Approximately 25 per cent of the civilian aid to Afghanistan in 2001-04, €791 million, was provided by Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland (the ‘Donors’). This joint report, led by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides an evaluation of this assistance. While aid has produced important results, this has come at a high financial cost. A sustainable impact will require long-term development support with the continued presence of the donor community for at least another ten years.
The evaluation began with a desk review followed by interviews with donor agencies, operational partners and informants in Europe and the US. Subsequently, field studies were undertaken in Afghanistan. To ensure the study was representative of all Afghanistan’s different regions a combination of considerations (such as thematic, sector and geographical) were taken into account. Sub-teams accordingly examined aid intervention at both central and provincial level. These interventions included nation- building and stabilisation, returning refugees and displaced persons, primary education, water and sanitation, gender and livelihoods.
Main findings of the evaluation:
- Interventions were relevant to the needs of the Government of Afghanistan (GoA) and target groups. Exceptions were the low priority given to agriculture, women, the environment and parts of the aid provided by the Provincial Reconstruction Teams.
- Aid has been well connected to the longer-term development needs identified by the GoA, with the exception of the justice sector. The failure to strengthen the latter and the lack of personal safety and security poses a threat to future sustainability. Aid has also been uncoordinated with a general disconnection between the capital, provincial and district levels.
- While humanitarian aid has been successful, there is still more to do in sectors such as education and health. Support for state-building has been effective in key budgetary functions but there has been little progress in other areas, including the key justice sector.
- The impact of aid will be considerable. However, this is dependent upon the end of conflict, civil service reform and justice sector reform. This will require the continued presence of the donor community.
- Cost-effectiveness has been affected by the burden of logistics, security overheads, inflated support costs and high manpower expenses.
Recommendations for future policy:
- Donors should commit to supporting the development of Afghanistan for the next ten years.
- Establishing the rule of law and fighting corruption should be given high priority. To ensure that the GoA becomes responsible for future development, Donors should support the development of a National Development Strategy, a transparent system for benchmarking aid, combined with support for capacity building of government.
- A more geographical distribution of aid is needed with a focus on the poorest. To support the contribution of NGOs, Donors should combat unfair criticism and ensure adequate supervision and self-regulation of the NGO community.
- Donors should continue to support the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund, support formal inclusion of the GoA in a policy forum, and gradually handover financial control to the government. The wider donor community should coordinate practices concerning staff recruitment and pay in order not to out-compete the government.
- Donors should initiate a number of follow-up studies to inform future decision-making bodies in Afghanistan.
