1. Context
Following 17 years of civil war and proxy wars, and a further six years under the Islamist Taliban regime, Afghanistan was seen as a classic example of a ‘failed state’ – on its knees politically, economically and socially. The improvements achieved so far in the education, water and health sectors and with respect to women’s participation in social and political life have been remarkable, but they have almost exclusively benefited the people of Kabul and those in the north and to some extent the west of the country. Afghanistan is still a long way away from seeing a countrywide improvement in living conditions for the population as a whole.
In Afghanistan – especially in rural areas – there are severe infrastructural shortcomings which the country is in no position to redress through its own means. This is equally true of public institutions, such as law courts, assembly halls and schools, as it is of transport infrastructure (roads, paths and bridges). Faced with this shortage of functioning infrastructure, the public administrations and service providers in the provinces are unable to deliver the level of services to the Afghan people that would be necessary to ensure the civil reconstruction of the country.
2. Objective
The local administrations and public authorities in the Afghan provinces of Badakhshan, Balkh, Kunduz and Takhar have at their disposal the physical infrastructure they need for the better fulfilment of their statutory tasks, above all the delivery of basic services to the population.
3. Approach
On behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office, GIZ is assisting local partners in the Afghan provinces of Badakhshan, Balkh, Kunduz and Takhar in the planning of construction projects. Coordination meetings are regularly held with provincial and district governors, mayors, local administrations and local councils. As a rule, the individual measures are completed within the space of a year. In all the projects, local building companies and consultants are involved in the planning and construction work. GIZ provides structural engineering support and quality assurance.
As far as possible, all the building projects use locally available building materials and construction techniques, while consciously eschewing imported materials. In this way, it possible to achieve a high standard of building work at locally appropriate prices. Moreover, after completion of the projects, local skilled workers and project partners are able to perform subsequent maintenance and repairs efficiently and inexpensively.
The project partners are closely involved in the entire process of planning and execution. This ensures they develop the necessary capacities early on that will later enable them to operate and maintain their respective items of infrastructure. In the case of projects in rural areas, the local councils are directly integrated into the planning process. This transparent approach engenders trust and allows GIZ to use the construction measures as a way of contributing directly to the improvement of living conditions, even in remote and problematic regions of the country.
4. Results
All the projected measures have been successfully planned and completed, or are under construction in the case of projects planned for the current year. The projects already completed are now being used for their intended purpose by the local partners.
Measures completed in the province of Takhar include faculty and library buildings for the University of Takhar, a sports facility on the university campus, an assembly hall for the local population and a modern courthouse.
Among the finished building projects in Kunduz are three girls’ schools, offices for the provincial administration, sports and leisure facilities, and several newly built and reconstructed road connections throughout the province.
These construction measures have brought demonstrable improvements in terms of people’s access to basic services. For example, thanks to the completed infrastructure, the number of male and female school pupils and students in educational institutions has risen. Public meetings now take place several times a week, helping to ensure local people are free to form their own opinions on key issues. Law courts in the provinces have been able to significantly increase the number of cases they deal with. Many villages now have secure access to markets and to the provinces’ major towns – even during the harsh winter months.