Thematic Area: Poverty Reduction

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[Last Updated July 2008]

Project Start Date: February 2007
Project End Date: December 2008
Project Location: MoLSAMD, Kabul
Status of the Project: Ongoing
Implementing Partners: ILO

This project draws from the conclusions and recommendations of the BCPR mission, builds on the experiences and lessons learnt from the ‘Reintegration’ component of the former DDR programme aiming to contribute ANDS benchmark by focusing on the following dual objectives:

• Provide reintegration support services to ex-combatants and their family members and facilitate their access to livelihood opportunities under the GoA, UN, private sector and other donor funded programmes and projects.
• Support Institutional organizational capacity building of Ministry of Social, Martyrs and Disabled Affairs (MoLSAMD) to own and lead the reintegration efforts (beyond the project duration).

Component 1 (referral services and support for employment for XC and their family including all Afghan) the project will work through the existing 11 Employment service centers (ESC) of MoLSAMD. These are located in Kabul (2 ESC), Herat, Mazar, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Gardez. Ghazni, Pul-i-kumri, Jozwan, Kunduz. Another office will be established towards the end of 2007 in Bamyan based on the assessment of Labor Market status in the said province.
Within this component, following main activities for referral services are:

- Capacity building of ESC to focus specifically on referral services of XCs.
- An information campaign will be launched nation wide in order to inform XCs of services provided by ESC for them, and interested XCs will be registered, interviewed and counseling will be provided on services offered.
- Job placement training given to XC to qualify for placement into formal wage employment.
- Training in soft skills related to the labour market will be delivered, such as occupational safety and health and working conditions, social dialogue, fundamental labour standards and gender equality, health and nutrition and HIV/AIDS.
- Preparation for calling of tender specifically the training of ex-combatants and their families.

Component 2, Greater capacity development at (i) Organizational & Human Resource and at (ii) Strategy & Policy levels within MoLSAMD to lead on reintegration services for XCs.

(i) The main activities are building institutional capacity through HR development of ministry to lead and coordinate on reintegration for XC. Based on the need assessment, job training of MoLSAMD staff at the central and provincial levels where ESCs are located on these aspects will also be carried out regularly within the project period.

(ii) In terms of Strategy & Policy, after an analysis of the opportunities in the labor market and the relevance of available employment training programmes, better matching between the labour market opportunities and the skills of the jobseekers will be established. A market-oriented training guideline specifically for XC will be developed. Technical assistance for strengthening policy and coordinating role of the ministry will be a key strategy.

(iii) Establishment of database at the central level with accessibility from the provincial ESC Offices.

Major Accomplishments:

Followings are the major progress made for the implementation of RSPE project:

• The PMU setting work has been completed; ILO and UNDP in coordination with ministry, the site for PMU identified and 6 office containers were transferred and installed with ministry vicinity.
• Recruitment of project staff including a Technical Advisor and National staff has been completed. Ministry of Social Affairs, Disabled and Martyrs has also nominated a senior official as the project coordinator to this project. The Technical Advisor joint the team on first of week of September and started is on preparatory activities straight away. Administration and finance officer have been recruited and for the post of National Institutional and Capacity Development Advisor, third round of recruitment is in the process since last two rounds of recruitment were unsuccessful due to the lack of qualified and interested candidates.

• UNDP and ILO organized first project board meeting on 21 June at Ministry of Social affairs conference room and on 15 December 2007 at RSPE/ESC meeting room. Members from UNDP, ILO, MoLSAMD, MAIL, MoWA and MRRD participated in the meeting. Participants of meeting agreed upon the contents of project implementation strategy and work plan for 2007 and 2008 and budget revision to move the allocated budget for 2007 to 2008 based on estimated expenditure as at 31 December 2007 and work accomplished in 2007 and revised work plan of 2008.

• ESC Database has been established at the central level which is being tested at the moment and it is expected to be fully operational from 1 August 2008 with accessibility from the provincial ESC Offices.

• The Reintegration support and livelihood training opportunities identified registered of ex-combatants and their families (3505) at the ESCs, along with the provision of vocational counselling (108 X) and the referral to vocational training and employment opportunities. Out of the registered excombatants and their families of 3,505, 400 have been receiving different kinds of vocational training (computer, literacy, vocational training of tailoring and mechanical training) in Ghazni. Besides that 71 excombatnts and their families are receiving on the job vocational training such as car repairing, English language, computer, carpentry, tailoring, repair of radio and TV, embroidery. Rest of the registered xcoms and their families will start receiving different kinds of vocational training (computer, literacy, vocational training of tailoring and mechanical training) in Kabul, Herat, Mazar, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Pul-i-kumri, Kunduz from July 2007 onwards.

• Outreach activities were undertaken by the ESC staff, with visits made to employers (637) and vocational training providers (56), in an effort to obtain the cooperation of these labour market actors with respect to maximizing the livelihood opportunities for ex-combatants and their families. Liaison activities also encompassed government entities (e.g. provincial departments of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs), UN Agencies and NGOs.

Future Priorities:

RSPE will continue to support Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) and, work through, and build on, the existing network of Employment Services Centers (ESCs). The Employment Services Centers were established under an ILO executed project that began in May 2004. These Centers are staffed by MoLSAMD staff who assists jobseekers in undertaking vocational training, accessing wage employment opportunities or in starting their own businesses. The ESCs also provide services to employers with respect to recruitment of qualified personnel. Training providers in turn utilize the services of the ESCs: obtaining participants in their training programs and referring their training graduates to the ESCs for employment assistance.

Partnerships and Resources:

The RSPE project has been funded by UK as part of their surplus DDR funding, which means the project financial resources are fully mobilized,
Target Budget: USD 4 million
Received Budget: USD 4 million
Current Donors: UK

Focal Points:

Marc Vantsteenkiste, Chief Technical Advisor (marc.ilokabul@undp.org)
Mirwais Sarah, Programme Officer (mirwais.sarah@undp.org)

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