Compendium on major non-military actors in Afghanistan

148 Pages·2011·1.22 MB·English

Civil-Military Co-operation Centre of Excellence

Ana Kristovič
Vid Tomić

Mentor: Lieutenant Colonel Heiko Herkel

Compendium on
major non-military actors
in Afghanistan

Cooperating with the military?

Enschede, July 2011
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Civil-Military
Co-operation Centre of Excellence
2
CONTENTS:

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 8
1.1 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 8
1.2 SHORTCOMINGS AND ADDED VALUE .................................................................. 10
1.3 HOW TO READ THIS STUDY? ................................................................................... 10
2 P(M)ESII MODEL ................................................................................................................ 12
3 UN COUNTRY TEAM (UN CT) ......................................................................................... 13
3.1 UNOCHA – United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ............ 13
3.1.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 13
3.1.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 19
3.1.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 24
3.1.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 24
3.1.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 25
3.1.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................... 25
3.2 UNAMA – United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan .................................... 25
3.2.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 25
3.2.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 28
3.2.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 32
3.2.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 32
3.2.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 33
3.2.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................... 34
3.3 UNDP – United Nations Development Programme ....................................................... 42
3.3.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 42
3.3.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 48
3.3.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 48
3.3.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 48
3.3.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 49
3.3.6 Contacts: .................................................................................................................. 49
3.4 IOM – International Organization for Migration ............................................................ 51
3.4.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 51
3.4.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 54
3.4.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 54
3.4.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 54
3.4.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 55
3.4.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................... 56
4 NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs) ................................................... 58
3
4.1 ACTED - Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development ................................... 58
4.1.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 58
4.1.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 64
4.1.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 65
4.1.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 65
4.1.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 65
4.1.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................... 66
4.2 Mercy Corps ................................................................................................................... 69
4.2.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 69
4.2.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 71
4.2.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 74
4.2.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 77
4.2.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 77
4.2.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................... 78
4.3 DACAAR – Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees ........................................ 82
4.3.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 82
4.3.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 88
4.3.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 89
4.3.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 89
4.3.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 90
4.3.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................... 91
5 ICRC – International Committee of Red Cross ..................................................................... 93
5.1.1 Profile, intentions and aims ..................................................................................... 93
5.1.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................... 95
5.1.3 Budget ...................................................................................................................... 98
5.1.4 Influence .................................................................................................................. 98
5.1.5 Networks .................................................................................................................. 99
5.1.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................. 100
6 FOREIGN POLICY PROMOTING ORGANIZATONS ................................................... 101
6.1 USAID - United States Agency for International Development .................................. 101
6.1.1 Profile, intentions and aims ................................................................................... 101
6.1.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................. 113
6.1.3 Budget .................................................................................................................... 114
6.1.4 Influence ................................................................................................................ 114
6.1.5 Networks ................................................................................................................ 115
6.1.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................. 116
6.2 WHH – Welthungerhilfe ............................................................................................... 116
4
6.2.1 Profile, intentions and aims ................................................................................... 116
6.2.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................. 118
6.2.3 Budget .................................................................................................................... 120
6.2.4 Influence ................................................................................................................ 121
6.2.5 Networks ................................................................................................................ 121
6.2.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................. 122
6.3 SCA – Swedish Committee for Afghanistan ................................................................ 123
6.3.1 Profile, intentions and aims ................................................................................... 123
6.3.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................. 127
6.3.3 Budget .................................................................................................................... 127
6.3.4 Influence ................................................................................................................ 128
6.3.5 Networks ................................................................................................................ 128
6.3.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................. 128
7 LOCALLY-OWNED ORGANIZATIONS ......................................................................... 130
7.1 TLO – Tribal Liaison Office ......................................................................................... 130
7.1.1 Profile, intentions and aims ................................................................................... 130
7.1.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................. 136
7.1.3 Budget .................................................................................................................... 136
7.1.4 Influence ................................................................................................................ 136
7.1.5 Networks ................................................................................................................ 137
7.1.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................. 137
7.2 ACSFo – Afghan Civil Society-organization ............................................................... 139
7.2.1 Profile, intentions and aims ................................................................................... 139
7.2.2 Interaction with the military .................................................................................. 143
7.2.3 Budget .................................................................................................................... 143
7.2.4 Influence ................................................................................................................ 143
7.2.5 Networks ................................................................................................................ 144
7.2.6 Contacts ................................................................................................................. 144
8 CONCLUSION AND MAIN FINDINGS .......................................................................... 145

