Thematic Areas: Crisis Prevention and Recovery

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[Last Updated August 2011]

 

Strengthened Approach for the Integration of Sustainable Environmental Management in Afghanistan (SAISEM)

This Joint Programme aims to promote a strengthened approach for the integration of sustainable environmental management into Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and the MDGs to result in environmentally sustainable growth.

ANDS Pillar 3
Infrastructure and Natural Resources Mgt
MDG7=Creating mechanisms & structures for Env't sustainability
UNDAF (2010 – 2013) = "Working and delivering as One UN" (UNEP, UNDP, FAO)


Proposed Budget
2.5 Million


Resources*
2.2 Million


Implementing Partner
The main government partners are the ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MoAIL), Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), and the National Environmental Protection Agency.


Donors
Spain- MDG-F

Project Overview

A JP of FAO, UNDP and UNEP; and three governmental counterparts - the National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA), the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MoAIL) and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD). FAO and UNDP are the direct implementing partners while UNEP has an advisory role in the implementation of programme. The Programme is promoting formulation of suitable policy frameworks; ensure institutional capacity building to lead the effective implementation of the policies, directly mainstream environmental considerations in national and sub-national planning and development frameworks.

EM into NATIONAL LEVEL Processes: National Environmental Advisory Council will be consolidated through the endorsement of National Environmental Mainstreaming Guideline. Strategic plan, Bussiness plan and Capacity Development plan for NEPA will be developed to ensure institutional capacity development towards the effective implementation of the guidelines and policies.

National Capacity for EM: Environment Focal Points in each ministry will be extended to strengthen NEPA institutional structures for integration and monitoring of environment into Ministries plans and programmes.

Institutional knowledge management and Envtal awareness: An Integrated approach for Environmental Awareness has been adopted to promote environmental education at various levels in the country.

 

Context

Afghanistan's environment and natural resource base is under great pressure. The decades of conflict, on-going instability, lack of effective governance and service delivery, socio-economic insecurity and overall poverty, susceptibility to droughts and other natural hazards, population increase and influx of displaced and returning population, have all exacted a heavy toll on the environment and the natural resource base of the country. Over 80% of the Afghan population lives in rural areas practicing agricultural and related rural activities that rely heavily on use of natural resources. As such, the Government of Afghanistan recognizes that failure to address environmental degradation will negatively affect the long-term growth of the country as well as meeting the country's MDGs.

The JP is aligned with the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) 2010-2014, which includes environmental management as a crosscutting issue. The government strategic vision on environment as articulated in the ANDS has three goals; (1) to secure a clean and health environment, (2) to attain sustainable economic and social development while protecting the natural resource base and the environment, and (3) to ensure effective management of the country's environment through participation of all stakeholders. The project also contributes to MDG 7 for sustainable environment, as well as to Outcome 5 of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2010-2013: "improved capacity to manage natural resources to support poverty reduction and dispute resolution, and reduce vulnerability to natural disasters".

 

Key Results

• Environment has been incorporated into the revised MRRD Strategic Intent as an important cross-cutting issue requiring attention of all MRRD rural development programmes. This will enable MRRD to contribute to ANDS pillar 3 on environment and natural resources management.
  
  
• A National guideline for environmental mainstreaming into the various sectors is developed. A National Taskforce was established to champion the process for developing the national environment mainstreaming guideline as a strategy for sustainability of environment mainstreaming within the institutional processes.
  
  
• The project provided in-put into the national environmental education and awareness strategy is under-process (second draft submitted) led by UNEP in support of NEPA. The project intents to produce environment awareness and education material in line with the mentioned strategy to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure uniformity.
  
  
• The local communities (through the ESCs of CDCs, DDAs and community groups) are empowered to make decisions regarding environment and natural resource management and to include environment into the planning and implementation of their rural development projects.
  
  
• Provincial Environment Advisory Councils (PEACs) guideline developed and endorsed by NEPA. Based on the guideline 19 Provincial Environmental Advisory Council (PEACs) was established to incorporate environment into provincial planning process.
  
  
• Environment sub-committees piloted within 16 Community Development Councils (CDCs) and 8 District Development Assemblies (DDAs) in five provinces to integrate environment into development plans. MRRD-Program of NABDP will replicate ESC in the entire DDAs structure.
  
  
  

Electrifying Afghanistan

Approximately 85 percent of villages in rural Afghanistan lack the basic electrical power required for numerous daily activities, such as grinding wheat and corn, running small busi-nesses, maintaining refrigeration, telecommu-nications, and providing lighting. In order to tackle this problem, the Energy for Rural Devel-opment of Afghanistan (ERDA) department of NABDP is focusing on the provision of renewa-ble energy options for rural communities.

The DDAs, which identify community needs and priorities and devise community-oriented project plans, have requested more than 150 micro hydropower (MHP) units across the country to date. ERDA is currently implement-ing 28 MHP projects in 7 provinces and has completed 6 which are currently operational.

Through these projects, more than 6,200 households in rural or remote parts of Afghani-stan will be hooked into a clean power supply through water-driven energy projects. Each MHP ranges in cost from US$25,000 to US$165,000 and is constructed under a divert-ed river or stream’s manmade waterfall in or-der to convert clean hydropower into electrici-ty for between 40 and 1,000 families.

Households that previously relied on kerosene oil and other flammable or polluting fuel sources for cooking and for heating homes and businesses will receive more than 700 kilo-watts of electricity from 34 hydropower tur-bines.

Thus ERDA is currently working in 10 provinc-es of Badakhshan, Takhar, Samangan, Ghor, Herat, Bamyan, Panjshir, Ningarhar, Badghis, and Kandahar on MHP, biogas, and solar ener-gy technologies.

 

MDG-F-SASIEM-JP Contacts

Shamim Niazi
Environmental Specialist/ JP Coordinator
Shamim.rehman.niazi@undp.org
+93(0)788 078 800

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