation, USAID etc.

~~BUREAU INTERNATIONAL AFGHANISTAN/MADERA (BIA/FRANCE)~~

BIA was founded in 1980 and began its activities inside Afghanistan in 1984. It is active in agricultural projects: in Kunar, 20kg of wheat and maize seeds were distributed to approx. 10,000 farmers to improve the seed stock. A second project in Kunar and Nouristan introduced vegetable crops and provided technical support for crop protection and improvement. BIA has also started protecting the maize crop from insects, and has introduced the treatment of sheep, goats, and cattle for internal parasites. In Laghman BIA has trained two teams of local vaccinators for livestock and poultry. BIA's budget for this year is about FF3 million (less than $500,000), 40~ from the European organizations, the rest from the EEC. The name of BIA has recently been changed to 'MADERA'. ACKU

~~SOLIDARITE AFGHANISTAN (EX-GUILDE DU RAID/FRANCE)~~

Provides funds inside Afghanistan for humanitarian assistance since 1980. The majority of the funds come through the International Rescue Committee from USAID. Most of Solidarite Afghanistan's assistance is through cash-for-food programmes ($2.5-$3 million) It provides yearly assistance to

197 about ten provinces. In general ten teams are sent to Afghanistan to implement CFF programmes and to study new areas for future assistance. Other CFF grants have also been distributed in 1987 to Faryab, Badakhshan, Bamiyan/Baghlan, Wardak, Kabul, Paktia, Kandahar and Logar. It has also been providing funds for agricultural assistance to areas such as Bamiyan/Baghlan i.e. seeds, tools, seven oxen and a tractor.

~~THE CATHOLIC FUND FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT (CAFOD/UK)~~

Assists Afghan refugees through the Catholic Church's official aid organization, Caritas Pakistan. Caritas has helped UNHCR set up basic health units in the camps around Peshawar, including mother and child care, immunization, health education and sanitation as well as curative treatment.

~~CHRISTIAN AID (UK)~~

Channels funds through Inter Church Aid, which targets its assistance to refugees upon their arrival in Pakistan till their registration. New arrivals are met, advised and provided with necessary food, shelter and medical treatment. Christian Aid and Inter Church Aid also assist schools and orphanages with a special emphasis on education for girls. They also work in refugee camps to encourage women to attend clinics and health education groups.

~~HEALTH UNLIMITED (HU/UK)~~

Sends teams of professional health worker, mainly midwives, into Afghanistan to run a clinic.ACKU Close working relationships have been fostered with traditional birth attendants in order to improve health care knowledge among women and children. HU has also provided educational materials for schools and assisted with a teacher-training programme. Its long-term plan is to build up a network of skilled health workers who will in turn train others.

~~- 198 HELP THE AGED (UK)~~

Channels funds to projects in many areas of Afghanistan such as the International Assistance Mission which assists eye hospitals and an institue for the blind in Kabul and Herat. It also works with the government of Afghanistan on programmes for treatment and rehabilitation of the handicapped and mother and child health programmes.

~~OXFAM (UK)~~

Funds a number of projects both inside Afghanistan and in refugee camps in Pakistan. It channels medical supplies to health workers in Afghanistan and supports training programmes of Afghan medical workers in Pakistan who subsequently return to their own area in Afghanistan. Oxfam also provides funds for health, education and income-generating projects in refugee camps both in Peshawar and Quetta, with special emphasis on assisting and training women.

~~SANDY GALL'S AFGHANISTAN APPEAL (UK)~~

They run an orthopaedic workshop in Peshawar making artificial limbs for wounded and disabled Afghans. The appeal is for building a new medical centre in Peshawar costing $204,000. It also supports similar work by other agencies, such as Operation Handicap Internationale's large training workshop and rehabilitation centreACKU in Quetta. MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF/FRANCE)

MSF is the first foreign NGO to have provided medical care in areas inside Afghanistan. With some UNHCR financing, MSF has established several hospitals permanently staffed with Afghan and French personnel. These hospitals also serve as training centres for Afghans who will manage them later on. MSF is mainly active in Badakshan, Ghazni, Helmand, Herat provinces

199 and is carrying out a vaccination campaign funded by UNICEF, in Paktia province. MSF cooperates also with UNHCR in medical care for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. MSF is presently carrying out a multi-sectorial mission in Panjshir valley to asses the agricultural, health and livestock situation.

