Kabul Urban Survey - Groupe URD

4.4 Kabul urban policy issues according to UN agencies and
international aid
• Inclusive urban management
UN-HABITAT is working with civil society, local authorities and the government to make
urban development broad-based and inclusive.
At the national level
UN-HABITAT has supported the government in preparing an urban housing policy and
continues to serve as the secretariat to the Urban Management Consultative Group.
UN-HABITAT is working on a city governance assessment with a “City profile” survey, which
has been piloted in Kandahar. Subsequently a similar initiative has been launched in Kabul.
At the local level
UN-HABITAT has been working with the Kabul Municipality (as it has done previously with
the municipalities of Kandahar, Jalalabad, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif) with a view to
strengthening their management and implementation capacity.
4.5 Kabul urban social and vulnerability analysis
The main objective of the international presence in Afghanistan is to bring aid to the affected
population. These actors require a variety of different social research assessments in order
to design programmes, specific projects or strategic programmes for urban rehabilitation, or
to define a system for supplying basic services. Several international organisations have
contributed to shedding light on the urban vulnerability situation.
- The independent research institute, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
has carried out research on livelihoods, including a study on Kabul, “Urban livelihoods
and community based needs” 18 .
- In 2006, the UNHCR conducted a case study on Kabul 19 and MEDAIR launched a similar
initiative for ECHO 20 .
- In 2006, ACF is updating its 2003 “Kabul Vulnerability Mapping”.
18 Schutte S., “Urban livelihoods and community based needs”, AREU survey & publication:
Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit
19 Levron E., Modes de subsistance des réfugiés en milieu urbain, Kabul Field case, Afghanistan-
EPAU/2006/03-2 for UNHCR
20 ECHO/MEDAIR, “Kabul vulnerable programme” as a 2006 evaluation
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