Executive Summary
In 2001, after two decades of civil war, the Government of
Afghanistan faced the daunting task of creating an environment that would
enable its people to start the process of rebuilding their country's economy,
its vital infrastructure and state institutions. Many Afghans needed to be
resettled, the injured to be rehabilitated, farmers returned to their land and
children to school. The challenges confronting the country and its people were
and remain formidable.
Australia became part of the international donor community
pledged to assist Afghanistan with its recovery and reconstruction. From 2000
to June 2012, Australia's overseas development assistance (ODA) to Afghanistan
accounted for over $710 million. Australia is now committed to making Afghanistan
its third largest recipient (in volume) of Australian ODA with its total development
assistance for Afghanistan expected to climb to $250 million for 2015–16.[1]
Australia uses a number of channels to distribute its ODA in
Afghanistan—Afghanistan's core budget; multilateral organisations and NGOs; and
the Uruzgan Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
On budget—Afghanistan
Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF)
The bulk of Australia's ODA goes to Afghanistan's core
budget. Overall, evidence supports the view that funds directed through the
Afghan government systems, notably through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust
Fund (ARTF), are more successful in promoting government ownership and aligning
projects with government priorities. This arrangement helps to prevent wastage
of funds, encourages stronger coordination between projects (less duplication
and better targeted) and is better suited to counter corruption. The committee
fully endorses Australia's commitment to allocate 50 per cent of its aid to
Afghanistan through on budget mechanisms and supports Australia's increasing contribution
to the ARTF.
Multilateral organisations and NGOs
For many years, Australia has also channelled a significant
proportion of its aid to Afghanistan through NGOs. The committee acknowledges
the good work being achieved through this mechanism and recognises that NGOs
will have an important role during Afghanistan's transition to self-reliance
and beyond. In particular, they will be required to continue to fill the gap in
the Afghan Government's capacity to deliver front-line services. The committee,
however, also recognises the importance of building the capacity of local NGOs
and other Afghan civil society organisations to serve their communities and underscores
the importance of ensuring that they figure prominently in the design, planning
and implementation of aid programs.
Uruzgan and the provincial
reconstruction team (PRT)
After Australia assumed leadership of the PRT in Uruzgan in
2010, the proportion of Australia's ODA to that province increased
substantially and now stands at approximately 20 per cent of Australia's total
ODA to Afghanistan.
Australian assistance to Uruzgan has produced tangible benefits
from reconstruction work or restoration of important infrastructure (schools,
health clinics, roads, bridges) to helping the provincial government develop a
cadre of trained public servants. Some witnesses, however, expressed
reservations about the effectiveness of aid delivered by the Australian Defence
Force in Uruzgan suggesting that some projects were 'quick fixes' and unsustainable.
They also suggested that the military's involvement in development assistance may
put the safety of aid recipients or non-military aid workers at risk and, by
supporting or even empowering particular individuals, undermine local ownership.
The committee believes that there needs to be a comprehensive
independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the work of the PRT under
Australia's leadership. Such a review would provide a great opportunity to understand
better and to learn lessons from Australia's military-civil-policing operations
in Uruzgan.
Protecting the gains
With the assistance of donor countries such as Australia,
Afghanistan has made considerable progress in lifting the living standards of
its people and stabilising its government. The country, however, remains in
need of substantial and continuing aid to help it maintain its development
momentum. There are no doubts that the challenges facing Afghanistan as it
moves toward security and economic self-reliance are daunting.
While views differ on Afghanistan's future security, all agree
that it is unpredictable and that the legacy of the country's long and
destructive history of political turbulence and of civil and military upheavals
will continue to present enormous difficulties for Afghans. The projected fall
in Afghanistan's revenue base will further complicate the government's efforts
to provide adequately for its people.
Clearly there is a serious risk that in light of the decline in
government revenue and continuing insecurity, advances in key areas such as the
provision of education and health services may be unsustainable or even
reversed. To defend the gains, it is critical that aid programs should focus on:
- continuity—ensuring that the transition to self-reliance is
sure-footed and smooth;
- consolidation—ensuring that the gains made to date are not lost
and instead form a solid foundation for future growth (move from quantity to
quality, for example from school buildings to teaching; and ensure that
operational costs—salaries, maintenance and repair etc are covered); and
- strategic focus—ensuring that attention is given to the sectors
that are foundational and have a proven track record of success.
In this context, there
are a few areas in which Australia could continue to direct its efforts most
productively—education, agriculture, mining and promoting the status of women.
