DFID's Afghanistan Programme

Afghanistan's challenges remain formidable. The political consensus is unstable, with continued insurgency in parts of the country and terrorism an ever-present threat. Economic progress is patchy, with overly high expectations of how long reconstruction will take. Governance problems - notably corruption, weak capacity and dysfunctional institutions, affect everything. The drugs trade is a major threat to the rule of law. Afghanistan's security, reconstruction and political challenges are inextricably interlinked.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has established a range of Framework Agreements to enable it to respond rapidly and effectively to Afghanistan's reconstruction needs. The UK government is committed to supporting the reconstruction of Afghanistan in several key areas: public administration and economic management reform, livelihoods and counter- narcotics, trade and investment, and political process and security sector reform.

Objective

The objective of the Framework Agreements will be to ensure the provision of rapid, efficient and effective consultancy services in a number of sectors. The Institute, together with Atos Origin Consulting (www.atosorigin.com), is carrying out work in the following areas:

Governance

  • Public Administration Reform (including implementing Priority Reform and Restructuring processes)
  • Capacity Building and Institution Building in the public sector
  • Service Delivery
  • Procurement Policies and Processes

Political

  • Political Participation and Accountability (elections, civic education)
  • Security Sector Reform
  • Judicial Reform
  • Drivers of Change
  • Scope of Work

Consultancy services will include project and programme design work; project implementation, monitoring and evaluation; the design and delivery of training activities; consultancy recruitment; and policy support work. Work under these arrangements will be located in the UK or in Afghanistan, and is expected to commence in early 2006.

For further information on this project please contact Hugo Warner: h.warner@biicl.org.