Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan Bashirullah Najimi Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan
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Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan Bashirullah Najimi Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan Aid, Transparency and Accountability Bashirullah Najimi Toronto, ON, Canada ISBN 978-3-319-74976-1 ISBN 978-3-319-74977-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74977-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018931385 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover pattern © Harvey Loake Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland I dedicate this book to the victims of gender discrimination and those who struggle for gender equality. The inspiration to write this book came from Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, who showed his commitment to gender equality by introducing the first-ever gender-balanced cabinet in history. Political commitment and support are vital for gender equality, accountability, and transparency. FOREWORD Gender equality and women’s empowerment have always been my passion, and they have been part of the Afghan government’s commitment and the interest of the international community that provides financial assistance for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. However, it is a fact that gender inequality in Afghanistan is higher than in other countries, especially in the region. Four decades of war, political instability, the pres- ence of extremist groups in the region, the influence of warlords, the cul- ture of impunity, and international terrorism have had a huge impact on the social mindset and behavior in this regard. As an Afghan women’s rights defender and legislator, I have been working for the promotion and protection of women’s rights and empow- erment through advocacy for gender-balanced national budgeting and women’s political participation and legislation along with my civil society and political partners. Gender and public participation in the development process are very important issues everywhere but are more important for the Afghan nation today as the country is struggling for its physical and social reconstruction; unfortunately, very few scholars have written about these issues. I am pleased that Mr. Bashirullah Najimi is producing this book, Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan: Aid, Transparency and Accountability, from which professionals and non-professionals alike will get extensive viewpoints about these issues in Afghanistan. Through my work as an MP in the Afghan Parliament, I have met the author, who worked with us as Budget Advisor to the Parliament’s Budget and Finance Commission. The author has the necessary experience and vii viii FOREWORD knowledge of the social and cultural dynamics to analyze such complex issues regarding development in Afghanistan. I believe this book will help policymakers and women’s rights activists in their work in mainstreaming gender into planning, budgeting, and policymaking for social and physical development in the country. The book also highlights the importance of analysis on gender issues in the country from a holistic view, including social, cultural, institutional, and economic perspectives. Other important points in this book are the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders and ways in which they can work together for the promotion of gender equality and participatory budgeting, planning, and decision-making processes. I am glad to see Afghan scholars write about Afghanistan for an inter- national audience. I hope this book will trigger further research interests and projects for the benefit of women’s empowerment and gender equal- ity in Afghanistan. Afghanistan Embassador in Canada Shinkai Karokhail 23 December 2016 PREFACE It was an honor to have the opportunity to write this book on Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan: Implications for Aid, Transparency, and Accountability. It is hoped that this will highlight some of the main issues regarding gender and public participation in the budget process in Afghanistan, something not known to many citizens there. Few Afghans are well educated in development science and economy. This book is based on desk research and experience of my many years working with the public sector and international organizations, especially the work I have done with the Government of Afghanistan and the International Budget Partnership in Washington, D.C., where as a Program Officer I worked with local civil society organizations (CSOs) in Asian countries, including Afghanistan, on the evaluation of budget open- ness and public participation in the budget process. I was one of the privi- leged Afghans who got the opportunity to receive an education up to a master’s degree (in economics and finance, in 2005). Then I got the opportunity to work in the Afghan Ministry of Finance and with national and international experts having the task of reforming Afghanistan’s pub- lic finance system, introducing public participation in the budget process as well as making the Afghan budget more gender-sensitive. At that time, few in Afghanistan knew the terms “gender” and “public participation” and what these terms should imply technically. Some of us became inter- ested in exploring these terms and their implications for transparency and accountability of the government’s budget. After comparing the process of budgeting in Afghanistan with bud- geting process of other countries, I noticed how much importance and ix x PREFACE resources other countries allocate the issues of “gender” and “public par- ticipation” and how different countries were able to overcome some of the obstacles that currently exists in Afghanistan. Gender and public partici- pation are vital for an effective public finance system and have significant implications for any development activities in any social setup. Having the opportunity to study further, I decided to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in International Development and this further inspired me to study the context of gender and public participation. In this book, I share my insights and experiences with gender and pub- lic participation in the budgeting and planning process in Afghanistan, which could be useful for those audiences who are new to this subject. This book will assist policymakers, national and international development practitioners, CSOs, legislatures, government employees, and students to understand the overall framework and structure of budgeting and plan- ning in Afghanistan and the role of different stakeholders in making it gender-sensitive, participatory, open, and transparent. Unfortunately, very little research exists on gender and public participation in Afghanistan; I believe this is the first book on the topic and I hope it will raise questions and interest for further research on Afghanistan, gender and public par- ticipation in the development of Afghanistan and their role in account- ability and transparency. Toronto, ON, Canada Bashirullah Najimi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this book would not have been possible without the valuable assistance and motivation of my family, colleagues, friends, and experts in different topics who kindly provided feedback and actively participated in scholarly discussion regarding women’s empowerment, culture, and public participation in Afghanistan; their valuable input and comments helped to further enrich this book. I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to my family and friends and Ms. Jennifer Fox, an international budget expert who has worked in several develop- ing countries as a budget advisor, for reviewing the book and sharing her thoughts, especially on the role of legislature in public participation and foreign aid. Finally, I want to express my appreciation and thanks to Dr. Abdul Wasi Najimi, who kindly reviewed the entire manuscript, pro- vided valuable comments, and helped me in its initial edit. It was his support and encouragement that motivated me to successfully complete the book. xi CONTENTS 1 Gender and Participation 1 Participation 3 Benefits of Public Participation 5 Stages of Public Participation 6 What Is Gender? 7 Gender Equality in Afghanistan 8 Women’s Economic Empowerment 8 Why Women’s Economic Empowerment