On June 12, France will host the International Afghanistan Support Conference to be co-chaired by President Sarkozy, President Karzai and the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The Conference intends to reaffirm international political support to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, while also presenting the new Afghanistan Development Strategy, a comprehensive five-year plan to improve governance, security, economic growth and poverty reduction.

Looking forward to this important event, Caritas Internationalis urgently requests all stakeholders to re-prioritize poverty alleviation and social justice as the primary objectives of development efforts.

Afghanistan today

In the past six years, since the Bonn Agreement initially set up a transitional government, Afghanistan has witnessed significant changes including the establishment of a national government, democratically elected president and parliament, unprecedented improvements in health and education services, as well as years of double-digit economic growth.

However, rebuilding an economy and a State requires decades, and Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in Asia. Afghanistan has some of the lowest development indicators in the world (Afghanistan ranked 174 out of 178 countries in the 2007 UNDP HDI Index), and in the 2007 Afghan National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) 45 percent of the population were estimated to have trouble meeting daily food requirements. Another 20 percent were estimated to be doing only slightly better and vulnerable to shocks.

In 2008, the worldwide food shortage is especially acute in Afghanistan and could potentially lead to a humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan is annually dependent on importing food, with the two main sources of imported wheat, Pakistan and Iran, greatly restricting their wheat exports. Prices in the capital, Kabul, have more than doubled since last year, and WFP placed an 80m$ appeal in January this year which will run out in June. In addition to undermining the coping strategies of millions, the rise in prices has already caused numerous demonstrations and strikes in all areas of the country.

Poverty reduction and social justice
Development is the process of building up community and household social and economic capacities in order to reduce poverty and vulnerability, and promote social justice. Social justice refers to the presence of just social, political and economic systems.

The causes of poverty and its perpetuation in Afghanistan are multi-dimensional. Poverty is the result of past decades of violent conflict and its recurring threat, limited infrastructure and markets, de-centralised and nascent Government structures, massive displacement, social fragmentation and discrimination, regular shocks to community livelihoods including droughts, floods and diseases, limited arable land, environmental degradation, and numerous other factors. The importance and persistence of these factors vary between regions and communities. In addition the forced return migration of millions of Afghan citizens from Pakistan and Iran is a constant threat.

Given this context, sustainable poverty reduction and social justice are not simple tasks that correspond to discrete projects and short-term aid. To properly address poverty and social justice in Afghanistan, efforts need to be owned by communities and build on their current strengths and opportunities. In order to be effective and sustainable, development programs need to address the underlying causes of poverty and injustice and retain consistent, well-coordinated and long-term support.

Development aid effectiveness and public perception

Development efforts in Afghanistan face great challenges, including the deteriorating security, illicit economies, large and diverse international involvement with military and civilian components, the nascent State institutions and their limited but growing capacities, and the complex humanitarian and development context. These challenges have not only slowed development, but they've also resulted in development aid becoming less efficient and less effective.

The efficiency of aid distribution in Afghanistan has received great criticism as of late. Much of the aid through the Government is caught up in Kabul and significant amounts of international funding are reported to go to corporate profits or expensive foreign consultants. Some of this is the result of 'tied aid' where donors tie their funding to stipulations that percentages of it go to imported labour and materials – most often from their own countries. In 2006, a report following up on the Paris Declaration of Aid Effectiveness, reported that one half of all aid in Afghanistan is tied. The end result of these agreements, corporate profits, and the focus on consultants, is that less money supports Afghan communities.

In addition, development aid continues to be perceived, by many international and Afghan actors, to be targeted towards objectives other than poverty alleviation - primarily to counter insurgency and opium cultivation. This bias in development aid is in addition to the contrasting enormous amount of money already spent on military efforts (with a recent ACBAR report estimating that current US military expenses per day in Afghanistan are equal to 14 times the average amount of all development spending per day since 2001. Significant amounts of aid are also aligned with international military presences at specific Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). Recent reports support these concerns, as differences in aid disbursement do not correlate well with need, but rather the insurgency.

Corresponding with the different objectives and insecure locations is the focus on visible and quick impact projects. The projects are intended to win public support, but often undermine it by merely supporting local power holders. As these efforts are not followed up with longer-term, more nuanced programs they actually can increase the perception of marginalization both locally and nationally.

For Afghan communities the aid and well-publicized promises have created great expectations and confusion. The failures to meet these expectations, and perceptions of corruption and that development strategies are focused on political agendas, have created frustration and resentment in communities throughout Afghanistan. 

Appeal
With the urgency and complexity of poverty in Afghanistan, Caritas Internationalis calls on national and international actors to refocus on poverty alleviation and social justice. More specifically, we request:

• A more direct focus on poverty reduction and social justice corresponding to need and opportunity,
• Greater coordination of development and humanitarian aid with concerted efforts to harmonize development aid distribution and prioritize humanitarian aid,
• Consistent, multi-year funding for broad-based development programs that allow for community leadership and trust,
• Greater transparency and increased oversight of aid, including evaluation of the development and reconstruction process, including funding mechanisms and implementing agencies, measured against stated objectives including poverty alleviation and social justice,
• Greater coordination and prioritization of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations working to build a better world in over 200 countries and territories. Caritas works without regard to creed, race, gender or ethnicity and is one of the world's largest humanitarian networks.

Caritas fights poverty, exclusion, intolerance and discrimination. More importantly, it works to empower people to participate fully in all matters affecting their lives, and it advocates on their behalf at national and international forums. Caritas has been working with Afghan communities abroad and in Afghanistan for decades.

For more information, please contact Caritas Internationalis Head of Communications Patrick Nicholson on 0039 06 698 79725 or 0039 334 3590700 or nicholson@caritas.va