Development Cooperation Report 2012 - UNDP Afghanistan

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alignment with national priorities. For off-budget projects credible data on donor
disbursement to the government sector is lacking. The information available, however,
indicates that donors continue to channel a large portion of their aid directly to
implementing partners without informing the relevant line ministries.
One important factor that contributed to this situation is the differences between
government and donor priorities. With adoption of the ANDS in 2008, the government
was able to define its needs, articulate a strategy and development goals.
The off-budget assistance that aligns NPPs and their deliverables is one of the significant means of promoting
national ownership and sustainable development. It paves the ground for achieving reconstruction and
development results instead of producing quick-fix solutions. Aligning with NPP deliverables will allow
government agencies to take part in review, appraisal, implementation and monitoring of off-budget
projects. By doing so, off-budget projects will be included in the budget statement improving visibility
and recognition by the Afghan government, Parliament and civil society. Similarly, it avoids duplication of
efforts among different stakeholders active in the country and brings harmonization in the development
interventions of development partners and government of Afghanistan.
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION REPORT
The Kabul Conference helped translate these development priorities into focused
and prioritized implementation plans in the form of 22 National Priority Programs
(NPPs). These programs were chosen based on their contribution to sustainable
economic growth, revenue generation, jobs and human development. The 22 NPPs
are categorized together into 6 clusters (security, Human Resource Development
Infrastructure Development, Private Sector Development, Agriculture and Rural
Development and Governance). The goal of the Cluster mechanism is to increase
collaboration between Ministries, remove over-lapping and duplication, and to
develop and implement a clear, prioritized agenda aimed at addressing the key
development challenges of the respective sector.
The NPPs are a credible programmatic approach to implement Afghanistan’s longterm
vision, through sequential (rolling) planning periods, creating implementation
capacity, establishing credible state institutions, reforming concerned sectors and
delivering essential services. The prioritized and focused implementation of NPPs
will bring value for money leading to satisfaction of Afghan people as well as the
international community. As of October 2012, 16 NPPs have been endorsed by Joint
Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB), and the remaining 6 are in the process
of preparation. In the aftermath of the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan, alignmentis
defined as donors aligning their development aid with the specific deliverables of the