AFGHANISTAN: THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND OUR FUTURE

Transcription

1 AFGHANISTAN: THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND OUR FUTURE

2 Table of Content 1. Afghanistan In the Heart of Asia 2. Demographic Facts about Afghanistan 3. Afghanistan s Historical Timeline 4. From Transition to Transformation (2001-present) 5. Reforming Afghanistan

3 Afghanistan - In the Heart of Asia

4 Demographic Facts about Afghanistan Official Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Capital: Kabul Population: 33,332,000 (est. 2016) Official languages: Dari & Pashto Provinces: 34 Ethnicities: Aimak, Baloch, Hazara, Tajik, Turkmen, Pashtun, Uzbek, and others Neighbors: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

5 Afghanistan s Historical Timeline A chronology of key moments in Afghanistan s history since creation Wakhan

6 Historical Timeline 1747: Ahmad Shah Durrani declares the establishment of an independent Afghanistan : First Anglo-Afghan War : Second Anglo-Afghan War 1919: Third Anglo-Afghan War August 19, 1919: The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 is signed and Afghanistan is declared independent : King Amanullah has many failed attempts at introducing social reforms and flees the country in s: The beginning of the four-decade monarchy of King Zahir Shah; Afghanistan is experiencing a progressive era : General Mohammed Daud is the prime minister and turns to the Soviet Union for economic and military assistance

7 December 1979-February 1989: Soviet-Afghan War and Soviet occupation of Afghanistan : Afghan Civil War and the collapse of the Communist government of President Najibullah : Afghan Civil War, the spread of Taliban control and Northern Alliance holding onto northern Afghanistan : Taliban regime Historical Timeline (continued) October 2001: US-led invasion of Afghanistan to dismantle the Taliban regime December 2001: The Bonn Agreement on an interim government; Hamid Karzai sworn in as head of the interim government June 2002: Loya Jirga (the grand council) elects Hamid Karzai as interim head of state

8 Historical Timeline (continued) 2004: Loya Jirga adopts new constitution; Hamid Karzai is declared winner in the presidential elections September 2005: Afghans vote in first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years August 2009: President Karzai is elected for a second term in the 2009 presidential elections December 2009: US President Obama boosts US troops in Afghanistan by 30,000, bringing the total to 100,000 July 2012: Tokyo donor conference pledges $16 billion in civilian aid to Afghanistan up to 2016, with the US, Japan, Germany and the UK supplying the bulk; the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) is presented

9 First Democratic Transition of Power in the History of Afghanistan The 2014 presidential elections witnessed an unprecedented voter turnout by both Afghan women and men The highly contested elections and a following peaceful resolution led to the creation of Afghanistan s first National Unity Government (NUG) The NUG was formed in September 2014 with Dr. Ashraf Ghani as the President and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah as the Chief Executive

10 From Transition to Transformation (2001-present) Statistical infographics and charts that relay the remarkable progress Afghanistan has made since 2001 Minar-e-Jam, Herat

11 From Transition to Transformation (2001-present) Significant challenges remain, but Afghanistan and its people have made remarkable progress over the last decade that shall be acknowledged and safeguarded The Afghan administration is proud of its great advances in areas such as democracy, human rights, gender equality, anticorruption, regional cooperation, and proves to be a reliable partner of its neighbors and global supporters

12 A Fundamental Change in the Role of Women

13 Afghan women become actors, legally empowered, when they have money in their pockets President Ashraf Ghani at Körber Foundation Berlin, Germany December 3rd, 2015

14 Remarkable Strides in Education

15 GER (%) Education Gross Enrollment Ratio (primary, both genders) Afghanistan Year Embassy of Afghanistan, D.C. Gross enrollment ratio (GER) is the total enrollment rate in primary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population of official primary education age. GER can exceed 100% due to the inclusion of over-aged and under-aged students because of early or late school entrance and grade repetition.

16 If economic growth is the first foundation block of self-reliance, the second foundation is with the education of Afghanistan s women. No country in the modern world can be self-reliant with half of its population locked away; uneducated and unable to contribute its energy, creativity, and drive to national development President Ashraf Ghani at his address to the U.S. Congress March 25, 2015

17 Economic Activity Revived

18 GNI per capita 800 GNI per capita (current US$) Afghanistan Year Embassy of Afghanistan, D.C. GNI per capita is the gross national income, converted to U.S. dollars using the World Bank Atlas method, divided by the midyear population.

19 GDP per capita 800 GDP per capita (current US$) Afghanistan Year Embassy of Afghanistan, D.C. GDP per capita (current US$) is the gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products.

20 A Growing National Defense Force

21 Public Health Care Expanded Nationwide

22 Ratio Maternal Mortality Rate (out of 100,000 live births) Afghanistan Year Embassy of Afghanistan, D.C. Maternal mortality rate (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) is the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births.

