Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Enhanced Integrated Framework ...

• Increased participation of Islamic scholarsin rising awareness of importance of keyGovernment reforms;• Strengthening the role of the religious institutionsin programs for poverty reduction.Government priorities for Religious Affairs:• Implement reforms in the education systemand teaching methods in the public andprivate Madrasas;• Implement administrative reform programsin the Ministry of Haj and Endowmentand its provincial offices;• Reform the Hajj and pilgrimage servicessystems;• Reform and improve coordination of theSharia faculties of Afghan Universities;• Strengthen the support for building andmaintaining mosques and other religiousinstitutions;• Improve self-sustainability of the religiousinstitutions through building shops andbusiness centers within the propertiesowned by mosques and other holy placesand opening bank accounts for collectingdonations;• Establish Ulama Councils for settlement oflocal disputes and implementation of developmentprograms in the community;• Establish Zakat related office within theministry of Hajj and Endowment;• Establish effective and transparent mechanismsfor collecting revenues from shrinesand holy sites.CONCLUSIONGood governance and adherence to the rule oflaw are much needed reforms that the Governmentof Afghanistan is committed to pursue.While the donor community can supportreforms and provide technical assistance, thesereforms have to be initiated by internal decisionsto implement improvements in governance.Without good governance and a sustainedsocial contract for the acceptance of therule of law, the total development strategy thathas been developed in the ANDS will fail. Thisis because the strategy has at its core the developmentof a private sector that will generateeconomic growth and demand for skilled labor.In this framework, the ANDS encourages thepublic sector to concentrate on the creation of asafe and conducive environment that encouragesthe smooth operation of a robust privatesector. This means a much greater focus byGovernment on governance issues rather thaninvolvement in the production of goods andservices that can be provided by a significantlylarger and more efficient private sector.Governance and the rule of law will remain aprimary concern of the Government and hasdirected that a considerable proportion ofavailable resources be devoted to strengtheningthe institutions responsible for delivering goodgovernance. They include the National Assembly,the judicial system, including thecourts, the AGO, the police, and the Ministriesthat administer much of the legislation. In itsearly stages, strengthening of governance andthe institutions that support governance hastended to concentrate on the central governmentlevel.The Afghan ‘ownership’ of this strategy requiresthat the Government seeks donors closecooperation in capacity building and knowhowtransfer, but retains ultimate responsibilityso that a system can evolve that allows the bestparts of the functional traditional governancesystem to co-exist with a universal system thatrecognizes and supports principles of socialdiversity, respect for human rights and the ruleof law.Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights 69