5
LIST OFABBREVIATIONS:

GA: Governmental Agency
IGO: Intergovernmental organization
IIF: International financial institution
IO: International organization
NGO: Non-governmental organization

AACC: Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce
ACSFo: Afghan Civil Society Forum - organization
ACBAR: Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief
ACTED: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
AHDS: Afghan Health and Development Services
AI-HRC: Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
AIMS: Afghanistan Information Management Service
AKDN: Aga Khan Development Network
ANDS: Afghan National Development Strategy
ANSO: Afghan NGO Safety Office
ARCS: Afghan Red Cross Society
AWC: Afghanistan Women Council
AWEC: Afghan Women‘s Educational Center
CACA: Center of Art and Culture in Afghanistan
CHA: Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance
CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency
CIMIC: Civil-Military Cooperation
CMWG: Civil-Military Working Group
DAARTT: Danish Assistance to Afghanistan Rehabilitation and Technical Training
DACAAR: Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees
DFID: United Kingdom Department for International Development
ENNA: European Network of NGOs in Afghanistan
EU: European Union
GIRoA: Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
GTZ: German Technical Cooperation
HC: Humanitarian Coordinator
6
IASC: Inter-Agency Standing Committee
ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross
IOM: International Organization for Migration
ISAF: International Security Assistance Force
MDGs: Millennium Development Goals
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NSP: National Solidarity Programme
OHCHR: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
PRT: Provincial Reconstruction Team
SCA: Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
SIDA: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
SRSG: Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General
TLO: Tribal Liaison Office
UN: United Nations
UNAMA: United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
UN-CMCoord: United Nations Civil-Military Coordination
UN CT: United Nations Country Team
UNDAF: United Nations Development Assistance Framework
UNDP: United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
UNHCR: United Nations Refugee Agency/ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UN HCT: United Nations Humanitarian Country Team
UNICEF: United Nations Children‘s Fund
UNIFEM: United Nations Development Fund for Women
UNOCHA: United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
UNOPS: Office for Project Service
UN WOMEN: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
USAID: United States Agency for International Development
VWO: Voice of Women Organization
WB: World Bank
WFP: World Food Programme
WHH: Welthungerhilfe
WHO: World Health Organization
WTO: World Trade Organization
7
1 INTRODUCTION

The aim of this assignment was twofold in its nature. The first part aimed at identifying major
actors in Afghanistan, concentrating solely on organizations/agencies. Special emphasis was
given to identifying the organizations/agencies that are cooperating or are willing to cooperate
with the military. The second part of the assignment aimed at profiling the most important
organizations/agencies in Afghanistan. In order to do so, first, a quick profiling of the
organizations/agencies was made and, applying the PMESII model, an overview of the
organizations according to their field of interest and operations was produced. Later, intense
profiling of the aforementioned organizations/agencies was conducted in accordance with the
methodological model that was constructed and will be described further below.

