Afghanistan Review

15 December 2010 AFGHANISTAN REVIEW

Inside This Issue

Economic Stabilization This document is intended to provide an overview of relevant sector Governance & Participation events in Afghanistan from 01 December–14 December 2010. More Humanitarian Assistance comprehensive information is available on the Civil-Military Overview (CMO) at www.cimicweb.org. Hyperlinks to original source material Infrastructure are highlighted in blue and underlined in the embedded text. Justice & Reconciliation Security Social Well-Being

For further information on CFC activities related to Afghanistan or inquiries about this publication, please contact the Afghanistan Team Manager: Valeria Davanzo, [email protected] or the Afghanistan Editor: Amber Ram- sey, [email protected]

ECONOMIC STABILISATION Steve Zyck, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4275 Back to top

Headlines this past week were dominated by the perspective on the prospects of saffron cultivation signing of an agreement concerning the Turkmeni- in Afghanistan, an article by the Institute for War stan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Natural Gas and Peace Reporting (IWPR) claims that insurgents Pipeline Project. United Press International (UPI) have recently attacked saffron cultivation projects in reports that, while questions concerning natural gas Herat province. The destruction of numerous hec- pricing remain un-settled, officials from the four tares of saffron fields and an attack on two trucks countries signed an agreement to move forward with carrying saffron bulbs to Herati farmers has report- the pipeline at a meeting in Ashgabat, the Turkmen edly undermined the willingness of many farmers to capital, on Saturday, 11 December 2010. While sig- grow the crop, says IWPR. nificant in demonstrating the four countries‟ contin- ued support for the TAPI project, the New York In other news, Afghan officials are continuing ef- Times described the agreement as “preliminary“ and forts to attract investors to their country‟s private "an early step” given concerns regarding security sector. The Afghanistan International Investment and financing for the pipeline infrastructure, which is Conference (AIIC), which was held in Dubai in late estimated to cost up to USD 10 billion. Pajhwok Af- November, brought together representatives of 500 ghan News adds that the Afghan government could companies to consider investment opportunities earn between USD 350 million and USD 400 million related to agriculture, railways, and mining within annually in natural gas transit fees if the pipeline is Afghanistan, reports the Associated Press. The Af- eventually built. ghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) took the opportunity to propose an international invest- According to Tolo News, farmers in the Daman dis- ment fund for Afghanistan which would pool re- trict of Kandahar province have begun to switch sources to promote development and economic from illegal poppy cultivation to higher-value saffron growth. cultivation for the first time. An official from Daman indicated that "[b]ecause it is possible to earn a lot Such efforts may be paying off, as Tolo News re- with little work, the people have turned to saffron ports that an industrial zone in Herat province is set cultivation." Another article from Tolo News noted to receive approximately USD 1 billion in investment that the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Live- as part of the construction of 800 industrial facili- stock (MAIL) is planning to expand saffron cultiva- ties. One of the key achievements in attracting for- tion throughout the country and market Afghan saf- eign investment into Herat has been the clarification fron internationally. Meanwhile, providing a different of complex land ownership issues, which had previ- 2 ously discouraged some would-be investors, says day from the Angot oil fields in Sar-e Pul province. Tolo News. However, Analysts interviewed by The Washington Post questioned whether Afghanistan‟s mineral re- Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines (MoM) has awarded sources will foster peace and economic growth or what The Washington Post has labelled a exacerbate existing internal divisions and violence. "potentially path-breaking" contract to an Afghan oil (Comments? Click here) firm. Under this contract, Ghazanfar Neft Gas will begin pumping approximately 800 barrels of oil per FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE

GOVERNANCE & PARTICIPATION Anne-Catherine Claude, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4368 Back to top

