USAID/OTI Support for Afghanistan Media
Background
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has given priority to support for Afghan media as part of its broader strategy to support the democratic transition in Afghanistan. To date, OTI has committed nearly $3 million to projects that directly affect media in Afghanistan.
OTI's New Initiatives Supporting the Afghan Transition
- Creating Independent Radio: OTI provided a grant of more than $200,000 to Afghan entrepreneurs starting Afghanistan's first independent, non-state-owned radio station for Kabul. The station is expected to begin broadcasting by the middle of December 2002.
- Improving Broadcast News: OTI granted the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) $85,000 to begin training reporters and editors of the Bakhtar Information Agency writing news copy for radio broadcasts.
OTI's Ongoing Support to the Afghan Transition (January 2002 - October 2002)
OTI has developed initiatives that respond to emerging needs in governance and media.
- Building Journalistic Capacity: OTI gave Internews an $1.1 million grant to build the capacity of local broadcast media, including hands-on training in producing balanced and accurate reporting, technical support, upgrades of equipment, and development of a media policy and regulatory framework.
- Rebuilding National Broadcasting: The national radio station of Afghanistan, Radio Afghanistan, began broadcasting nationwide in May 2002, with OTI technical and financial support valued at more than $500,000. A satellite terminal has been installed at Radio Afghanistan, linking Radio Afghanistan's programming signal to offshore short-wave transmitters that broadcast the station's programming throughout Afghanistan.
- Media Support for the Loya Jirga and Bonn Process: OTI awarded grants for more than $200,000 to NGOs, including Internews, AINA, and Media Support Solutions to provide support to Radio Afghanistan and the Loya Jirga Commission. Grants target the production of radio programs and other materials to educate the public and provided coverage of the Loya Jirga, Afghanistan's traditional process for selecting a national government.
- Enhance Public Information Capacity: OTI has supported the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan (ITGA) by providing a full-time public information office and personnel to President Karzai, enhancing the President's and Government's capacity to communicate with the people of Afghanistan.
OTI's Support for Humanitarian Information (October 2001 - October 2002)
Responding to rapidly unfolding events, OTI designed a program to support the development of relevant and timely information on humanitarian assistance for the Afghan population, particularly internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups. Activities under this program include:
- Voice of America Enhanced Programming: OTI signed a series of agreements with VOA for more than $300,000 which provided salary and communications support to reporters on the ground in the region and Afghanistan, thus significantly expanding the capacity of VOA's Dari and Pashtu broadcasts.
- Afghanistan Emergency Information Project: OTI signed an agreement with the International Organization of Migration (IOM) to prepare a daily humanitarian information bulletin for radio broadcast. In addition, IOM has procured and distributed 30,000 radios in 11 provinces across Afghanistan. They have also provided $280,000 in small grants to Afghan NGOs, including support to newspapers, to encourage better communication and exchange of information.
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