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USAID/OTI Afghanistan Field Report

November 2004

Program Description

USAID/OTI is increasing citizen awareness of and confidence in the process of recovery, rehabilitation and democratic political development in post-conflict Afghanistan. This is being accomplished by:

• Increasing the Afghan government’s responsiveness to citizens’ needs;
• Increasing citizen awareness of and participation in democratic processes; and,
• Increasing the capacity of the Afghan media.

OTI’s rapid support for activities in Afghanistan’s transition period helps establish credibility and space for longer-term development assistance. Working with central and provincial governments, national and international NGOs, informal community groups and media outlets, OTI identifies and supports critical initiatives that facilitate implementation of the Bonn Agreement, which was designed to move the country further along the continuum from war to peace.

The OTI/Afghanistan program started in October 2001 and is scheduled to end in June 2005. Its funds come from various sources, including Transition Initiative Funds (TI), International Disaster Assistance Funds (IDA), Development Assistance Funds (DA) and State Department Economic Support Funds (ESF). Projects are funded in 31 provinces of the country. OTI’s current implementing partners are the International Organization for Migration-Afghanistan Transition Initiative (IOM-ATI) and Internews. IOM-ATI offices are located in Kabul, Bamyan, Gardez, Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz, Maimana and Mazar. Previous USAID/OTI partners included the Voice of America (VOA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Ronco.

Country Situation

Hamid Karzai Confirmed as the Winner of Afghanistan’s First Ever Presidential Elections – As the ballots cast in Afghanistan’s first ever presidential elections were being counted, several candidates initiated formal protest actions. The candidates called for a boycott, citing discrepancies and procedural inconsistencies including the efficacy of the indelible ink used to mark voters’ thumbnails after casting their vote. The Joint Electoral Management Board (JEMB) formed a committee to investigate the candidates’ allegations. These allegations were investigated and resolved without dispute. On November 3, Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of the presidential elections with more than 55 percent of the vote.

Soon after the declaration, speculation about the emerging cabinet began. While no official announcements were expected until after the December 7 inauguration, political commentators, journalists and the general public have all offered different observations about potential cabinet members and new presidential appointments. Most commentators project that the cabinet will change significantly under the new government. With little more than one month to plan the inauguration, President Karzai’s staff and government officials solicited assistance from the international community in planning and hosting the inaugural festivities.

Counter Narcotics Programs Take Center Stage as Latest Poppy Production Figures are Released – In mid-November, the United Nations warned that Afghanistan might degenerate into a narco-state. Citing a UN survey which documents a 64 percent increase in poppy production over last year, United Nations representatives warned that the drug production problems threaten the political and military successes of the last three years. The U.S. announced a new comprehensive counter narcotics program, which includes eradication, interdiction and alternative livelihoods efforts. USAID is the lead agency on Alternative Livelihoods and launched the new initiative in November. OTI staff assisted the Mission in the design and implementation of the program’s first phase.

Overall Security Situation Improving, While New Challenges Emerge in the Capital City – Analysts believe that the largely peaceful election last month dealt a strong blow to the Taliban movement, weakening their power base and restricting their capabilities. Coalition analysts also noted significantly fewer security incidents during the Ramadan season; they attribute the steady improvement in security to the growing strength and capacity of Afghan security forces. Amid these improvements were new challenges to security, particularly in the capital city. However, because of the abduction of three UN elections workers, who were held for nearly a month, United Nations agencies, international organizations and the US Embassy increased security and further restricted staff movements. While the hostages were released unharmed, security analysts are concerned that such kidnappings might become a more common tactic for insurgents in Afghanistan.

USAID/OTI Highlights

A. Narrative Summary

Students of Khinj High School sing a traditional Afghan song of welcome for the government representatives and local residents at the ceremony.

USAID/OTI Facilitates Government and Community Action for Reconstruction in Panjshir Province – Carved out of a deep valley between Kabul and Parwan Provinces, Panjshir became Afghanistan’s newest province this summer. In response to this development, OTI assisted the newly appointed local and provincial governments in assessing and meeting their communities’ reconstruction needs. A new water supply system for Khinj High School is among the seven quick impact grants targeting Panjshir Province.

The students, teachers and parents of Khinj High School celebrated the newly constructed water supply system at a ceremony that included representatives from the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), the provincial government and OTI’s implementing partner. “You have made a real difference to our school,” said Abdul Basir, the school’s director. “USAID has been very generous and will always be welcome here.”

As part of the grants, the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (RRD) and residents of Panjshir province near the various Panjshir projects all participated in the project development and implementation process. This has allowed the local residents and provincial government officials forge a positive working relationship with the national government. “The people of Panjshir are very grateful for the help they have been given,” said the head of RRD, Engineer Abdul Qahar Sharif. “But most of all, the help has made my job a lot easier. I can reach out and speak with villagers more easily now.” The remaining Panjshir grants include construction of bridges, reconstruction of irrigation canals and other water sanitation activities.

USAID/OTI Supported Radio Stations – Since 2002 OTI has supported the establishment of 31 independent FM radio stations operating within two independent satellite networks. There are plans for another 10 stations to be established by spring 2005. In November, three OTI-supported stations graduated from repeater-operations to full-fledged stations complete with production capability. The stations in Maimana (Faryb Province), Malistan (Ghozni Province) and Paghman (Kabul Province) now have full studios, staff and production capacity. These stations are currently expanding their programming, hours of operation and staff training.

