Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Enhanced Integrated Framework ...

CHAPTER 12CONCLUSIONWhile significant gains have been made in thereconstruction and development efforts overthe course of the past six years, it seems that atthe beginning of state building process in 2002,Afghanistan and the international communityseverely underestimated the depth and the extentof the calamity this country has gonethrough, and the time and costs that would berequired to redress these. While the challengesfacing Afghanistan have evolved in nature,they have not necessarily changed in magnitude.The deteriorating security in the past twoyears has definitely altered the path of developmentthat the country has been pursuingsince 2002, thus, substantially changing the assumptionson which the Afghanistan Compactwas based. In many respects, the immenseprogress that has been made during these yearshas struggled to keep pace with the rapidgrowth of new problems and challenges. Despitethat, the people of Afghanistan still believethat the path to prosperity from extremepoverty is on track.Sustaining the nascent Afghan democracy willrequire the emergence of a prosperous Afghanistanin which poverty reduction and economicgrowth are able to raise the potential ofthe Afghan people for a better future. Successwill require the emergence of a productive privatesector active that plays a major role inmost areas of the economy with public sectorresources primarily focused on providing theneeded physical, commercial and legal infrastructureand ensuring that the results of developmentbenefit all citizens.The ANDS represents an important milestonein the rebuilding and development of Afghanistanand serves as the country’s Poverty ReductionStrategy Paper (PRSP). Through theANDS, the Government is firmly committed tocontinuing state building efforts. It includes arealistic and comprehensive assessment of theenormous constraints and challenges facing thecountry and plans for addressing security, governance,rule of law, human rights, and socialand economic development issues in an integratedapproach. The primary goal of theANDS is to establish a framework in which theGovernment and international community canwork jointly to substantially reduce povertybased on a foundation of a private sector ledsustained economic growth. This requires simultaneousprogress on improving security,strengthening governance, increasing the effectivenessin delivering basic social services andtaking the actions necessary to ensure that theprivate sector can invest and operate competitively.Achieving substantial progress in all ofthese areas is a complex task that will requirecommitment and coordination by all parts ofthe Government and the donor community. Assuch, the ANDS will help to coordinate andguide the joint activities of the Governmentand donors.The development of the ANDS has been agenuinely Afghan ‘owned’ exercise, based on abroad consultative process, engaging donorcommunity and stakeholders at national, provincialand grassroots levels to define the developmentof national and local priorities. Thisenabled men and women from all provinces toparticipate in defining national developmentobjectives and to express their priorities. Thevoices of the poor have informed the policyframework, the poverty profile, as well as theorientation of the sectoral strategies that formthe foundation of the ANDS. Important insightshave been gained in security and conflictmanagement, regional cooperation, counternarcotics,anti-corruption, gender, the environment,and capacity development. Withinthe Government, the ANDS was developedbased on strategies prepared by all ministriesand broader sector strategies that were discussedextensively in ministries, Inter-Monitoring Framework 187