Education
Education is not only a sector where notable achievements
have been made but also one of the key building blocks for future development
and an area where Australia could continue to make a valuable contribution. The
committee supports Australia placing a high priority on education in its Afghan
aid program but would like to see much greater emphasis given to improving
school attendance and the quality of teaching. To achieve higher retention
rates and uninterrupted schooling, the aid program must address the obstacles
holding parents back from sending their children to school, especially girls.
It must also seek to provide a pathway to higher education. In this regard, the
community-based program, the Australian funded program 'Children of Uruzgan',
and the 'Malaysia-Australia Education Project for Afghanistan' hold promise.
The various aid programs offering scholarships to study in Australia could be
developed further and attention given to building on the experiences of Afghan
graduates, for example, by encouraging and supporting an active alumni
community.
Agriculture and food security
With its increasing expertise in the area of dry land
agriculture, Australia is well placed to continue its significant role in
assisting Afghan agriculturalists, including its poorer farmers, to improve the
productivity of their land. The committee identified three areas as having the
potential to increase the benefits already accruing from international
assistance in agriculture—improved accessibility for poorer farmers to the advances
being made through research; emphasis on training farmers; and including women
in every facet of improving agricultural production. The committee is of the
view that Australia's assistance to Afghanistan in the food security sector should
pay close attention to these areas. Disaster risk reduction should also be an
important component of Australia's development assistance in agriculture.
The heavy reliance on opium production in some districts in
Afghanistan underscores the important role that development assistance should
have in enticing farmers away from the cultivation of the opium poppy by
providing them with viable alternatives.
Mining
Afghanistan has abundant mineral resources and is seeking to
learn more about mining from countries, such as Australia, that have extensive
experience in the industry. But, in light of the serious concerns expressed, as
well as the sorry history of mining in conflict-affected countries, the
committee believes that much greater effort is required to help Afghanistan
ensure that mineral exploration and extraction does not harm local communities
and that the benefits from mining spread throughout the economy.
Private enterprise and Afghan
diaspora
The committee understands that Afghanistan needs a healthy
private sector in order to drive the necessary economic growth that would
provide income earning opportunities and generate the revenue needed for government
to provide essential services. In this regard, the committee believes that DFAT
and AusAID should be looking at creative and practical ways to encourage
Australian organisations, including within the Afghan diaspora, to forge links
with the business and academic communities in Afghanistan.
The role of women
To lift its people out of poverty, Afghanistan must include
women as part of its development process. The committee notes that Afghanistan
has identified gender equality as a cross-cutting issue central to the success
of its overall development strategy. Evidence suggests, however, that as
Afghanistan draws closer to taking charge of its own affairs, much more needs
to be done to improve and then safeguard the status of women. The committee
commends the Australian Government for its strong recognition of the rights of
women in its aid programs. It also notes the opportunities to encourage gender
equality through Australia's contribution to training and mentoring the Afghan
National Army and Afghan National Police.
Analysis and evaluation of the
effectiveness of Australia's ODA to Afghanistan
The committee acknowledges the work of Australian aid
personnel in Afghanistan and their commitment to help the Afghan people rebuild
their lives. Evidence suggests, however, that some projects have not measured
up to expectations—AliceGhan and the Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships
program for Afghan students. There are other projects indicating that, while
impressive on paper, the achievements on the ground may not be as substantial
as initial indicators suggest. In this regard, the committee has seen little
evidence that the Australian Government agencies delivering aid to Afghanistan
have attempted any genuine critical evaluation of the effectiveness of their Australian
programs, including an assessment of their cost-effectiveness.
Overall, the committee found that current reporting presents
an incomplete picture and may mask significant underachievement. For example, information
is provided on the number of schools built and enrolment rates but with no
indication of attendance, retention or the quality of teaching. The reporting
of Australia's whole-of-government effort in Afghanistan is particularly weak.
The committee believes that the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of
Australia's ODA to Afghanistan needs to improve dramatically. The benefits of robust
evaluation and reporting would be twofold—deficiencies could be identified,
rectified and valuable insights gained for refining future programs; and the
government would be better placed to tell the Australian public about
achievements that often go unnoticed.
