Archived Document
III. Canadian Priorities: Reporting Progress
Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan is defined and guided by six specific, interrelated priorities as announced in mid-2008: enable the Afghan National Security Forces in Kandahar to sustain a more secure environment and promote law and order; strengthen Afghan institutional capacity to deliver basic services; provide humanitarian aid to extremely vulnerable people; enhance border security with the facilitation of Afghan-Pakistani dialogue; help advance Afghanistan’s democratic governance; and facilitate Afghan-led political reconciliation.
Canada’s priorities in Afghanistan are in turn shaped by Afghanistan’s defined needs and Canada’s own demonstrated expertise. At the same time, Canada’s priorities are inextricably linked together. For example, creating more secure villages promotes opportunities to deliver much-needed basic services while improving prospects for implementing good governance.
During this quarter, significant progress was made on the rehabilitation of the Dahla Dam and irrigation system, one of Canada’s signature projects in Afghanistan. Part of a larger project known as the Arghandab Irrigation Rehabilitation Project, repair of the Dahla Dam will provide a secure irrigation water supply to the majority of the Kandahar population, 80 percent of which lives along the irrigation system. An aerial survey and detailed mapping of the area are now completed, key equipment has been procured and local Afghan companies have been contracted to undertake core physical work. Canadian representatives attended local shuras (community meetings) on a regular basis to discuss progress.
It is worth noting that this type of progress is achieved in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances.
Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most impoverished and dangerous places, plagued by a violent insurgency that seeks to undermine the establishment of formal governance institutions and development. It is against this legacy of poverty and conflict that Canada and its international partners seek to help Afghans rebuild their country.
