Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011

197 Pages·2012·1.39 MB·English

Norad Evaluation Department
Norad
Norwegian Agency for
Development Cooperation
Postal address Evaluation of Norwegian Development
P.O. Box 8034 Dep. NO-0030 OSLO
Visiting address
Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011
Ruseløkkveien 26, Oslo, Norway
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Report 3/2012
[email protected]
www.norad.no
Norad
Norwegian Agency for
Development Cooperation
P.O.Box 8034 Dep, NO-0030 Oslo
Ruseløkkveien 26, Oslo, Norway
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Cover photos: School for girls, Ken Opprann
Meymaneh, Mathias Rongved, Royal Norwegian Embassy Kabul
Design: Siste Skrik Kommunikasjon
ISBN: 978-82-7548-662-0
Evaluation of Norwegian
Development Cooperation with
Afghanistan 2001-2011
June 2012
Ecorys
The report is the product of its authors, and responsibility for the accuracy of data included in this report rests with the authors.
The findings, interpretations and conclusions presented do not necessarily reflect the views of Norad Evaluation Department.
ii Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011
Preface
Norway has provided substantial assistance to Afghanistan since 2001. The
main partners in the Norwegian assistance portfolio are the multilateral
organisations, followed by Norwegian NGOs, and Norwegian government to
government twinning projects implemented by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice
and the Norwegian Police Directorate. The main purpose of this evaluation,
carried out by independent consultants (ECORYS) is to assess the contributions
of the Norwegian development assistance to promote socio-economic
conditions and sustainable peace through improvements in the capacity of the
Afghan state and civil society to provide essential public services.
In the decade covered by this evaluation, development and humanitarian
policies of the donor community in Afghanistan have operated in tandem with
their military engagement. Handling the relationship between the two
components has posed a unique challenge for all the donors. The evaluation
team finds that Norway has pursued and succeeded in keeping an arms-length
relationship between its development assistance and military components. As
intended, the separation between the two has provided sufficient degrees of
freedom for the NGOs to pursue their humanitarian and development mandates.
Nevertheless, the report argues that a rigid pursuit of this policy may have led to
the concentration of civil engagement in relatively peaceful areas where needs
might not be most acute. Independence and visibility of the NGOs may have
weakened the legitimacy of the resource constrained provincial administration,
as perceived by the general public. The evaluation calls for fine-tuning of the
arms-length relationship to the context.
Total volume of assistance covered by this evaluation is NOK 5.4 billion, of
which over half has been channelled through the multilateral partners. The multi-
donor Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund ARTF administered by the World
Bank is the single most important channel. During the earlier years in
Afghanistan, Norway actively engaged with the Fund to promote Norwegian
priorities through this multi-donor mechanism. The evaluation team however
reports that the Norwegian engagement with ARTF, for example through
participation in the different working groups of ARTF, has waned mainly due to
the limited administrative capacity at the Embassy in Kabul. The down-side of
this practice is that it distances Norway from the fora where ARTF donors meet
the Afghan authorities to discuss important issues around state-building and
capacity development. The evaluation report emphasizes the need to reconsider
how Norway interfaces with the multilateral system.
Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011 iii
Norwegian assistance has focussed mainly on education, community
development and good governance including the judicial system’s ability to
enforce the rule of law. Encouraging results can be documented at the output
and also some at the outcome level in the education sector. The same cannot
be said for the governance sector. According to the evaluation team, rampant
grand corruption has been and remains the greatest threat to aid-effectiveness
in Afghanistan. The donor community including Norway has been cautious in
meeting the governance challenges.
Afghanistan presents a unique context where risks are high with regard to
achievement of Norwegian policy goals. Success in Afghanistan will depend on
the extent to which donors are able to innovate and adapt to the context.
Outlining a strategy in collaboration with the Afghan authorities to improve
governance should be a high priority as one moves into the transition phase in
Afghanistan.
The report is the product of its authors and does not necessarily reflect the
views of the Evaluation Department of Norad.
Marie Moland Gaarder
Director, Department of Evaluation
iv Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011
Table of contents