~~AFRANE (FRANCE)~~

Afrane's humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan started in the spring of 1980. The organization has three main objectives: humanitarian assistance inside Afghanistan, to keep Afghanistan in the public eye (publishes journal 'Les Nouvelles d'Afghanistan'), and to pressure foreign governments and International organizations to be responsive to the plight of the Afghan people. About 60% of earmarked funds for work inside Afghanistan are now spent on development assistance and the rest for cash-for-food and emergency assistance. Agricultural assistance is concentrated on the regeneration of the productive base of an area, i.e. in Baghlan a project for breeding sheep, goats and poultry, in Kandahar, cleaning and repair of karez and the provision of a tractor and thresher. Their cash-for-food aid has been carried out in Logar, Herat, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Kandahar, Ghazni and Zabul provinces. The CFF grants are implemented by expatriate French teams through 8-10 missions per year. In Logar, Afrane has also supported a school programme. USAID funds half of it budget and the remainder is collected from various French sources and a small grant from the French government.

~~VETERINAIRES SANS FRONTIERES (VSF/FRANCE)~~

VSF is a humanitarian association which aims to provide veterinary services; both in emergencyACKU as well as development situations. Activities in Afghanistan range from creating in 1986, a humanitarian cavalry (at Medecins du Mende's request), in the Wardak region,, to facilitate travelling of nurses and doctors. In livestock production VSF aims to increase animal protein production (meat, milk, eggs) and to increase cereal production through the use of oxen-power. VSF has been active in small poultry farming, bull breeding, fodder, development of a veterinary clinic, campaign against internal and external parasites, and nurses' veterinary training.

~~200 - MERCY CORPS INTERNATIONAL (MCI/USA)~~

MCI's sectors of assistance are health and agriculture. In health they have supplied several hospitals inside Afghanistan with medical supplies and equipment as well as staff salaries. The necessary supplies are brought in from MCI's offices in Quetta, which was created in July 1986. MCI provides courses for medical staff and first aid workers. Some 300 trained first aid workers and medical staff are operational in 36 neutral health centres inside Afghanistan. MCI also carried out detailed plans for intergrated rural development and reconstruction at the village level in 15 different areas located in nine provinces in southwest Afghanistan. MCI concentrates its operations in the following areas; in West and South-west provinces of Ghazni, Zabul, Rozgan, Nemroz, Kandahar, Helmand Faraf, Ghorat, Herat and Badghis. A total of 40 districts are served with an average population of 70,000 per district. MCI is funded partially by US/AID, CIDA/CANADA, and MCI home office. The value of their asistance in Afghanistan is for 1988 of $1,800,000 in health and $300,000 in agriculture. They have a total of 500 staff both in Pakistan and Afghanitan and all their expatriates are United States citizens and, according to funding contracts, are not allowed to go inside Afghanistan.

~~ACKU~~

~~201 Relevant NGOs/PVOs with regard to Afghanistan - by Country of Origin -~~

~~Austria~~

Austrian Relief Committee *

~~Belgium~~

Medical Training for Afghans Solidarite Afghanistan * Operation Handicap Internationale SOS/PG Belgium Solidarite * MSF Belgium *

~~Canada~~

Human Concern International *

~~Denmark~~

Danish Committee *

~~France~~

Afrane * A.I.M.E. Action Internationale Contre La Faim (AICF) * MADERA * Aide Medicale Internationale Amis de l'Afghanistan Lectif Provence Afghanistan Solidariti Afghanistan Medecins du Monde Medecins sans Frontieres * Medical Training for Afghans Medical Refresher Courses for Afghans Architectes sans Frontieres * Veterinaires sans Frontieres

~~Federal Republic of Germany~~

~~German Afghanistan CommitteeACKU German Afghanistan Foundation * German Emergency Doctors * Afghan Nothilfe * Help-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe * PAK-German BAS-ED Union Aid for Afghan Refugees~~