23 Mortality Rate 160 Mortality rate, under-5 years old (per 1,000) Afghanistan Year Embassy of Afghanistan, D.C. Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000) is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.

24 Life expectancy Life expectancy at birth, total (years) Afghanist Year Embassy of Afghanistan, D.C. Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

25 Reforming Afghanistan Paving the way for the National Unity Government s extensive reform agenda Band-e-Amir, Bamiyan

26 Reforming Afghanistan The National Unity Government presented its Realizing Self-Reliance strategy at the London Conference in December 2014 The following key reform areas were highlighted for the government to undertake immediately: Improving Security and Political Stability Tackling the Underlying Drivers of Corruption Restoring Fiscal Sustainability Building Better Governance Reforming Development Planning and Management Bolstering Private Sector Confidence, Promoting Growth, and Creating Jobs Ensuring Citizen s Development Rights

27 Reforming Afghanistan SELF-RELIANCE THROUGH MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK (SMAF) The key framework setting the course for further cooperation between the National Unity Government and its international partners. Launched in 2015, following the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) of 2012

28 Reforming Afghanistan 1. The international community will support the developmental priorities identified by the government 2. The government s delivery of the mutually agreed commitments will be key for sustained international support 3. Predictable aid is critical to effective government delivery 4. Lessons from aid effectiveness should be acted upon by the international community and the government 5. Building a system of governance is crucial to the elimination of corruption and ensuring transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness 6. International assistance aligned with a limited number of outcome-focused National Priority Programs is essential for the sustainability of development assistance and citizens buy-in and loyalty

29 Reforming Afghanistan 7. International assistance should be provided through the national budget to ensure alignment of short, medium, and long-term goals 8. Transparent, citizen-based, monitoring of development and governance benchmarks provides accountability to the Afghan people, and reinforces the reciprocal commitments of donors and the government to improved development performance 9. Building market institutions is critical to attracting, both domestic and foreign, investment and thereby creating sustainable economic growth and jobs 10. Regional economic cooperation is key to ensuring growth, eliminating poverty and utilizing the immense trade and transit potential of Afghanistan and its neighbors

30 Reforming Afghanistan A SELECTION OF RECENT HIGHLIGHTS Restoring Fiscal Sustainability Afghanistan has made strong progress around customs reform and fiscal sustainability. Revenue collection was increased by a nominal 21% in 2015, or about a 13% real annual increase in revenue. The Afghan Cabinet has approved a new HR reform policy for the Afghan Customs Department (ACD) and a new law enforcement unit has been established within the ACD. As per a SMAF commitment, the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) valuation model has been implemented in six major customs ports, inluding Nangarhar, Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Aqina, and Hairatan. These changes are expected to further help revenues increase in 2016 and beyond.

31 Reforming Afghanistan A SELECTION OF RECENT HIGHLIGHTS Tackling the Underlying Drivers of Corruption: The National Procurement Authority The National Procurement Authority (NPA) has been established to institutionalize Afghanistan s procurement system ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, fairness and accountability by fully aligning the procurement system with international standards, best-practices, and deployment of electronic procurement. The NPA, whose work is overseen by the President and the Chief Executive, has reviewed 900 cases to date (April 2016), worth $2.5 billion, saving a total of $208 million on approved contracts. 66 referred cases have been rejected for discrepancies and sent for further assessment and technical rectification, and 47 companies have been blacklisted based on the NPA review process.

32 Reforming Afghanistan A SELECTION OF RECENT HIGHLIGHTS Improving Delivery and Deepening State Legitimacy through the Citizen s Charter The Citizen Charter will help reduce poverty and break the cycle of fragility and violence, using Community Development Councils (CDCs) as the entry point for both governance and development activities at the micro-level. The Charter, a key part of of the government s development vision, is a whole-of-government effort that will link rural communities, districts, provinces, and the central level, promoting inclusive development and ensuring the rights of vulnerable persons such as women and the poor. The Charter will put communities at the center of the development process, providing them with the tools and mechanism to monitor service delivery and decide on development priorities.

33 Reforming Afghanistan A SELECTION OF RECENT HIGHLIGHTS Bolstering Private Sector Confidence, Promoting Growth, and Creating Jobs The Saffron Example The International Taste & Quality Institute in Brussels has in 2015 once again named Afghan saffron the best in the world for the third time in subsequent years. The Afghan Government has distributed saffron seeds to more than 20 provinces in 2015 to further boost production throughout the country. The stigmas of the saffron flower can only be picked by hand as machines wouldn t be delicate enough. Afghanistan currently produces 4 tons of saffron each year. Saffron is known to be the most expensive spice in the world.

34 THANK YOU