Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Enhanced Integrated Framework ...

prosperous and productive future in the country.Culture provides the social basis that allowsfor stimulating creativity, innovation,human progress and well-being. In thissense, culture can be seen as a drivingforce for human development, in respect ofeconomic growth and also as a means ofleading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional,moral and spiritual life.The Afghanistan Constitution article 47 articulatesthat the state shall devise effective programsfor fostering knowledge, culture, literatureand arts. The state shall guarantee thecopyrights of authors, inventors and discoverers,and, shall encourage and protect scientificresearch in all fields, publicizing their resultsfor effective use in accordance with the provisionsof the law. Freedom of expression shall beinviolable according to Article 34 and everyAfghan shall have the right to express thoughtsthrough speech, writing, and illustrationThe Afghanistan Compact Benchmarks targetscomprehensive inventory of Afghan culturaltreasures by end-2007 and measures will betaken to revive the Afghan cultural heritage, tostop the illegal removal of cultural material andto restore damaged monuments and artifactsby end-2010.Current situation in the sectorAchievements: Considerable progress hasbeen made in the past six years. From virtuallyno public debate, there are now over 130 independenttelevision and radio stations coveringthe entire country. In Kabul alone there are 11independent television stations, while access tocable television is increasing. There are largenumbers of independent newspapers. Many ofthese outlets are managed and target youth,female and minority groups. This providesavenues for vulnerable and marginalizedgroups to have a voice in society.These advancements have created an environmentin which the caliber of public debate ishigh and lively. Criticism as well as praise forpublic programs and figures are common andencourage the public’s involvement in governmentactions and the development process.This debate filters down through society and isresponsible for increased questioning andanalysis of Government activities morebroadly.The Government is committed to furtheringthis public debate and independence of media.The Government recognizes that public debateis crucial for allowing the needs of the Afghanpeople to be fed into development activities.Independent media report development activitiesand programs and are critically importantto increasing public awareness on the Governmentand international community’s efforts.At the same time, local independent entertainmentprograms have been developed and arehighly popular. Regional television shows arealso broadcasted meeting the needs of the Afghanpeople.Many historical and valuable artifacts that werebelieved lost or stolen have been accounted forand returned. There is now a need for a comprehensiveinventory to determine the extent ofholdings.In Media, a large number of media outlets,television, radio and newspapers have beenstarted in the last six years. These stations produceconsiderable local Afghan content and arepopular within the country. The media law isdrafted and is under debate.In Youth a Joint National Youth Program isbeing implemented. This program is designedto increase the participation of youth in governance,recovery, development and peacebuildingof the country. It has been producedfrom inputs by eight Ministries and sevenUnited Nations agencies.Challenges and constraints• There is an urgent need to take action toprevent the looting of valuable cultural artifactsand to encourage other countries toreturn them.• The inability of the Ministry to reach assignedtargets is due to the lack of resources,both human and financial. This isthe basic cause of the weaknesses in theSector. Institutional strengthening shouldlook not only at the resource needs of theMinistry but also look at the way resourcesare organized.Economical and Social Development 121