In the latest developments on the September parlia- ing to the article, Karzai has not yet endorsed the mentary elections, Deputy Attorney General Rah- election results, which saw his traditional Pashtun matullah Nazari has called on the Supreme Court to allies lose many of their parliamentary seats (see 23 annul the election results, according to Tolo News. November CFC Weekly Afghanistan Review, Gov- Nazari also called for certain individuals to be put on ernance and Participation section). The Associated trial for their involvement in election irregularities Press also reported that Karzai has met with several and fraud. Both the Independent Election Commis- groups of parliamentarians to discuss the issue but sion (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission has made no move one way or the other. However, (ECC) have strongly rejected the Attorney General‟s according to Pajhwok Afghan News, following a Office (AGO) involvement in the elections. The IEC meeting with MPs on 14 December, Karzai agreed went as far as issuing a press statement emphasis- to inaugurate the new Wolesi Jirga on 21 January. ing that under article 156 of the Afghan Constitution, the IEC is the only legally mandated body to certify Reuters has reported that a new national identifica- and announce election results. Meanwhile, Reuters tion card is being developed for Afghanistan in an reports that Fazal Ahmed Manawi, the Chair of the attempt to improve security and access to services IEC, claimed the AGO had “expressed various irre- by Afghan citizens. The Minister of Communications sponsible statements” that could lead to a political and Information Technology (MoCIT), Amir Zai crisis. Nazari retorted saying that the AGO was only Sangin, unveiled the electronic card to reporters on concerned about the respect of the law and not the 12 December, explaining that the new card will con- political consequences certain statements could tain an electronic chip with each individual‟s drivers have. During a press conference, President Karzai‟s licence, vehicle registration, voter registration and spokesperson, Waheed Omar, gave assurances that signature. The Minister added that the new technol- the ongoing dispute between the AGO and the IEC ogy will assist in reducing fraud and corruption in would not lead to a political crisis, adding that ef- future elections. The Afghan company Grand Tech- forts are underway to find a solution. nology Resources was awarded the USD 100 million contract to create the cards and the MoCIT esti- Agence France-Presse reports that more than 100 re mates that it will take 3-5 years for everyone in the -elected Members of Parliament (MPs), under the country to receive a new ID card. (Comments? name of the Administrative Board of the Parliament, Click here) have called on President Karzai to inaugurate the new parliament on 19 December. However, accord- FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE Erin Foster, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4233 Back to top

The United Nations, led by UN Deputy Emergency aster risk reduction.” The 2011 Humanitarian Ap- Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General peal launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- for Humanitarian Affairs, Catherine Bragg, launched Moon further requests USD 7.4 billion for the provi- an appeal on 05 December for USD 678 million for sion of assistance to more than 50 million people in humanitarian assistance programmes in Afghanistan. 28 countries worldwide. Reuters adds that the visit According to the UN, Afghans‟ access to basic ser- by Ms. Bragg was an attempt to place the humani- vices is limited due to years of conflict and recurring tarian situation of Afghans at the forefront of global natural disasters. Therefore, the 2011 priorities discussions while advocating for access of humani- listed in the appeal include “providing life-saving tarian organisations to victims of disasters no mat- assistance to populations affected by conflict or ter their location. Meanwhile, the International natural disaster and contingency planning in accor- Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) claims that the dance with the Hyogo Framework Priority 5 for dis- humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is worsening 3 as the conflict spreads to other parts of the country. (UNHCR). Afghan asylum seekers attempt to reach In response to this deterioration, the organisation Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States via has opened five new sub-offices since 2009. Pakistan and Iran, with Australia and several Euro- pean countries reporting an increase in refugee In an effort to meet the growing humanitarian need numbers as well as deportations, according to The in Afghanistan, the US Agency for International De- Washington Post. The Integrated Regional Informa- velopment (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assis- tion Network (IRIN) adds that Afghans are increas- tance (OFDA) will provide more than USD 47 million ingly willing to face financial risks and the danger- for emergency food assistance as well as humanitar- ous journey as „irregular migrants‟ with no legal ian coordination and information management. travel documents and therefore no rights to protect USAID/OFDA 2011 priorities for the provision of hu- them. Individuals interviewed by IRIN cited an un- manitarian assistance include: rapid response to certain future, fear of the return of the Taliban, pol- conflict and natural disasters, improved humanitar- lution and unemployment among their reasons for ian indicators and enhanced humanitarian coordina- leaving Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Afghan refugees in tion and data management. In related news, Refu- Iran may have the opportunity to attain legal status gees International published a new report entitled and work in the country, according to a Tolo News „Afghanistan: In a Time of Conflict‟ highlighting the interview with Iranian Minister of Labour Abdul worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Reza Sheikh-ul-Islami. This announcement came The report also discusses increasing numbers of dis- during the signing of an agreement between the placed persons and recommends reforms for funding Afghan Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs & and programme mechanisms. Disabled (MoLSAMD) and the Iranian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) for training and The number of Afghan asylum seekers is on the rise capacity building within the Afghan MoLSAMD. with a reported 26,800 Afghans requesting refugee (Comments? Click here) status in 2009, a 45% increase over 2008, according FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

INFRASTRUCTURE Steve Zyck, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4275 Back to top

