Report - United States Department of Defense

UNCLASSIFIED
to be exclusively run by IDLG and allow the Afghan government to take full funding
responsibility gradually. USAID will likely not engage in this on-budget program. Currently,
USAID is conducting a broader revision process, clarifying its engagement for the future.
USAID’s future provincial level program will provide capacity building support to Provincial
Governors and Provincial Councils efforts in targeted provinces.
Afghanistan Sub-national Governance Program (ASGP). In 2012 (SY1391), the ASGP
budget was $20M and was funded by Australia, the European Union (EU), Italy, Japan,
Switzerland, Sweden, and the UNDP. The program supports Afghan government efforts to
implement its sub-national governance reform agenda through its main national partner, IDLG,
and a network of Provincial Governors Offices (PGOs), District Governors Offices (DGOs),
Provincial Councils (PCs) and municipalities. ASGPII will continue working with PGOs,
concentrating efforts at the provincial level and implementing its programs at the district level as
they become accessible and the Afghan government develops the capacity to absorb donor
assistance. The upcoming ASGPIII (post 2014) will furthermore push the DGO’s role with
regard to planning capacity. Local responsibility for planning and budgeting, transparent
accountability mechanisms, and improved oversight by elected councils over provincial, district,
and municipal administrations are imperative. The complete integration of ASGP with the NPP
4 is an urgent priority for the Afghan government.
Regional Afghan Municipal Program for Urban Population (RAMP-UP). This is a USAIDfunded
program established to assist major Afghan urban centers (currently all the provincial
centers plus Kabul) and improve their ability to fund service-delivery projects. Funding for the
sequel program, “RAMP-UP 2,” in 2014 and beyond will likely be reduced to $50M over five
years, down from $80M for the current program. Due to these budget reductions, municipalities
eligible for “RAMP-UP 2” must be carefully selected using a scoring system that allows USAID
to judge performance indicators (e.g., transparency, good governance, budget, etc.). With
significant population growth in urban centers expected to continue, RAMP-UP will be an
important mechanism to help organize service delivery for an increasingly high percentage of the
Afghan population. This program will enable the municipalities as they become increasingly
responsible for providing security and services that facilitate and promote economic growth.
These programs help to strengthen the link between the national and sub-national levels, but until
councils and committees begin to improve the delivery of basic services, the people in the
districts and villages will see a limited connection to the national government. Over time, and if
properly coupled with the TMAF commitments, the programs noted above aim to increase the
levels of delegation, accountability, and effectiveness at sub-national level, particularly in areas
of budget planning and execution. The TMAF seeks to enhance sub-national governance
through three specific indicators:
i. Improve budget execution to 75 percent by 2017.
ii. Enact a legal framework to clarify roles and responsibilities of government agencies at
national, provincial, and district levels, in line with 2010 sub-national governance policy.
iii. Develop a provincial budgeting process that includes provincial input to the relevant
ministries’ formulation of budget requests, linked to a provincial planning process, in which
provincial councils have consultative roles.
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