Afghanistan Report 2009 - Isaf - Nato

Governance
There can be no government without an army,
no army without money, no money without prosperity,
and no prosperity without justice and good administration.
Ibn Qutayba, a notable 9 th Century Islamic scholar,
in the “Circle of Justice” (daira-yi ‘idalat),
also quoted in the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS).
In December 2001 the Bonn Agreement 7 provided the
constitutional blueprint and the institutional framework
for Afghanistan to build a state. Decades of
conflict, a nearly non-existent national infrastructure,
high levels of illiteracy, endemic poverty and chronic
underdevelopment place Afghanistan 174 th out of
178 countries on the UN Human Development
Index. The Bonn Process provided for a Constitution,
an elected President and Parliament and the beginnings
of a functioning government. In early 2006, the
Afghan Government and the International Community
came together in London to develop a strategy for
Afghanistan’s recovery 8 . The result was the ANDS
which aims to create and develop effective national,
provincial and district government institutions capable
of delivering basic services. It is a long-term and
challenging task that has produced mixed results
so far.
An ANP officer discusses with villagers. (© French MoD 2009)
NATO’s role in this context is to help build Afghan
National Security Forces (ANSF) capacity as an
essential element of good governance. ANSF and
ISAF are working to provide the security necessary
to allow for economic and social development to take
root. At the local level, ISAF’s Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) support capacity-building activities
and programmes by providing mentors and training,
and by facilitating effective linkages between the
development community and the Afghan authorities.
ANA soldiers and ANP officers discuss with villagers
in the Uzbin Valley in Surobi District.
7
The Bonn Agreement inaugurated the Afghan Interim Authority
and laid out an initial plan for governing the country.
8
Agreed at the London Conference ( 01 February 2006 ), the
Afghanistan Compact defines the principles of political cooperation
between the International Community and the Government
of Afghanistan for the period of 2006 to 2011.
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