U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)
AFGHANISTAN: Local NGOs to set development priorities
13 December 2001


ISLAMABAD, 13 December (IRIN) - Efforts are underway to solicit Afghan
views on the priorities for recovery, ahead of a major pledging conference
due in Japan in late January. Some 27 Afghan NGOs, along with 200 others,
have been invited by a Japanese NGO consortium to attend a three-day
conference on reconstruction in the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Anwar-ul-Haq Jabbarkhail, Director of the NGO, Ibn-e-Sina, told IRIN that
there was good reason for early Afghan involvement. "Afghan NGOs have
tremendous experience and local knowledge. They survived the worst
circumstances and will mushroom if provided with assistance and support,"
he said.

With strong links to local communities, expertise in agriculture, demining
and health care, Afghan NGO's are well-placed to contribute to the future
rehabilitation of the country.

However, Jabbarkhail was concerned that the substantial funding that may
follow the donor meeting in January could have a corrupting influence on
local NGOs, some of which are not equipped to manage large budgets. Donors
should look closely at past track record, financial transparency and
accountability and whether NGOs were political in their actions, he said.

But another Afghan aid worker said the problem could be overcome by
boosting skills within existing local NGOs. "Intensive training aimed at
capacity building will enable the Afghan NGOs to absorb the promised
money," the aid worker told IRIN.

He added that in the long run, Afghan NGOs would take over from the many
international agencies currently involved in the crisis in Afghanistan.
"Their capacity building would not only reduce the prospects for
corruption but would prepare them for future roles," he said.

Government officials from Japan, US, Russia, Canada and Europe were also
attending the NGO conference as observers. UN agencies and the World Bank
have also sent representatives.

Meanwhile, earlier this week the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) organised a two-day round table conference in Belgium on Afghan
women's role in recovery of the country. The 40 Afghan women attending the
conference agreed on an action plan to ensure that women were central to
any post-conflict reconstruction.

In her concluding speech, executive director of UNIFEM, Noeleen Heyzer,
told participants that the rebuilding process would suffer without the
leadership of women.

"We cannot have a situation where warlords are brought to the table and
not women. We cannot have a situation where leadership is seen in terms of
arms, and not in terms of the courage that the women have shown," she
said.


IRIN-Asia
Tel: +92-51-2211451
Fax: +92-51-2292918
Email: IrinAsia@irin.org.pk

[This Item is Delivered to the "Asia-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or to
change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this
item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Central Asia                  www.cidi.org/humanitarian/hsr/centralasia