Afghanistan's Agenda for Action - Economic Growth - usaid

Afghanistan’s Agenda for Action: Developing the Trade & Business Environment – August 2007ABP detections of illegal travelers (such as those withfalse documentation or those using unauthorizedcrossing points) are minimal. As in many publicinstitutions, corruption is a factor with the ABP.Traders interviewed told us that multiple bribes todifferent Afghani officials are encountered regularly: Onone trip, after the initial Customs gratuity at the port ofentry, bribes were solicited by the Customs BorderPolice, the Customs mobile verification team and theABP during document checks at informal checkpoints.The Personal Identification Secure Comparison andEvaluation System (PISCES) is the immigration systemthat has been implemented partially at KabulInternational Airport and is supported by the UnitedStates. PISCES, installed in Pakistan and other keynations, provides Immigration Officers such as the ABPand other law enforcement agencies with a trackingsystem to capture identifying information of travelers.More importantly, it allows governments to identifyindividuals of interest. PISCES is intended to link allports and to provide smooth working co-ordinationand standardization among various law enforcementagencies with a stake in immigration control. Whenfully implemented, PISCES will act as an important toolfor immigration purposes and the identification forindividuals of interest.The return, care and assimilation of returning refugeesfrom neighboring countries are a large issue for acountry undergoing nation building. The large numberAfghani refugees crossing the borders vary according tothe seasons found in Afghanistan’s harsh climate. Warmweather increases the flow, but the UN processingcenter during the winter months sees small number ofvoluntary repatriations. As stated previously, refugeeflow will increase during spring season. Flow may bemitigated somewhat since open source media reportssuggest returnee numbers may be lower than expectedbecause many refugees are being assimilated in hostcountry after numerous years of residence. In 2007, theOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR) expects over half a million to750,000 Afghans to return home – around 400,000from Pakistan and approximately 125,000 from Iran.There are over 2 million Afghan refugees remaining inPakistan and slightly less 1 million in Iran.Additionally, air travel-specific improvements are beingmade. Following necessary runway and taxiway repairat Kabul International Airport, a much-needed newterminal is being built by the Japanese government.Additionally, the existing terminal is being renovated bythe U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. The impact will bebetter flow of arriving and departing passengers as wellas the ability to handle far more passengers than thecurrent terminal in a more comfortable atmosphere.Additional improvements are being made with fundingfrom the donor community at internal airports and theremaining international airports at, Mazar-e Sharif,Kandahar, and Herat.Supporting InstitutionsAdequate flights in and out of Afghanistan are providedby various airlines although no western airlines have yetestablished service. Ariana Afghan Airlines is thenational air carrier of Afghanistan with flights toTajikistan, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kuwait, SaudiArabia (Jeddah and Riyadh), United Arab Emirate,Germany (to begin in Spring 2007), Russia (viaAzerbaijan), and Turkey (Ankara and Istanbul). Ariana isbased in Afghanistan with flights from Kabul (KabulInternational Airport) and Kandahar (KandaharInternational Airport). Regular domestic andinternational flights are provided by Kam Air andUnited Nations charter flights.Social DynamicsDespite the wariness for participating in internationaltrade in Afghanistan, businesses are beginning to seeopportunities in Afghanistan. Visas are relatively easy toobtain for legitimate business purposes and travel byroad and air is now adequate and will continue toimprove as the infrastructure provided by the extensivedonor contributions are realized. The publicinstitutions are viewed by the trade community asgradually improving but seriously weak in the middlemanagement and lower level employees. Also, manycomplaints of wholesale corruption in the public sectorare heard. However, extensive training, mentoring andmodern technology donated by foreign governmentsand institutions continue to make are having a positive126