~~Kuwait~~

~~Kuwait Red Crescent~~

* Charter Members of ACBAR as of 4 August 1988 Luxemburg

~~Association Luxembourgeoise~~

~~Netherlands~~

Komitee Afghanistan Vrij Dutch Committee * Help the Afghans Foundation * MSF Holland *

~~Norway~~

~~Afghanistan Hjelpen Norwegian Committee * Norwegian Refugee Council * Norwegian Church Aid~~

~~Pakistan~~

~~Pakistan Red Crescent~~

~~Saudi Arabia~~

~~Saudi Red Crescent Muslim World League~~

~~Singapore~~

Shelter Now International *

Islamic Relief Agency *

~~Sweden~~

Swedish Committee *

~~Switzerland~~

~~Association Suisse des Amis de !'Afghanistan Free Afghanistan Switzerland Afghan Refugees HumanitarianACKU Islamic Unity United Kingdom~~

~~Afghanaid * Afghanistan Refugee Information Network Afghanistan Support Committee Health Action Humanitarian Health Unlimited Save the Children Afghan Relief~~

* Charter Members of ACBAR as of 4 August 1988

~~203 United Kingdom (continued)~~

Muslim Aid for Afghan Refugees Ockenden Venture Orthopaedics Workshop Salvation Army * Christian Aid Catholic Fund for Overseas Development Sandy Gall Afghanistan Appeal * Afghan Relief Foundation *

~~United States~~

Afghanistan Relief Committee Mercy Corps International * International Medical Corps Freedom Medicine * Afghan Cultural Assistance Foundation International Rescue Committee * World Vision * Catholic Relief Services Mercy Fund Volunteers in Technical Assistance * Save the Children * Orthopaedics Overseas

~~Afghanistan/Pakistan~~

Afghan's Obstetrics and Gynaecological Hospital * Afghan Welfare Centre * Afghan Surgical Hospital Afghan Eye Hospital Afghanistan Education Centre Afghan Female Surgical Hospital Afghan Medical Aid * Afghan Leprosy Service Afghan's Health and Social Assistance Organization * Ansari Hospital for Refugees Asia Foundation Management Science for Health Christian Hospitals Refugee Extension Project Interaid Committee International InformationACKU Office Psychiatry Centre for Afghans * Union of Afghan Mujahid Doctors United Medical Centre for Afghan Mujahidin Doctors Islamic Aid Health Centre Dental Clinic for Afghans Afghanistan Vaccinations and Immunization Centre *

* Charter Members of ACBAR as of 4 August 1988 International

League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies International Committee for Red Cross Co-ordination Humanitarian Europeenne pour l'Afghanistan CARITAS Church World Service SERVE * Experiment in International Living Interchurch Aid *

* Charter Members of ACBAR as of 4 August 1988

~~ACKU~~

~~2~ Office of the Co-ordinator for Humanitarian and Economic Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan~~

~~Baseline survey of operational NGOs~~

~~Name of NGO~~

~~Address in Pakistan .•..•.•...••..•..•...... •.....•••....•.•...••.•..•~~

~~Headquarters Address ....••.•.••...•...... •....•.•..•..••.•.....••......~~

~~What sector to you work in e.g. health, agriculture etc?~~

~~For how many years have you been running programmes in Afghanistan?~~

~~Value of your assistance in the past three years 1985 ••...•..••. 19 8 6 ...... •. 19 8 7 •••••••••••~~

~~What are the major sources of your funds? •.•.•.....•.••..•..•...... •...... •...... •~~

~~How many staff do you employ?~~

~~In which areas of Afghanistan do you operate? (please give as much detail as you wish) •.•.•...••.•..••.....•......~~

~~Do your international staff visit the project sites? Yes ...•. No .•.•..•~~

~~If yes, how often? .....•...... •...... •...... •.....•......~~

~~Approximately how many people benefit from your assistance?~~

~~Please add any further information you wish to share with the Co-ordinator at this time and/or any documentation/ reports which you wish ACKUhim to have ....•...... •......~~

~~Please indicate clearly if any of this information is being shared on a restricted or confidential basis.~~

~~Your name ......~~

~~Title~~

~~2o6 ,--?-. ' . . . I ... R 5. 731 UN!I 138~~

~~ACKU~~

~~Printed at United Nations, Geneva GE.88-64406-September 1988-2,000~~