Implementation status of Japan's Assistance Package to Afghanistan

April 2012
Japanese

In November 2009, Japan announced that it would provide assistance of approximately 80 billion yen urgently needed in Afghanistan, and that, shifting up from the existing pledge of a total of approximately two billion US dollars, Japan would provide assistance up to an amount in the region of five billion US dollars in about five years from 2009, based on the future situation of Afghanistan in the following three main areas. To date, Japan has implemented approximately 2.576 billion US dollars (248.9 billion yen) of assistance, based on the assistance package. The achievements in three main areas are as follows:

1. Assistance for enhancing Afghanistan's capability to maintain security
(approx 89.0bn yen)

Containment of insurgencies is essential towards ensuring security in Afghanistan and enabling Afghans to attain rebuilding the nation by their own hands. To that end, Japan will exert utmost support in enhancing Afghanistan's capability to maintain security. Japan will pave the way for the Afghans to take their own security responsibilities through such assistance as supporting the National Police.

• Assistance for salaries of policemen etc. through UNDP (LOTFA)
• Police training in Japan etc.
• Landmine clearance and mine risk education through UNMAS
• Counter narcotics projects, Border control, Strengthening the legal regime and the law enforcement capacity against terrorism, Capacity building for criminal justice including construction of judicial facilities and training for judicial actors through UNODC
• Literacy for Empowering Afghan Police
• Construction of building of Ministry of Interior

2. Assistance for reintegration of former insurgents to the society
(Approx 17.1bn yen)

For reintegration and long term reconciliation with insurgents, it is important to begin with working on reintegration of grass root level soldiers. Taking effective measures that would allow them to sustain their own lives and resettle into the society in the long term is essential. The Afghans themselves need to build such measures. Japan, by utilizing our experiences and expertise from Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG), will involve ourselves from the planning stage and provide financial assistance to programs such as vocational training and small scale rural development programs for job creation.

• Assistance for job creation through the development of water supply facilities etc. at the district level through UNDP
• Assistance for small communities in the fields of water, transport, irrigation and education etc. through UN-HABITAT
• Assistance for implementation of DIAG through UNDP
• Assistance for vocational training through WFP
• Contribution to the peace and reintegration trust fund through UNDP to support the "Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program(APRP)" led by the Afghan Government etc.

3. Assistance for Afghanistan's sustainable and self-reliant development
(approx 142.8bn yen)

Japan will support nation-building efforts that attract the Afghan people. For Afghanistan's sustainable and self-reliant development, Japan will provide assistance in areas such as agriculture and rural development, infrastructure development (including energy), education, health and other basic human needs based on Afghanistan’s needs. In addition, Japan will aim to stabilize Afghanistan by promoting the development of the neighbouring Central Asia region which we recognise as one theatre.

Agriculture and Rural Development:

• Improvement of rice-based agriculture in Nangarhar; Rehabilitation of national agricultural experiment stations; Technical assistance for improvement of water management(Mirabs); Improvement of agricultural production and productivity / Improvement of irrigation systems and construction of micro-hydro power facilities in Kabul and Bamyan provinces (through FAO); Rehabilitation of Small Irrigation Facilities and Village Accessibility in Dehsabz Area, Kabul Province etc.

Infrastructure Development (including Energy):

• Development study on Kabul metropolitan area; Rehabilitation of roads in Kabul city; Rehabilitation of airfield pavements of Kabul international airport; Improvement of Chaghcharan city road in Ghor province; Improvement of roads in Bamyan district; Rehabilitation of ring road in Mazar-e-sharif city; Provision of a solar energy system; Snow Clearance and Avalanche control; Reconstruction of Bridge etc.

Education, Health, Medical Care:

• Rehabilitation and construction of schools in Kabul city, Bamyan, Ghor, Dikundi provinces, Enhancement of literacy; Improvement of Kabul University
• Construction of hospital for communicable disease; Rehabilitation of Ghor provincial hospital Improvement of medical equipments for the provincial hospital of Balkh; Tuberculosis control project; Reproductive health; Prevention of infectious diseases for children; Support for health, water, sanitation and in the education sector through UNICEF; Support for medical care and clean water through the ICRC etc.

Support for refugees and IDPs:

• Providing support for Afghan refugees, internally displaced persons and returning refugees through UNHCR and IOM; Social Cohesion and Peace Building Programme for the Refugees Affected and Hosting Areas Adjacent to the Peshawar Torkhum Express Way.

Assistance for elections:

• Assistance for implementation of elections and registration of voters through UNDP etc.

Governance:

• Training for Afghan officials; Seminar on anti-corruption (experiences of Singapore and Japan); Socio-Demographic and Economic Survey in Ghor and Dikundi Provinces through UNFPA