Thematic Area: Democratic Governance

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|Progress Report Quarter 2 2008 Annex 1 AWP|
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|Annual Report 2006|

[Last Updated June 2008]

Project Start Date: April 2004
Project End Date: December 2008
Project Location: AIMS Office, Kabul, Afghanistan
Status of the Project: Active
Implementing partners: Direct Implementation (DIM)

http://www.aims.org.af

To achieve the goals of effective public administration, transparency and accountability, the Government of Afghanistan requires and depends heavily upon appropriate information management processes and tools, and a skilled national information management workforce.

Within the context of GOA’s growth and Afghanistan's national development, AIMS is seen as a reputable and reliable strategic partner with the core capabilities to deliver human capacity building and critical information management services to the Afghanistan government and the broader development community. Through its central Kabul office and five regional offices, AIMS has played a critical role in providing a range of information management products and customized services, which were previously unavailable. AIMS has also laid the foundation for effective data management in key line ministries and foresees expanding this foundation for planning, managing and monitoring reconstruction activities within Afghanistan.

AIMS was established in 2001 by UNOCHA through the merger of the new Humanitarian Information Centre for Afghanistan (HIC) and the existing Projects Management Information System (ProMIS). In 2002 AIMS collaborated with UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan) and was administered by UNDP. Since 2003 AIMS has been a Directly Executed (DEX) project of UNDP, administered and managed by UNDP.

Achievements:

• The AIMS transition plan and five years strategic plan developed. Designated Board of Directors and founders selected. Registration process for the NGO has begun.
• Security Maps have been developed and issued for UNDSS, French Embassy Activity map for MoA, Dand district Project for JICA and Project maps for UNDP.
AIMS internal staff capacity has been built through online training and PRINCE2 Foundation certification has been built, helping to strengthen customer relations, knowledge and skill building of key staff.
• AIMS has helped to substantially increase the Government of Afghanistan and humanitarian community’s information management capacity through the provision of maps and mapping software, information management training and capacity assessments: An English version of the website for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been developed and user need analysis for the Office of the Attorney General’s website completed; the AIMS GIS department has provided on-going technical support to GoA GIS labs in 11 Ministries and departments; United Nations activities have been mapped by province.
• Provision of capacity development on information management and advisory services to the Government of Afghanistan (GoA),
• Provision of information to the Government, United Nations (UN) agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• Improvement of the capacity of AIMS’ staff members to implement the exit strategy and specific development activities.
• Institutional Information Management Capacity of the GoA is strengthened

Future priorities:

• Continue to build internal capacity in order to transition in a timely and efficient fashion to independent NGO status.
• Continue technical support to GOA GIS labs in eleven Ministries and in AGCHO regional offices, provide advisory services to the GoA.
• Translation of Afghan maps into Pashto to enable all literate Afghans to read Afghan maps.

Challenges and Risks:

The main challenge confronting the project remains building AIMS internal capacity in preparation for the project’s transition to independent NGO status. Business development and legal consultants have been hired to help facilitate a smooth transition.

Partnerships and Resources:

Target Budget: USD 10,811,874
Received Budget: USD 10,211,874
Commitment: USD 10,811,874
Shortfall: USD 60, 0000
Donors: UNDP, USAID, EC

Focal Points:

Neal Bratschun, Project Manager (neal.bratschun@undp.org)
Walid Rahimi, Deputy Project Manager (walid.rahimi@undp.org)
Dilawar Khan, Programme Officer (dilawar.khan@undp.org)

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