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Democracy and democratic governance

Democratic governance is central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and, in particular, the elimination of poverty. The attainment of the MDGs in Afghanistan are heavily dependent on strong, legitimate and effective public administration structures, at both central and sub-national level, which are responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens, including the poor. Following the Bonn Agreement, much of the emphasis was on establishing essential state institutions. The challenge is now to ensure that these institutions can effectively deliver on development. The elected government faces many challenges: weak institutions, low capacity, corruption, insecurity, and a disconnect between central government, the provincial administrations and local communities.

In order to strengthen the cross-cutting and core capacities of the State, UNDP focus on strengthening the capacities of civil servants in priority government institutions in the areas of management, leadership and communications. This includes support to the Centre of Government, enhancement of the aid management capacities and support to information management. The Trust Fund arrangement enables the government to mobilize financial resources and helps the national budget to better manage the pooled resources from multiple donors through developing more predictable core budget funding modalities.

At the sub-national level, support focus on capacity development of the government in formulating and implementing a sub-national governance policy and legal and regulatory framework; development of institutional and administrative capacities in provincial and district administrations to deliver basic services and strengthening the capacity of Provincial Councils to act as the representative link between the State and local communities.

UNDP support the consolidation of democracy through building national institutions (Independent Elections Commission and Parliament), promoting accountability and transparency and promoting civil society empowerment - particularly focusing on youth and women. In support of the promotion of rights and equality, UNDP implements activities related to justice, human rights, gender and disability.

UNDP's core services to support national processes of democratic transitions focus on:
(1) Policy advice and technical support; (2) Strengthening capacity of institutions and individuals (3) Advocacy, communications, and public information; (4) Promoting and brokering dialogue; and (5) Knowledge networking and sharing of good practices.

UNDP Afghanistan is assisting Afghanistan to strengthen democratic governance by focusing on the following activities:

Projects:

Accountability and Transparency (ACT)

Capacity for the Afghan Public Service Programme (CAP)

Making Budgets and Aid Work (MBAW)

Afghanistan Information Management Services (AIMS)

Strengthening the Justice System of Afghanistan (SJSA)

Support to the Establishment of Afghan Legislature (SEAL)

Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT)

Human Rights Treaty Reporting (HRTR)

Afghanistan Sub-national Governance Project (ASGP)

Civil Service Leadership Development (CSLD)

Support to the Center of Government (SCoG)

Support to the Afghan Diplomatic Institute (ADI)

National Joint Youth Programme (NJYP)

National Programme for Action on Disability (NPAD)

Bridging The Public Information Gap (PBIG)

Information And Communication Technology (ICT)

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