Early in December, the Asian Development Bank Afghanistan. Speaking at the Second National Con- (ADB) announced that it plans to establish the Af- ference on Water Resources Development and Man- ghanistan Infrastructure Trust Fund (AITF). The agement in Afghanistan, the Acting Minister of Wa- Trust Fund will pool resources from the international ter and Energy noted that only one out of every community and the private sector in order to ad- seven hectares of agricultural land in the country is dress infrastructure needs which are too large and irrigated due to the poor state of water infrastruc- complex for any single institution to tackle alone. ture and water resource management. According to the ADB press release announcing the creation of the AITF, Afghanistan‟s current infra- In other news, NATO‟s International Security Assis- structure plans are estimated to cost at least USD 4 tance Force (ISAF) reported on a new airport being billion over the course of the next three years. built near Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh province. The airport is expected to be able to handle approximately Financing from the AITF may help avoid the sorts of 400,000 passengers per year, four times more than delays which, according to Tolo News, have affected the current airport can effectively manage. ISAF road construction in Afghanistan. Tolo News cites notes that the airport will also serve as a critical Afghan Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) officials means of importing items into Afghanistan and ex- who claim that many roads have been fully designed porting Afghan produce and products. but lack of funding, in addition to insecurity, has prevented construction from beginning. The MoPW The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) indicates that future progress on road construction has been commended for its contribution to the depends on the Afghan government‟s budget for the construction of 37 health centres across Afghani- coming year. stan between 2006 and 2009. The OIC is host to a „Fund for the Assistance of the Afghan People‟, Other Afghan government ministries appear to be which consolidates contributions from 57 OIC mem- making similar comments as the international com- ber states for, most notably, social infrastructure munity and Afghan government negotiate future projects. (Comments? Click here) levels of budgetary support. The Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), for instance, announced that USD 11 billion is needed for water projects across FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE 4

JUSTICE & RECONCILIATION Anne-Catherine Claude, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4368 Back to top

New statistics released by the British Foreign Office sponsible for training female recruits hailed the indicate that the Afghan National Police (ANP) force presence of women in the ANP as “a sign of pro- is losing around 20% of recruits every year. Accord- gress and development in Afghanistan.” Police offi- ing to The Guardian, the ANP lost more than 20,000 cials have called on more women to add to the se- officers over the past year due mainly to deaths, curity of their country by joining the force. desertions and dismissals. The article claims that the British government is concerned about the figures as The inaugural meeting of the High Peace Council, building a strong police force is part of their strategy chaired by Burhanuddin Rabbani, was held in Kan- and will also determine when British armed forces dahar City on 06 December with attendees includ- can leave Afghanistan. The article further highlights ing governors from Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul and that according to Lieutenant General William B. Cald- Helmand along with representatives from civil soci- well, the vast majority of ANP members still do not ety and the United Nations Assistance Mission in know the law they are responsible for enforcing. Afghanistan (UNAMA), reports Pajhwok Afghan Noor TV reports that during a press conference, the News. During the meeting, participants discussed a Afghan Minister of Interior also claimed that the viable mechanism for talks with insurgents who ful- number of police officers deserting their posts has filled the conditions set by the government. The increased, adding that eight districts are currently meeting also highlighted the need for participants out of ANP control. Meanwhile, the Associated Press to include local, national and international level ac- notes that a new TV show, “Eagle Four”, which is tors to ensure an inclusive reconciliation process. being followed by many Afghans, depicts the life of an elite unit of Kabul police that operate in an envi- Just days ahead of President Barack Obama‟s re- ronment free of corruption, brutality and drug addic- view of US strategy in Afghanistan, a group of inter- tion - issues frequently associated with the ANP. The national experts addressed a letter to the President show is being aired on Tolo TV and is seen as a urging him to drastically change his Afghanistan “great inspiration for all Afghan police.” strategy and to start negotiating directly with the Taliban, says Agence France Presse. According to Tolo TV also reports that police officials in northern the authors of the letter, among them researchers, Afghanistan have declared that the involvement of journalists and directors of non-governmental or- women and girls in the police force is making a dif- ganisations (NGOs), “the Taliban are a long-term ference, as they play an effective role in ensuring part of the Afghan political landscape and we need security and preventing family violations. The article to try and negotiate with them in order to reach a indicates that 16 women recently completed a train- diplomatic settlement (...) it is in our interests to ing course at the national police training centre in talk to them.” (Comments? Click here) northern Afghanistan. The main tasks of women who join the ANP include carrying out body searches FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE and preventing domestic violence. One officer re-

