Priorities
Priority 5. Help advance Afghanistan’s capacity for democratic governance by contributing to effective, accountable public institutions and electoral processes.
Governing authority in Afghanistan is constitutionally centralized, and public services are mostly provided by provincial branches of national ministries and agencies. But overall governing capacity is weak, and government institutions without well-defined responsibilities are vulnerable to political rivalries, inefficiencies and corruption. It is therefore a Canadian priority to help Afghans build their country’s capacity for democratic governance—by contributing to effective and accountable public institutions and electoral processes that enable the delivery of public services and give Afghans more say in the decisions that affect their lives.
Canadian Objective for 2011:
• By 2011, we expect that national, provincial and local institutions, particularly in Kandahar province, will exhibit an increasing capacity for democratic governance in the deliberation and delivery of public programs and services, and in carrying out democratic elections.
Democratic governance (a cornerstone principle of the Afghanistan Compact) means free and fair elections, a public sector that is open and accountable, and the honest, efficient and effective provision of public services. Achieving these elements of democratic governance is critical to improving the well-being of Afghans, and to sustaining security and development for the future.
Afghanistan’s next presidential and provincial elections are to be held in 2009; parliamentary and district council elections are scheduled for 2010. The course of these elections will provide one telling measure of Afghanistan’s democratic progress.
Canada is supporting the electoral process by helping to strengthen the capacity of the Independent Electoral Commission and assisting all elements of the electoral process, from voter registration to the creation of a post-election complaints mechanism. We are also giving specific electoral support in Kandahar. Our benchmarks will help us monitor Afghan government abilities and performance in holding these elections. Example: the existing voter registry contains about 12.6 million names; our target is to have another twomillion voters added in time for the 2009 elections, and a further 500,000 for the 2010 elections.
We are also helping Afghans reinforce policy making, administration and service delivery in central-government ministries. In August we began the transition from the Canadian Forces-led Strategic Advisory Team to the Canadian Governance Support Office (CGSO) in Kabul. The CGSO is to advise key ministries; help build their capacity to plan, finance, manage and evaluate programs; and coordinate Canadian and Afghan development and governance activities. Importantly, the CGSO will enhance Afghan ministry abilities to support Canadian signature projects such as the rehabilitation of the Dahla Dam and irrigation system. When fully operational, the CGSO will represent one of the steps taken to strengthen the civilian component of Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan. The pace of bringing the CGSO to full strength will depend partly on security conditions in Kabul. By the end of September, the CGSO had deployed one advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Water and was preparing for seven more deployments in the coming months.
