III. Canadian Priorities: Reporting Progress

Canada’s military and civilian commitment in Afghanistan ranks as our country’s most assertive expression of foreign policy since the Korean War in the 1950s. The numbers alone are significant—more than 2,800 military personnel, over 100 civilians and aid totalling $1.3 billion since 2001—as is the overarching objective, to leave Afghanistan to Afghans as a country that is democratic, self-sufficient and stable.

An engagement on this scale warrants clarity about priorities and transparency about progress. In mid-2008, Canada announced six specific priorities: enable the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in Kandahar to sustain a more secure environment and promote law and order; strengthen Afghan institutional capacity to deliver core services; provide humanitarian assistance for extremely vulnerable people; enhance border security, with facilitation of bilateral dialogue between Afghan and Pakistani authorities; help advance Afghanistan’s capacity for democratic governance; and facilitate Afghan-led efforts toward political reconciliation. Since September 2008, an Appendix to the quarterly reports has spelled out detailed benchmarks for each priority and reported results in achieving them.

The priorities are shaped by two driving forces: the needs identified in Afghanistan’s own development plans; and the fields in which Canada has demonstrated expertise. The resulting projects and programs are tailored to produce concrete results by 2011, when our military mission in Kandahar ends, and to speed Afghanistan’s long-term development.

The priorities are mutually reinforcing. As Canadian support enhances the capacity of the ANSF to provide security in Kandahar, the expansion of safe locales improves prospects for exercising effective governance and delivering development. Such governance and development efforts are more likely to succeed where the bonds between Afghans and their government are being strengthened by the provision of basic services. Furthermore, meeting humanitarian needs not only responds to a moral imperative, but also—by helping the most vulnerable—joins the other priorities by addressing the needs of the population.

It is worth bearing in mind that progress in Afghanistan is an uphill struggle against the legacy of decades of violent conflict, civil war, poverty, corruption and abuse of power. As well, the resilient insurgency by the Taliban and others further frustrates development efforts.