Recommendations
Review of Australia's civil-military-police role in Afghanistan
Recommendation 1 paragraphs 8.51 and 8.52
The committee recommends
that the Australian Civil-Military Centre undertake a comprehensive review of
Australia's civil-military-police mission in Uruzgan Province that includes
taking submissions from NGOs, local NGOs and civil society organisations
working in the province. The scope of the review to include whether, or to what
extent, the ADF's involvement in delivering development assistance in
Afghanistan has:
- served counterinsurgency objectives;
- affected sustainable development by having short-term, tactical
objectives;
- influenced the distribution of development assistance (the
suggestion is that more funds were directed to insecure areas);
- diverted development effort away from poverty alleviation;
- placed facilities built with military aid, and those using them,
at increased risk from attack by anti-government forces; and
- undermined the perceptions of NGOs as neutral and impartial
thereby placing the safety of their aid workers at greater risk.
The committee also believes that
it is important for the review to consider whether Australian development
assistance had any role in empowering local individuals in Uruzgan and, if so,
the lessons to be learnt from it.
Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships
Recommendation 2 paragraph
9.42–9.43
The committee recommends that AusAID conduct its own internal
investigation into, and report on, the circumstances around the administration
of the Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships program for Afghanistan. The
investigation to include, but not limited to, AusAID's due diligence; the
adequacy of its oversight of the program; its promptness in responding to
indications that something may have been amiss, and the reasons for its failure
to inform the committee of allegations of fraud when the matter was
discussed in December 2012.
The committee recommends further that, using Mr Niamatullah Ibrahimi's
experiences as a case study, this investigation also look closely at the
processes for communicating with applicants, including the accuracy and
timeliness of advice; the transparency of the application and selection
process; and the overall level of competence evident in the administration of
this program.
The committee recommends that AusAID provide the committee with
a copy of the report.
Recommendation 3 paragraph
9.44
The committee also
recommends that AusAID provide the committee with a copy of the report from
Protiviti, an independent audit company, following its investigation into the Australian
Leadership Awards Scholarships program for Afghanistan.
Resettlement for Afghans who have assisted Australia's mission in
Afghanistan
Recommendation 4 paragraph 11.24
The committee supports the Australian Government's initiative
to offer resettlement to Australia to locally engaged Afghan employees at the
greatest risk of harm as a consequence of their support to Australia's mission
in Afghanistan. The committee recommends, however, that the Australian
Government ensure that the resettlement program is available to all such locally
engaged staff at credible risk and not just those at the greatest risk of harm.
Recommendation 5 paragraph
11.25
In light of problems with the Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships
program for Afghanistan and the delay in processing visas for visiting Afghans
detailed in chapter 9, the committee recommends that DFAT, AusAID, and
DIAC review carefully the procedures and protocols governing this resettlement
scheme. The committee recommends that together they build measures into the administration
of the scheme that will expedite the process, minimise risks to the safety of
those in Afghanistan seeking eligibility for resettlement and uphold the
integrity of the scheme (especially guarding against corruption). The committee
recommends that all relevant agencies give close attention to strengthening
inter-departmental communication, liaison, oversight of the program, and streamlining
administrative processes.
Education
Recommendation 6 paragraph
13.17
The committee recommends
that AusAID should ensure that its support for the education sector includes an
adequate focus on education quality, and specifically on learning outcomes and
teacher training.
Recommendation 7 paragraph
13.18
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government continue to support the Malaysia Australia
Education Project for Afghanistan and to explore ways to build on its
successes. The committee recommends that the Australian Government give particular
attention to achieving a significant quota of women for the program, which may
require additional effort to ensure that young women are graduating from year
12 and then have the opportunity to take up the offer of a scholarship.
Recommendation 8 paragraph
13.19
The committee recommends
further that DFAT together with AusAID encourage, assist and fund the
establishment of an alumni organisation designed to foster and strengthen the
people-to-people links between Afghan graduates from Australian institutions
under the various scholarship programs and the respective institutions.
Recommendation 9 paragraph
13.21
The committee recommends that the Australian Government
ensure that the Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships for Afghan students,
or a suitable replacement, commence as soon as possible.
Recommendation 10 paragraph
13.28
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government expand its support for girls’ education in
Afghanistan.
Recommendation 11 paragraph
13.29
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government support the Afghan Ministry of Education to
disaggregate enrolment figures by gender.
Recommendation 12 paragraph
13.30
The committee recommends
that AusAID increase its support for programs that aim to increase community
participation in the management of schools, including supporting local
governance structures.
Recommendation 13 paragraph
13.31
The committee recommends that AusAID continue its support
for the 'Children of Uruzgan' program providing a clear commitment to a
reliable and secure source of funding post 2014.