Preface iii
List of Tables viii
List of Figures ix
List of Acronyms x
Executive Summary xii
1 Introduction 3
1.1 Purpose and Objectives 3
1.2 Evaluation Questions 3
1.3 Main Users 4
1.4 Scope of Work 4
2 Methodology 5
2.1 Approach 5
2.2 Data collection and analysis methods 6
2.3 Organisation 8
2.4 Phasing 9
2.5 Challenges and Major Constraints 11
3 Policy Analysis 13
3.1 Introduction 13
3.2 The Context in Afghanistan 13
3.3 International agreements and policy on Afghanistan 16
3.4 Norwegian Policy on Afghanistan 20
3.4.1 Foreign Policy 20
3.4.2 Humanitarian Policy 24
3.4.3 Development Policy 27
3.5 Main actors 35
3.6 Towards a theory of change 37
3.7 Conclusion 40
4 Portfolio Analysis 42
4.1 Introduction 42
4.2 Role of Norwegian Actors 43
4.3 Partners, Channels and Priorities 46
4.3.1 Partners 46
4.3.2 Channels 48
4.4 Priorities 50
4.5 Conclusions 52
Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011 v
5 Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund 54
5.1 Introduction 54
5.2 Overview of ARTF 54
5.3 Norwegian Contribution to ARTF 56
5.4 ARTF Governance 58
5.5 ARTF Financing Strategy 59
5.6 The Recurrent Cost Window 60
5.7 The Investment Window 62
5.7.1 Results from the National Solidarity Program (NSP) 63
5.7.2 Results from the Education Quality Improvement Program
(EQUIP) 66
5.7.3 Results from the National Institute of Management
and Administration (NIMA) 69
5.8 ARTF Implementation Mechanisms 70
5.9 ARTF Oversight and Monitoring 71
5.10 ARTF Administration costs 73
5.11 Conclusions 74
6 Development Assistance 78
6.1 Introduction 78
6.2 Governance 78
6.2.1 Governance portfolio analysis 78
6.2.2 Analysis of selected governance projects 82
6.2.3 Conclusions on Governance 89
6.3 Education 92
6.3.1 Education Portfolio Analysis 92
6.3.2 Analysis of selected education projects 94
6.3.3 Conclusions on Education 96
6.4 Community Development 96
6.4.1 Community development portfolio analysis 96
6.4.2 Analysis of selected community development projects 97
6.4.3 Conclusions on Community Development 102
6.5 Gender Equality 102
6.5.1 Gender portfolio analysis 103
6.5.2 Analysis of selected projects 103
6.5.3 Conclusions 106
6.6 Conclusions 106
7 The Norwegian Model in Faryab Province 109
7.1 Introduction 109
7.2 Background to Norway’s Involvement in Faryab 110
7.2.1 Norway’s Engagement in the PRT 110
7.2.2 Strategy in Faryab 112
7.3 Development Portfolio Analysis 115
7.4 Results of the Funded Programs 116
7.4.1 Government-implemented National Priority Programs 117
vi Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011
7.4.2 Parallel Programs 118
7.4.3 Norwegian Implemented Projects 120
7.5 Results against the Faryab Strategy 122
7.5.1 Separation of Military and Civilian Assistance with coordination
of respective roles 122
7.6 Development of Models of Afghanisation 125
7.7 Conclusion 130
8 Conclusions 133
8.1 Relevance 133
8.2 Effectiveness 134
8.3 Efficiency 136
8.4 Sustainability 137
8.5 Impact 137
Annex 1 Terms of Reference 141
Annex 2 Selected documents consulted 153
Annex 3 Access to archives 166
Annex 4 People Interviewed 168
Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011 vii
List of Tables
Table 0.1 Overview of main partners xvii
Table 3.1 External Assistance to Afghanistan, Top 15
(figures in USD millions) 20
Table 3.2 Foreign, Development Policy and Strategy points over time 33
Table 5.1 Norwegian Contribution to the ARTF from March 2002
to March 2012, as of January 20, 2012 57
Table 5.2 ARTF Incentive Programme 61
Table 6.1 Overview of development assistance per channel
and per sector 78
Table 6.2 Overview of the Governance Portfolio 80
Table 6.3 Overview of the sub national governance
and institution building sub sector 81
Table 6.4 Selected governance projects 83
Table 6.5 Overview of outputs from selected governance projects 85
Table 6.6 Funding of assistance in the Afghan Education sector
by partner and type of project 91
Table 6.7 Education objectives, inputs and expected outputs 92
Table 6.8 Overview of Selected Education Projects 93
Table 6.9 Allocation of grants by partner across all years 2001-09 96
Table 6.10 Use of policy-marker ’Gender equality’ for development
assistance managed by the Norwegian embassy in Kabul,
2007-2011 (NOK 1000) 103
Table 6.11 Value of gender projects 2001-2010 in mill. NOK 103
Table 7.1 Projects and implementing partners in Faryab 115
Table 7.2 Project allocations Faryab 2006-2009, million NOK 115
viii Evaluation of Norwegian Development Cooperation with Afghanistan 2001-2011