SECURITY Rens De Graaff, [email protected] /+1 757-683-4302 Back to top

A number of security incidents took place in Afghani- considered insurgent territory. stan over the course of the past week. One incident involving a suicide bomber in the Zhari district of Earlier in December, the Taliban claimed responsi- Kandahar province resulted in the death of six bility for another suicide attack that took place near troops, reports the Associated Press. The attack took shops located inside an Afghan army base in the place on Sunday, 12 December, when a minivan Gardez district of Paktia province, says AP. The at- located in front of a joint Afghan-NATO base was tack left two NATO service members and at least detonated. NATO has indicated that arrests have two civilians dead. The bomber was allegedly a been made, but AP notes that despite a number of „Taliban sleeper agent‟ who had joined the Afghan security improvements, the province is still far from army with the intent to kill coalition troops. safe. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred just days before US President The search for a senior Haqqani Network leader in Barack Obama is expected to release a review on Khost province has led to the arrest of at least 10 the US strategy in Afghanistan. Since September, suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) facili- NATO has been conducting operations to improve tators, reports the International Security Assistance the security in Zhari district; however this area is still Force (ISAF) Joint Command. According to the 5 news release, coalition troops acted on intelligence hended a suspected insurgent and were ap- reports which led them to conduct search operations proached by an armed man, who was shot by NATO in several compounds in the Terayzai district. ISAF forces. This action resulted in the engagement of adds that there were no reports of shots fired during more armed individuals, after which the exchange the operations. took place. On the same day, a car bomb outside a police headquarters in Kandahar province wounded The Taliban have claimed responsibility for a road- four Afghan policemen and two civilians. The Tali- side bomb that exploded on Friday, 10 December in ban claimed responsibility for another suicide Helmand province, AP reports. The explosion oc- bomber that blew up a stolen police car near an curred when a truck carrying villagers to a nearby army checkpoint in the Chahar Dara district of Kun- bazaar hit a improvised explosive device (IED) in the duz province. While the bomber was the only one Khan Neshin district. No further details were pro- killed in the attack, five Afghan soldiers and nine vided on the attack. Meanwhile, in Paktia province, civilians were injured. According to AP, Chahar Dara NATO is investigating an exchange of fire between is considered to be the most volatile district in coalition forces and an alleged private security com- northern Afghanistan. (Comments? Click here) pany, which lost seven members in the incident. The incident was initiated after NATO forces appre- FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE

SOCIAL WELL-BEING Erin Foster, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4233 Back to top

In recognition of International Human Rights Day on a concentrated epidemic among Injecting Drug Us- 10 December, the United Nations Assistance Mission ers (IDUs) and vulnerable populations such as pris- in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a human rights oners, migrants and displaced persons, reports report entitled „Harmful Traditional Practices and UNAMA. Dr. Suraya Dalil, the Acting Minister of Implementation of the Law on the Elimination of Public Health (MoPH), sought to raise awareness Violence against Women (EVAW) in Afghanistan‟. about the issue on World AIDS Day, calling for the The report found that practices such as child or prevention, treatment and care of all individuals forced marriage, „honour‟ killings and forced isolation affected by the disease in order to reach the millen- in the home, among others, are widespread in Af- nium development goals for HIV (see CFC SWB Re- ghanistan, despite being in direct violation of the port 4/10, The Millennium Development Goals). At EVAW law. Efforts to educate the public about EVAW the end of 2009 the Afghan government had regis- were undertaken in different parts of the country tered only 636 HIV cases, though actual numbers ahead of International Humanitarian Rights Day as are considered to be two to three times that num- part of the „16 Days of Activism for the Elimination ber; new estimates should be released in 2011. In of Violence against Women‟ campaign. Among other related news, health figures used to indicate suc- things, the campaign brought together religious cess in Afghanistan are being disputed by Dr. Dalil scholars in Laghman province to learn about the and a Representative of the World Health Organiza- EVAW law. The intention being that this information tion (WHO), says the Christian Science Monitor. The would then be made available to their mosques. The MoPH claims that health data has been misinter- Provincial Director of Women‟s Affairs in Khost also preted, namely that 85% of districts in Afghanistan called on religious leaders to educate their communi- have a health facility, leading some aid agencies ties on women‟s rights including the importance of and donors to suggest that 85% of people in Af- education for girls. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan In- ghanistan have access to health care. The most dependent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has recent National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment indicated an increase in the number of cases of vio- revealed that only 60% of Afghans have access to lence against women in Nangarhar province, though health care. The MoPH and WHO argue that such a this is seen as an indicator of more cases being re- discrepancy is detrimental to improving the health ported rather than an increase in violence. care system in Afghanistan. (Comments? Click here) While the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Afghanistan is currently rated as low, health officials warn that there is FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE

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