1.1 METHODOLOGY

As the duration of the research was limited to four weeks so was the methodological approach
adjusted to that timeline. Therefore, major part of the assignment had to be based on internet
sources, which was sometimes replaced or supported by other sources. ―From the field‖
information was more or less inaccessible. This was somehow compensated by consultations
with Cpt Ralf Baur, who spent three years in Afghanistan in recent years and was therefore able
to provide important insights about the topic.
First part of the assignment, identifying important actors, was achieved with the support of Cpt
Ralf Baur and authors‘ mentor LTC Heiko Herkel. Due to the rigid timeline it was impossible to
create a comprehensive methodological model in order to determine the importance of specific
organizations/agencies in Afghanistan, which would be aimed at avoiding the inflation of the
term ‗major actors‘. The criteria for determining the importance of specific
organizations/agencies was therefore arbitrarily set by authors‘ academic knowledge and
experience and by tips and recommendation from the aforementioned associates. At the end, the
list of nearly 50 organizations/agencies was comprised.
The second part of the assignment was methodologically the somehow more sophisticated.
Aforementioned list of organizations/agencies was inserted into PMESII model matrix based on
organizations/agencies‘ field of interests and operations that they perform. This PMESII model
was moderated in a sense that the ‗military‘ field was left out, since the study focused on civil
organizations. Later, in order to conduct comprehensive profiling of important actors in
Afghanistan, the authors decided to choose only 13 different organizations/agencies. The
8
rationale behind the selection was to select 4 organizations/agencies that are a part of the UN
Country Team in Afghanistan (UNOCHA, UNAMA, UNDP, IOM); three NGOs (ACTED,
Mercy Corps, DACAAR); ICRC with unique status under international law as well as their
reputation of non-biased and neutral actor; 3 organizations/agencies that are clearly driven by the
foreign policy goals of specific countries (USAID, Welthungerhilfe, Swedish Committee for
Afghanistan); and two locally owned organizations (Tribal Liaison Office, Afghan Civil Society
Forum). The selection aims for representing the most vivid representation of different
organizations/agencies in Afghanistan and at the same time to be able to complete the
assignment in the allotted time.1 After the selection was completed, the comprehensive profiling
was conducted in accordance with the methodological model which was made for this purpose in
cooperation with the authors‘ mentor. This model included following characteristics of the
organizations/agencies:

What is their profile, and which domains of the PMESII model are in their core focus?
What are their basic intentions and concrete aims?
o What effects do they want to achieve in Afghanistan?
o What is their level of interaction with the military, at which organizational level? Are
there specific restraints / constraints / patterns or institutionalized interfaces
concerning interaction with the military (driven by organizational philosophy or
operational requirements)?
What is the budget they have available / spent in Afghanistan?
What is their level of influence? And how is it substantiated and exerted? Fields of analysis:
o Budget.
o Number of deployed staff and offices.
o Number of projects & the width of their approach (projects).
o Networks in which they operate.
o Links with the local communities & number of years that organization/agency had
been present in Afghanistan

1 The Authors decided to leave out the otherwise influential organizations such as World Bank, since they perform
little activities on the theatre level. They act through a wide network of contractors and implementing partners,
while remaining in the role of a donor.
9
o Links with the political level of the home state(s) of the organization / agency.
In which networks / committees / fora are they involved?
How can another organization (e.g. the military) appropriately get in contact with them
(also covering practical requirements, like institutionalized interfaces for civil-military
interaction, points of contact)?

1.2 SHORTCOMINGS AND ADDED VALUE

At the core of all major deficiency of this assignment lies the fact that insufficient amount of
time was available to apply an even more in-depth approach. This is widely reflected in the
amount of the organizations that were comprehensively profiled, lack of information ‗from the
ground‘ and therefore an overdependence on the information provided from other sources as well
as the other aforementioned methodological consequences. Another problem was inaccessibility
of different kind of data due to the safety provisions of the organizations/agencies and its
personnel.
Beside the problems in conducting this research, they also provide an added value giving insight
on the researched topic. Apart from providing some very important findings regarding the
presence of the organizations/agencies in Afghanistan, their conduct and openness for the
cooperation with military, this study also provides a vast array of information regarding some of
the most important agencies/organizations in Afghanistan. This array of information can later on
be expanded with new actors or simply be used for additional studies as a source of information.

1.3 HOW TO READ THIS STUDY?

The study is divided into two main parts, of which the second one represents the core of the
assignment. First, a general overview of the main organizations/agencies is made and at the same
time information about their field of interest and operations are provided via the PMESII model.
The second part consists of detailed profiling of 13 different organizations/agencies in
Afghanistan. It first starts with the profiles of 4 organizations/agencies that are a part of UN
Country Team in Afghanistan (UNOCHA, UNAMA, UNDP, IOM), later on it continues with 3
NGOs (ACTED, Mercy Corps, DACAAR), the ICRC, three organizations/agencies that are
clearly driven by the foreign policy goals of specific countries (USAID, Welthungerhilfe,
10