Agriculture and food security
Recommendation 14 paragraph
14.35
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government ensure that as Australia's ODA increases in the
coming years that the funding for food security and agriculture increases proportionately.
Recommendation 15 paragraph
14.36
The committee recommends
that AusAID and DFAT use their influence with the Government of Afghanistan,
relevant line ministries and major multilateral organisations delivering
agricultural assistance to reinforce the importance that such assistance:
- ensures that poorer farmers have affordable and easy access to
seed centres and appropriate technologies;
- takes account of the need to train farmers, especially those in
the poorer communities, to apply the benefits of agricultural research and
development;
- involves women in all aspects of aid funded agricultural projects
to enable women and their families to benefit from reforms in agriculture; and
- includes disaster risk management, especially building the
resilience of poor Afghan farmers to withstand natural disasters, as a
necessary component.
The committee recommends
further that the four principles identified above are given priority when designing,
planning and implementing Australian-funded agricultural projects in Afghanistan.
Recommendation 16 paragraph
14.38
The committee also recommends
that the Australian Government provide direct support for agricultural development
programs based on the four principles in recommendation 15.
Mining
Recommendation 17 paragraph
14.75
The committee recommends
that AusAID continue to encourage and offer advice and technical assistance to
help Afghanistan become and remain a fully-compliant member of the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative.
Recommendation 18 paragraph
14.76
The committee recommends
that AusAID continue to encourage and offer advice and technical assistance to
the relevant line ministry in Afghanistan to develop a robust legal and
regulatory regime for extractive industries in Afghanistan.
Recommendation 19 paragraph
14.77
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government should, through the Afghan Government, make
itself available to support local community involvement in all aspects of a
proposed mining activity in their locality, including matters such as planning
and oversight, particularly when it comes to the environment, local employment
and investment of some of the mining revenue in local industries.
Recommendation 20 paragraph
14.78
The committee recommends that AusAID monitor its Australia Development
Scholarship Program to ensure that its administration is sound; that the
selection process is open and transparent; that there is a close correlation
between the courses undertaken and the development needs of Afghanistan; and
that the students return to Afghanistan to take up positions in that country.
Funding through Afghan's National Budget—Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust
Fund
Recommendation 21 paragraphs 15.7–15.9
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government continue to channel a substantial proportion of
its ODA (at least 50 per cent) to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund.
The committee also recommends
that the Australian Government use its influence with other donor countries to
encourage them to abide by the Kabul communiqué and channel 50 per cent of their ODA through the Afghan national
budget.
The committee recommends further that, in light of the
findings of the recent 2012 independent review of the Afghanistan Reconstruction
Trust Fund, the Australian Government continue to encourage the World Bank to implement
the review's recommendations.
Local NGOs
Recommendation 22 paragraphs
15.35
The committee understands the importance of ensuring that development
assistance reaches the local level and the most vulnerable. It recognises
that Australia works through multilateral organisations and NGOs that in turn
team up with local organisations. The committee, however, is of the view that
more could be done to foster the use of local NGOs. The committee recommends
that Australian agencies providing development assistance in Afghanistan place
a high priority on selecting international partners that have deep connections
and relationships with the local community and use local organisations to help
deliver aid.
Recommendation 23 paragraphs 15.36
The committee recommends further that any proposed cut to
the aid budget to Afghanistan should take account of the need to defend the
gains made to date. One key means of doing so, is by building the capacity of
local communities to assume responsibility for delivering front-line services
such as education and health. In this regard, the committee notes the deferral
of the Australia Afghanistan Community Resilience Scheme and recommends that the
Australian Government strengthen not weaken its efforts to involve local NGOs
in the delivery of development assistance.
Afghanistan's private sector
Recommendation 24 paragraph
15.44
Considering the commitment
that Australia has given to help Afghanistan rebuild and the important role of
the private sector in this recovery, the committee recommends that DFAT
consider establishing an Australia–Afghanistan Institute. The intention would be
for the institute to have a business and education focus that would help pave
the way for increased academic and business engagement between both countries
and strengthen institutional links between their universities, research
institutes and NGOs.
Recommendation 25 paragraphs 15.46–15.47
The committee recommends that AusAID and DFAT look at implementing
concrete and practical ways in which they could assist members of the Afghan
community in Australia to contribute to the development of Afghanistan. The
proposed Australia–Afghanistan Institute could provide one such avenue.