Ambassador Khalilzad conversing with journalists and trainers at Pajhwok.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad opens Pajhwok, an independent Afghan News Agency – U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and the Minister of Information and Culture, Raheen, launched the USAID-funded Pajhwok Afghan News, an independent news agency developed by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. The news agency has been provisionally operational for three months and recently received a license from the Ministry of Information and Culture. Pajhwok is producing 15 to 20 stories per day in three languages. The visit included a tour of the facility, conversations between the Ambassador, the Minister and employees, an exclusive interview with the Ambassador and comments to the entire news agency and assembled media. Pajhwok employs over 100 people including an editorial staff of 80 and operates four regional bureaus (Mazar, Kandahar, Herat, and Jalalabad) in addition to its Kabul headquarters.

Private, Independent Television Station Challenges Cultural Norms – In its second month of operation, USAID-supported Tolo TV has generated much discussion and debate about television and media content. Much like Arman FM, Afghanistan’s most popular independent FM station, founded by the same entrepreneurs, Tolo TV broadcasts a mix of programming including some music entertainment and internationally syndicated line-ups. This programming was deemed ‘un-Islamic’ by some officials. Tolo TV modified the broadcasts during Ramadan and quickly resolved the content issues with the Ministry of Information and Culture and returned to the airwaves. Tolo has rapidly expanded broadcast hours from the initial two to three hours daily to six hours daily. The station is producing two half hour newscasts each day; one in Dari and the other in Pashtu. Tolo recently hosted the U.S. Ambassador for a half-hour interview program and broadcast a roundtable discussion on the media sector in Afghanistan.

Media Partners Engaged in USAID’s Strategy Process – USAID/OTI media partners have actively participated in several roundtables and workshops to discuss and shape the emerging USAID strategy for assistance in Afghanistan. The media partners have worked very closely with colleagues in the Mission’s Democracy and Governance team to define the development challenges for the growing media sector. Discussions have focused on the need to better define the regulatory framework and create an enabling environment for professional media.

Peace in Afghanistan Poster Contest – As part of OTI’s media and civic education program, 2,000 Kabul high school students participated in the ‘Peace in Afghanistan” poster contest. Students from two male and two female high schools in the capital were invited to illustrate a peaceful Afghanistan with high quality art supplies provided as part of the grant. Each school selected ten finalists and this week the five winning images were chosen. The finalists’ images were evaluated according to the depiction of peace in Afghanistan today, recognition of Afghanistan’s past and artistic merit. The judges, including representatives from the Ministries of Education and Information and Culture and USAID, gathered at one of the high schools to recognize each student’s participation. All 40 finalists received a solar-powered study lantern. The top three finalists received computers and the five winning images will be printed and distributed to schools nationwide.

B. Grant Activity Summary

OTI/Afghanistan summary of cleared and completed activities in November and since program start-up:

Grant	Activity	Beneficiaries
National
IOMAFG145	Monitoring and Evaluation of Media throughout Afghanistan	Results of the surveys and in-depth evaluations of various media outlets and information sources in Afghanistan will further refine and shape media development programming and indirectly benefit listeners and readers.
IOMAFG146	Novice Journalism Training Program in Nangarhar, Kandahar and Khost Provinces	60 students in the faculties of journalism in Nangarhar, Khost and Kandahar Universities will directly benefit from the revised curriculum and participation in the training program. In the second class of novice journalists, 60 students are expected to enroll in each program.
Mazar Field Office
IOMMZR076	Establishment of Printing Press at Balkh University, Balkh Province	Direct beneficiaries include the six students and two professionals who work at the printing press; indirect beneficiaries include the citizens of Mazar-e-Sharif who will be able to access printing services in their community.

C. Indicators of Success

Greater Collaboration with Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT’s) Yields First Proposals – Following an OTI field visit with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team in southern Afghanistan, OTI actively pursued a closer working relationship with newly assigned USAID and State PRT representatives, particularly those in the South and Southeast. These relationships have been strengthened through an additional, follow-on field visit conducted as part of the mid-term evaluation and through the PRT-Commanders Conference held in Kabul this month. The conference provided an opportunity for OTI staff to spend time with many PRT representatives and discuss project ideas. The PRT representatives have been developing new project proposals for communities in these difficult to reach areas, where reconstruction resources and confidence in local government are lacking. Several of these project ideas have now been submitted as proposals for OTI review. The greater collaboration and communication with PRT’s will not only expand the reach of OTI assistance in the highest priority areas, but will also facilitate improved monitoring and evaluation in these insecure areas.

D. Program Appraisal

OTI Approach and Lessons Learned are in Demand - a Clear Program Endorsement – As OTI prepares for close-out, the USAID Mission and the U.S. Embassy have solicited “lessons learned” from the OTI experience. These lessons have been shared as part of the strategy process and have been germane to the design of the Alternative Livelihoods initiative. OTI’s responsiveness and flexibility have been highlighted as strengths and assets which the Mission would like to retain after the program close-out in June 2005. OTI national staff have been recognized as exemplary professionals and other offices within the Mission are eager to recruit them for their teams. Indicative of OTI’s success, the Mission is actively exploring mechanisms and means to retain the flexibility and responsiveness in dynamic situations that OTI has provided.

NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES

During December 2004, USAID/OTI will:

• Continue working toward program close-out, scheduled for June 2005;
• Provide support for Afghanistan’s first Presidential Inauguration and several U.S. Congressional Delegations;
• Initiate a comprehensive evaluation and inspections of the Provincial Women’s Centers in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and USAID’s Infrastructure Office.

For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Elizabeth Callender, USAID/OTI/ANE Program Manager, Tel: 202-712-4078, ecallender@usaid.gov