Final evaluation Netherlands participation in ISAF 2006 - 2010

1 IntroductionThe government would, first of all, like to express its gratitude andappreciation to all the people who in the past years have made acontribution, under very difficult and dangerous circumstances, toimproving the situation in Afghanistan and, particularly, in the province ofUruzgan. The professionalism, commitment and involvement of militarypersonnel, diplomats, development workers and others have proved to beinvaluable in the past years.Since late 2001, the international community has made great efforts tobring stability to Afghanistan. Strengthening the Afghan authorities will helpthem become capable of ensuring security, stability and reconstructionindependently in the long term. The UN-mandated ISAF mission constitutesthe military component of the large-scale international efforts inAfghanistan. The Netherlands’ mission in the province of Uruzgan from2006 to 2010 and the results achieved must be viewed in the context ofthis broad international effort. In assessing these results, the Netherlandsgovernment takes a modest and down-to-earth approach.Aim and evaluation processAs stipulated by the 2009 Review Protocol for Decision-making for theDeployment of Military Units Abroad (hereafter: Review Protocol), theconclusion of Dutch deployment in a military operation must be followed bya final evaluation, to be developed under the responsibility of the Ministersof Foreign Affairs and Defence, and covering both military and politicalaspects. The aim of this evaluation is to assess, on the basis of the focalpoints in the Review Protocol, whether and to what extent the objectives ofthe Dutch participation in ISAF, as formulated in the two so-called Article100 letters, have been achieved. It follows from this aim that the evaluationwas conducted from the perspective of the Dutch deployment. Another goalis to draw lessons from the Dutch deployment.The Dutch activities during the ISAF mission were characterised by the useof military, diplomatic and development resources. The aim of this policywas to create cohesion between the result areas of security, goodgovernance and socio-economic development. This approach becameknown as the 3D (Defence, Diplomacy & Development) approach. The finalevaluation covers the period in which the Netherlands bore ISAF lead-nationresponsibility for Uruzgan, from 1 August 2006 to 1 August 2010, and italso covers the military elements of the Deployment Task Force (DTF) in2006 and the Redeployment Task Force (RDTF) in 2010 and 2011.The evaluation focuses on both the civilian and military contributions toISAF, including the Netherlands’ diplomatic efforts in support of themission. The financial section of this evaluation comprises the funding fromthe Homogenous Budget for International Cooperation (HGIS) pertaining tothe contribution to ISAF and the funding from the regular Defence budget,including the so-called Van Geel and Bos funds 1 . Rather than making astatement on the decision-making underpinning the participation in ISAF,this evaluation takes the arguments for participation as worded in theArticle 100 letters as its starting point.1 Parliamentary Document 31 200, no. 16.Page 11 of 133