Archived Document
Priority 5. Help advance Afghanistan’s capacity for democratic governance by contributing to effective, accountable public institutions and electoral processes
Canada expects that by 2011, national, provincial and local institutions, particularly in Kandahar province, will exhibit an increasing capacity for democratic governance in the deliberation and delivery of public programs and services, in carrying out democratic elections, and in addressing concerns around the continuing prevalence of corruption.
Under this priority, Canada has focused on working with Afghan officials on initiatives that will enable the Government of Afghanistan and institutions of civil society to build on, and maintain, the hard won progress that has been made on democratic governance.
Among other initiatives, Canada continues to support the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in building human rights awareness. The AIHRC is the only Afghan body with the constitutional mandate to promote, protect, monitor and document human rights violations in Afghanistan. Supported by a Canadian technical expert, the AIHRC has developed a 2010-13 Strategic Action Plan that includes a transitional provision for 30 percent of its budget to be covered by the Government of Afghanistan—in line with Kabul Conference commitments supported by the international community. As the AIHRC becomes integrated into the government’s budget as part of its sustainability plan, the AIHRC will move forward on this crucial administrative success which will help ensure that its activities are sustainable into the future.
Through the Governance and Development Support Program, Canada continues to support the registration of informal urban settlements in Kandahar City. As of April 2011, more than 26,000 plots of land were registered, generating over $216,000 in revenue to the Kandahar municipal government. The sustainability of this initiative, and thereby the value of Canada’s investment, was substantiated by the intention of the now deceased Mayor of Kandahar City to continue this registration process even after Canada transitions its development mission to a national program based in Kabul.
A Kandahar Municipal Job Fair held in June by the Afghan Civil Service Commission with support from Canada and the United States generated significant interest among Kandaharis, some 200 of whom applied for positions with the Kandahar City municipal government. Of some 120 applicants interviewed, 45 candidates received permanent positions, including the first two women to work in either City Hall or the Governor’s Palace, and an additional 25 individuals were hired contractually.
While Canada has fully met its commitment to support the 2009 and 2010 elections through the United Nations Development Programme, advancing democracy remains a major challenge in this period of transition. In this quarter, a Special Election Tribunal, established in December 2010 by Presidential Decree, completed its recount of disputed seats. In June, the tribunal announced that 62 sitting members of parliament—up to 25 percent of total members—would potentially be displaced in favour of different candidates.
Afghans, including members of the lower house of the Afghan Parliament, have expressed concern over the legitimacy of the tribunal’s work given the constitutionally mandated role of the Independent Electoral Commission to verify and finalize the results of Afghan elections. A more complete accounting of this process will be provided in the next and final quarterly report on Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan for the period 2008-11.
