prioritization and implementation plan - Cooperazione Italiana allo ...

AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
PRIORITIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
MID 2010 – MID 2013
INTRODUCTION:
REAFFIRMING THE GOVERNMENT’S VISION
FOR GOVERNANCE, DEVELOPMENT, AND SECURITY
On 20 July 2010, world leaders convened in Kabul
with their Afghan counterparts to consider and
endorse an Afghan Government-led action plan for
improved governance, economic and social
development, and security. The gathering, the first
of its kind at the Foreign Ministerial level in
Afghanistan, marks the culmination of several
months of intensive study and rigorous policy
debate on Government priorities implemented
through national programs to achieve Afghanistan
National Development Strategy objectives.
The ANDS Prioritization and Implementation Plan
presented to the Kabul International Conference on
Afghanistan remains committed to the Afghanistan
National Development Strategy vision, by solar
year 1400 (2020), of:
• A stable Islamic constitutional democracy at
peace with itself and its neighbors, standing with
full dignity in the international family.
• A tolerant, united, and pluralistic nation that
honors its Islamic heritage and the deep seated
aspiration toward participation, justice, and
equal rights for all.
• A society of hope and prosperity based on a
strong, private-sector led market economy,
social equity, and environmental sustainability.
At the same time, the prioritization and
implementation plan for the ANDS, presented in
this and an accompanying volume, recognizes the
central importance of achieving marked progress,
over the next one-to-three years, in the critical
areas of service delivery, job creation, economic
growth, public revenue generation, the protection
of the rights of all Afghan citizens, and stabilizing
12
all provinces and districts. For the Afghan people
and their international partners, the next twelve
months, in particular, can represent a turning point
in the country's transition away from violent
conflict and aid dependence to an Afghan-led era
of peace, justice, and equitable development.
Moving beyond a list of prioritized projects (i.e.,
simply a “re-prioritized budget-making process”),
the Kabul Conference is distinguished by
introducing truly integrated National Priority
Programs, consisting of inter-connected
components that address the combined needs for
service delivery, governance reform and
strengthening, national policy and regulatory
development, resource mobilization, and
establishing the conditions for sustainable
economic growth and job creation. For instance, it
is insufficient to provide Afghan farmers with new
irrigation infrastructure and other tools for
increased productivity, if they continue to lack a
policy and regulatory framework that encourages
access to both domestic and international markets.
Rather, to provide farmers with a living wage and
reliable, sustained returns on investment, a fully
integrated programmatic approach is required.
In building durable foundations – in the next one to
three years – for stability, broad-based
development, and financial independence over the
medium to longer-term in Afghanistan, the focus
of future international development partner and
private sector investment in the country will shift
to returns to growth, revenues, and sustainable
employment. Returns to revenue require formal
economic growth and effective systems of
governance, and formal growth is best achieved