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

[Last Updated June 2008]

Project Start Date: January 2008
Project End Date: December 2012
Project Location: Presidential Palace Kabul, Afghanistan
Status of the Project: Active
Implementing Partners: Direct Implementation (DIM)

The “Strengthening State Building through Strategic Government Communication” project aim at strengthening the drivers of development effectiveness by enhancing national capacities, national ownership, creating an enabling policy environment, seeking South/South solutions, promoting gender equity and forging partnership for results. This is in line with the UNDP global Strategic Plan 2008-2011. The project corresponds to important key results of the strategic plan focusing on strengthening responsive governing institutions’. It also emphasizes that communication channels promote government accountability and transparency through e-governance, independent journalism and access to information policies.

The project’s overall strategy is designed to maintain and enhance the existing performance standards of the OPS to match international standards of performance and respond to the common internal needs of Afghanistan. The project aims to ensure that the OPS serves as the effective media and communication arm of the OoP, in line with the public information and communication policy and the organizational reform plan developed by the OoP. The project builds on the existing staff and functions of the OPS and will further boost its public information and communication capacity and develop and implement a more strategic communication outreach strategy.

The project will focus on the development of: (i) a communications strategy and a clear vision for the OPS in order to effectively target all relevant stakeholders and include mechanisms to enhance collaboration across line Ministries, government institutions and sub national levels of government. Both institutional capacity and capacity of OPS staff will be developed, together with a clear exit strategy; and (ii) a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to information and communication, to reach specific groups at national and local levels, given the vital need to raise public awareness on rights to official, accurate and timely information and establish mechanisms to provide and access information, so they could in turn broadly participate in policy making processes and influence decisions that affect their lives.

The project is aligned with the goals and objectives of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and directly supports the “Good Governance and Rule of Law” pillar of ANDS. Additionally this project supports the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) that identifies development priorities, objectives and outcomes to be achieved in Afghanistan from 2006 through 2009. It will further support the UNDP Country Action Plan (CPAP) (2006-2009) that aims to strengthen the democratic state and government institutions at national and sub-national levels to govern and ensure the delivery of quality public services including security.

Achievements:

• The project contributed to enhance the central government’s ability to obtain information from provinces, districts and villages and facilitate the dissemination of information to those levels.
• collected, disseminated and archived the news; produced, arranged and broadcast government and president’s activities to the public through different media; its coordination with national and international media, as well as provincial information units has been active and effective.
• Coordinated media relations with national and international media that ensured timely delivery of news and current affairs to the Office of the President, and the Spokesperson to the President.
• Production and broadcast of audio/video and print material that reflects the current affairs, national reconstruction and security issues in the country through local media is done in a considerably effective manner.

Future Priorities:

The project will focus on the development of:

• a communications strategy and a clear vision for the OPS in order to effectively target all relevant stakeholders and include mechanisms to enhance collaboration across line Ministries, government institutions and sub national levels of government. Both institutional capacity and capacity of OPS staff will be developed, together with a clear exit strategy;
• and (ii) a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to information and communication, to reach specific groups at national and local levels, given the vital need to raise public awareness on rights to official, accurate and timely information and establish mechanisms.

Challenges and Risks:

• Security constraints hinders activities and coordination at provincial level
• Delays in the organisational reform at the OoP and PRR not be implemented on time

Partnerships and Resources:

Target Budget: USD 3,413,966
Budget Received: USD 1,044,632
Commitment: USD 3,413,966
Shortfall: USD 2,369,334
Donors: DFID, UNDP/DGTTF

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