Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan Bashirullah Najimi Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan

Aid, Transparency and Accountability Bashirullah Najimi Toronto, ON, Canada

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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 culture 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 empowerment 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 international audience. I hope this book will trigger further research interests and projects for the benefit of women’s empowerment and gender equality 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 public 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 budgeting process of other countries, I noticed how much importance and

ix x PREFACE resources other countries allocate the issues of “gender” and “public participation” and how different countries were able to overcome some of the obstacles that currently exists in Afghanistan. Gender and public participation 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 public 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 planning 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 participation in the development of Afghanistan and their role in accountability 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 developing 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, provided 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 Is Important 9 Foundations of Women’s Empowerment in Afghanistan 11 Bibliography 13

2 Budget and Budgeting Process 15 Budgeting Process 19 Budget Formulation 19 Budget Approval 21 Budget Execution 21 Budget Oversight 22 Key Budget Documents 23 National Development Strategy 24 National Priority Programs 26 Main Challenges in the Budgeting Process 27 Bibliography 29

xiii xiv Contents

3 Access to Information 31 Access to Budget Information 33 Provincial-Level Budgetary Information 37 Government Public Outreach 38 Role of Donors and International Organizations in Public Access to Information 39 Bibliography 42

4 Public Participation Mechanisms and Challenges 43 Elections 44 Complaint and Suggestion Boxes and Phones 46 Public Meetings or Gatherings 46 Elders Meeting with Government 47 Public Protests 47 Internet and Social Media 48 Citizen Participation in Monitoring and Evaluation 50 Citizen Report Card 50 Social Audit 51 Mystery Client Surveys 52 Participation Mechanisms Challenges 53 Bibliography 56

5 Status of Public Participation in Planning, Budgeting and Oversight 57 Status of Public Participation in Planning 59 Status of Participation in Budgeting 61 Provincial Development Committees and Plans 63 Provincial Councils 64 District- and Community-Level Councils 65 Provincial Municipalities 66 Budgetary Reforms 67 Misperception About Public Participation 68 Bibliography 69

6 Gender-Responsive Budgeting 71 History of Gender-Responsive Budgeting 73 Goals and Benefits of Gender-Responsive Budgeting 74 Women’s Participation in Planning and Budgeting 75 Contents xv

Gender-Responsive Budgeting Progress in Afghanistan 76 Raising Women’s Expectation Needs to Be Proportional to Ground Realities 79 Gender-Responsive Budgeting Challenges 80 Bibliography 82

7 Role of the Executive Branch in Gender and Public Participation 85 Ministry of Finance 88 Ministry of Women’s Affairs 89 Supreme Audit Office 90 Ministry of Economy 91 Central Statistics Organization 92 Independent Directorate of Local Governance 93 Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ulama Council 94 Bibliography 96

8 Role of the Legislature in Gender and Public Participation 97 Representation 98 Legislation 100 Parliamentary Oversight 102 General Secretariats of the Parliament 103 Gender and Legislature 104 Participation and Legislature 105 Misuse of Parliamentary Power 108 Bibliography 109

9 Role of Civil Society Organizations and Media in Gender and Public Participation in Afghanistan 111 Role of CSOs in the Budget Process 113 Civil Society Organizations and Gender 115 Role of CSOs in Decision Making and Lobbying 117 Challenges Faced by Civil Society Organizations 118 Role of the Media in Public Participation 119 Development Under Insurgency 120 Bibliography 123 xvi Contents

10 Eradicating Corruption 125 Sources of Corruption 127 Combating Corruption 129 Role of Women in Combating Corruption 132 Challenges in Combating Corruption 132 Afghan-US Compact 136 Bibliography 137

Glossary 139

Bibliography 143

Index 149 About the Author

Bashirullah Najimi is an expert in International Development and has worked extensively in Public Sector Budgets and Foreign Aid Management and Analysis with a focus on Asia. Najimi worked for the International Budget Partnership in Washington, D.C., where he monitored Asian countries’ budgets, in the years of 2011–2013. Earlier, Najimi had worked as Economic and Budget Advisor with the Afghan Parliament; as Senior Budget Analyst with the Government of Dubai, UAE; and as Officer in Budget Policy Coordination and Reporting with the Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, seconded by the United Nations Development Program. Najimi holds a Postgraduate Diploma in International Development from the Centennial College of Toronto, Canada, and a Master’s Degree in Economics and Finance from the International Islamic University of Islamabad, Pakistan. He is the author of a book [in Pashto]: De mo’aser Islami eqtesad Pezhandana (Knowing Modern Islamic Economics), Peshawar, 1385 sh (2006 CE).

