Archived Document
Quarterly Report
Canadian Priorities: Making and Measuring Progress
Priority 5. Help advance Afghanistan’s capacity for democratic governance by contributing to effective, accountable public institutions and electoral processes.
Capacity for Democratic Development
Canada will:
- provide financial support to the election process;
- work with other donors to mobilize technical and financial resources for the Independent Elections Commission; and
- work with key national institutions to build administrative capacity.
In the words of the Afghanistan Compact, “democratic governance and protection of human rights constitute the cornerstone of sustainable progress in Afghanistan.” Building Afghanistan’s democratic capacity, with stronger institutions and electoral processes, is a Canadian policy priority—not least because achieving better governance is necessary for achieving the other Canadian priorities in Kandahar. Formal governing authority in Afghanistan is relatively centralized; provinces, led by governors appointed by the Afghan President, rely heavily on provincial branches of central government ministries and institutions to provide public services. As a consequence, Canada will focus on building capacity in national institutions that are critical to promoting Canadian priorities in Kandahar province.
Canada contributed money and expertise to support Afghanistan’s 2004 presidential election and the 2005 parliamentary and provincial elections, and we are assisting preparations for the next round of presidential elections in 2009 and parliamentary elections in 2010. Assistance will include support for a comprehensive voter registry and an electoral complaints mechanism. This second round of elections will be a pivotal point in Afghanistan’s democratic history. Successful elections will signal to Afghans and the international community a capacity and commitment to the democratic process.
In Kandahar, Canada has supported several successful national governance programs that benefit the province, including payment of civil service and police salaries through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and the Law and Order Trust Fund. Canadian support has also been given to the Education Quality Improvement Program, the National Area Based Development Program, and other governance endeavours. At the local level, Canada will continue to support Community Development Councils, in which Afghans in their own communities have successfully taken charge of economic and social initiatives. We will engage district assemblies, provincial councils and national institutions such as the Independent Directorate for Local Governance—all to build democratic capacity for service delivery at every level of government. This goes to the heart of the democratic governance priority: helping to strengthen government institutions that are effective and accountable to the women and men of Afghanistan.
Canadian Objective for 2011:
- By 2011, we expect that national, provincial and local institutions in Kandahar will exhibit an increasing capacity for democratic governance in the deliberation and delivery of public programs and services, and in carrying out democratic elections.
We will measure progress toward this objective with indicators such as the demonstrated ability of Afghan ministries to design and deliver public services in Kandahar, evidence of public confidence in governing institutions, and the successful conduct of the 2009 and 2010 elections.
