AFGHANISTAN RESEARCH AND EVALUATION UNIT Research for a Better Afghanistan Governance in Afghanistan: An Introduction PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT March 25, 2014 Note: In “Governance in Afghanistan: An Introduction”, published by AREU in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in March 2014, Aarya Nijat provides a critical overview of governance in Afghanistan, with a particular focus on administration and justice. Afghanistan is not new to governance reform. But the establishment of a sound system of public administration is a long-term process depending on strong, sustained and coordinated partnership between and within the Afghan government and the international community. Government reform implementation requires an accurate understanding of the Afghan context which is characterized by difficult geography, ethnic divisions, religious supremacy, a young demographic, patriarchal society, authority-driven leadership practices and continued conflict. Strong informal, feudal, top-down governance mechanisms overwhelm the on-paper appearance of the Afghan government where patronage trumps law enforcement. This paper, with a critical overview of the governance in Afghanistan, focusing in particular on administration and justice, offers an introduction to basic elements of Afghan governance including the institutional, legal and policy frameworks, most recent developments in the field, persistent challenges and recommendations for a way forward. The purpose of this paper is to inform the evaluation of recent work and advise programme strategies for the next three to five years. Given the plethora of existing material on the achievements of the past 12 years including, but not limited to, Afghan Government reports on the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework Indicators, the paper has an intentional focus on identifying gaps and thus may sound discouraging on the subject of progress to date. Therefore, it is important to underline from the outset the significance of the journey that Afghan governance has taken, which would not have been possible without the collective and consistent work of Afghans and their international partners, a partnership that will remain at the heart of development efforts during the decade of transformation. The recommendations of this paper underline the need to question assumptions and to revisit the challenge analysis lens, understand Afghan priorities and cultural context, adopt a whole-ofgovernment approach by helping clarify institutional roles on capacity building, engage in smart investments as opposed to frozen, support anti-corruption efforts by strengthening law enforcement and promoting the culture of organized associations, bridge the rural-urban divide, identify and acknowledge the losses resulting from reform, and build the capacity of civil society as both the people’s friend and the government’s partner. “Governance in Afghanistan: An Introduction” is available for download at: areu.org.af/EditionDetails.aspx?EditionId=726&ContentId=7&ParentId=7 ________________________________________________________________________________________ About AREU The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) is an independent research organisation based in Kabul. AREU’s mission is to inform and influence policy and practice through conducting high-quality, policy-relevant research and actively disseminating the results, and to promote a culture of research and learning. To achieve its mission AREU engages with policymakers, civil society, researchers, and students to promote their use of AREU’s research and its library, to strengthen their research capacity, and to create opportunities for analysis, reflection, and debate. AREU was established in 2002 by the assistance community working in Afghanistan. For copy requests and enquiries related to publications, contact: Phone: +93 (0) 799 608 548 Email: [email protected] With questions and enquiries on the report, contact Deputy Director of Communications and Advocacy Mir Ahmad Joyenda: Phone: +93 (0)700276637 Email: [email protected] Website: areu.org.af
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:14:32 +0000
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