xvii Abbreviations

AFMIS Afghanistan Financial Management Information System ANDS Afghanistan National Development Strategy ANSF Afghan National Security Forces CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women CSO Civil Society Organization DAD Donors Assistance Database FAO Food and Agricultural Organization GAD Gender and Development GIFT Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency GRB Gender Responsive Budgeting IBP International Budget Partnership IDLG Independent Directorate of Local Governance IMF International Monetary Fund KPIs Key Performance Indicators MDGs Millennium Development Goals MJ Meshrano Jirga MoEc Ministry of Economy MoF Ministry of Finance MoWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs MP Member of Parliament MRRD Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development MYR Mid-Year Review NAPWA National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

xix xx Abbreviations

NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations NPA National Procurement Authority NPPs National Priority Programs NSP National Solidarity Program OBS Open Budget Survey PDC Provincial Development Committee PDP Provincial Development Plan PFEML Public Finance and Expenditure Management Law SAO Supreme Audit Office SIGAR Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction UNDP United Nations Development Program USAID United States Agency for International Development WHO World Health Organization WID Women in Development WJ Wolesi Jirga Introduction

Many observers wonder why billions of dollars in foreign aid spent in Afghanistan during the last 16 years have not made a considerable impact on good governance, poverty reduction, gender equality, and human rights. Still around 36 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, gender inequality is very high, and Afghanistan remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world. One of the reasons for this is that the responsible authorities have failed to establish an accountable and transparent government. There are strong arguments for blaming the Afghan government or international donors/organizations providing aid for policies resulting in failures in security, infrastructure, and economic development; however, the blame itself cannot do much for the Afghan nation except make us all more depressed. It is important to look for the root causes of the problems. One of the key causes of these problems, I believe, is weak public participation in planning and budgeting and delivery of services to the people. The Afghan government and its international financial supporters have failed to fulfill expectations of the Afghan people and to spend billions of dollars in a transparent and effective way. This book discusses, within the context of budgeting and planning, the role of gender and participation, two interconnected issues in these processes, and explores how these could better promote accountability and transparency. The book includes examples of good practices in gender and participation from the international perspective and to what extent they could be applied in Afghanistan. The book is arranged in 10 chapters. The first chapter introduces the concepts of “gender” and “public participation”. The second chapter introduces

xxi xxii INTRODUCTION the budgeting process in Afghanistan today. The third and fourth chapters discuss the importance of access to information and mechanisms for public engagement. The fifth chapter discusses the status of public participation in budgeting, planning, and oversight. The sixth chapter explores gender- responsive budgeting. The subsequent chapters elaborate on the roles of key stakeholders (executive and legislative branches and civil society organizations) in gender and participation. The final chapter discusses corruption, how it could be eradicated through public engagement, and the role of women in combating corruption. In this book, I make an effort to discuss, in a holistic manner, the issues of gender, public participation, culture, foreign aid, accountability, and transparency versus corruption with a focus on Afghanistan. It is anticipated that readers will benefit from this book by learning more about the following:

• The complex socioeconomic and cultural environment of fragile countries like Afghanistan • The overall picture of interrelated issues of gender and participation in relation to foreign aid, accountability, and transparency • The roles of the executive and legislative branches and civil society organizations in mainstreaming gender into the budgeting and planning processes and enhancing public participation.

One could be an expert in a particular field, but working in aid- dependent developing countries with a high level of gender inequality and corruption requires additional knowledge of issues in gender, public participation, accountability, and transparency—regardless of whether one is working in the public sector or for a non-governmental organization. This book also supports a bottom-up approach by encouraging social activists and citizens to work with responsible stakeholders whose policies have implications for women’s empowerment, the eradication of corruption, and improved service delivery. The initial chapters of the book introduce basic concepts in the planning, budgeting, and decision-making processes of Afghanistan for readers less familiar with Afghanistan and its overall governance and public finance system. Readers who are more familiar with Afghanistan and its government and decision-making processes may want to focus on the later chapters of the book. Most of the technical terms used in the book are explained within the text, and a glossary of some technical terms appears at the end of the book for further information and clarification.