The committee recommends further that AusAID look carefully
at the requirements for an organisation to be accredited as an overseas
operating NGO with a view to giving positive encouragement and support (both
funding and administrative) to Afghans in Australia seeking to assist
Afghanistan with its recovery.
Women in Afghanistan
Recommendation 26 paragraph
16.23
The committee recommends that the
ADF and AFP take the opportunity in their training, mentoring and advisory role
with their Afghan counterparts to help create an awareness of the importance of
gender equality and human rights and to encourage greater participation of
Afghan women in Afghanistan's military and police forces.
Recommendation 27 paragraphs 16.27
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government continue to provide funding for the Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission.
Recommendation 28 paragraph
16.28
Considering that gender
equality is an objective that cuts across all sectors covered by development
assistance, the committee recommends that all relevant recommendations in this
report give special attention to promoting gender equality and protecting the
rights of women.
Recommendation 29 paragraph
16.29
The committee recommends
that AusAID prioritise long-term support for the delivery of services for women
and girls and for programs that advocate for women’s rights. It recommends
further that the Australian Government include Afghanistan as a key country
focus for implementing Australia’s National Action Plan on Women Peace and
Security in order to address the related issues of violence against women and
women’s political participation.
Recommendation 30 paragraph
16.30
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government directly fund Afghan women’s organisations with
both core and project funding, to enable these organisations to develop their
capacity to hold their government to account and realise their leadership
potential.
Recommendation 31 paragraph
16.31
The committee recommends
that AusAID works closely with the Afghan Education Ministry and relevant NGOs
to encourage the implementation of community-based education schemes with the
objective of increasing the accessibility of schooling and bridging the gender
gap with respect to illiteracy.
Recommendation 32 paragraph
16.32
The committee recommends that the Australian Government commit adequate
funds over three years towards the National Priority Program: ‘Capacity
development to implement the National Action Plan for the Women of
Afghanistan’.
Oversight and evaluation of Australia's ODA
Recommendation 33 paragraph 17.63
The committee recommends
that AusAID review its Afghanistan Annual Program Performance Report in order
to ensure that the document reflects its title—program performance report. This
means that the report's main aim would be to convey information on:
-
the performance of programs—value for money;
-
the program's effect on the lives of its recipients;
- the benefits delivered to intended recipients and how they align
with their needs;
-
the sustainability of the benefits; and
- how programs relate to and complement other Australian-funded
programs.
It should contain a section
providing a comprehensive account of the effectiveness of Australia's
whole-of-government effort in Afghanistan.
Recommendation 34 paragraph
17.64
The committee recommends
that the Australian Government implement new reporting and evaluation
requirements for departments and agencies delivering Australian ODA that are
timely, consistent, transparent and more stringent. They should also require
information on:
-
the aid program's objectives and how it contributes to a
coherent, whole-of-government development plan;
- the medium and long-term prospects for the sustainability of each
project within the program including allowances made for continuing operational
costs—such as salaries, maintenance and repair; and
- the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for tracking and
assessing the effectiveness of projects after their completion.
Unless there is a
compelling reason otherwise, reporting and evaluation reports should be
publicly available from AusAID’s website.
Recommendation 35 paragraph
17.65
The committee recommends
that the Office of Development Effectiveness conduct a critical analysis of the
effectiveness of Australia's ODA to Afghanistan with a particular emphasis on the
sustainability of projects and Australia's whole-of-government effort.
Recommendation 36 paragraph
17.68
The committee recommends
that the Parliament consider establishing a parliamentary standing committee or
dedicated subcommittee of an existing standing committee charged with examining
and reporting on Australia's ODA. Among other benefits, this committee could be
the catalyst needed to improve the standard of reporting on Australia's ODA,
especially Australia's whole-of-government effort in delivering overseas aid. It
may also be a means of raising public awareness of the work being done with Australia's
ODA.
ODA—definition and application
Request to Auditor-General paragraph
17.70
The committee requests that the Auditor-General consider
conducting an audit of Australia's ODA to Afghanistan with a view to determining
whether the guidelines for classifying funding as ODA are appropriate, well
understood and applied properly.
With the assistance of donor countries such as
Australia, Afghanistan has made considerable progress in lifting the living
standards of its people and stabilising its government. The country, however,
remains in need of substantial and continuing aid to help it maintain its
development momentum.
Afghanistan is a highly agrarian society with about 80 per
cent of its population living in rural areas.
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