Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in - United States ...

the needs of U.S. Government and NGO personnel, including ADTs. Through a combination of
classroom curriculum and hands-on exercises, ADAPT trainees receive an extensive overview of
the Afghan agricultural environment in such technical subject areas as U.S. Government policy
and strategy, animal husbandry, rangeland management, crop and horticulture production,
orchard and vineyard management, post-harvest practices, water management, and soils.
Continued USDA capacity-building efforts, along with USAID and ADT grassroot agricultural
development programs, will be critical to the continued stabilization and growth of
Afghanistan’s agriculture sector.
EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
The mining, oil, and gas sectors made significant progress during the reporting period,
particularly toward ongoing and future tenders.
The rights to the Amu Darya oil basin were awarded to the China National Petroleum
Corporation and the Afghan-Tajik hydrocarbon basin seismic survey is ongoing. The tender for
the West Garmak Coal site closed in late November, and the outcome of bid evaluations is
expected in mid 2012. Two gold mines, two copper mines, and one lithium mine were opened
for tender in early December 2011. The gold deposit in Badakhshan Province, the Zarkashan
gold and copper deposits in Ghazni Province, the Namak-Sar lithium deposit in Herat Province,
the Shaida copper deposit in Herat Province, and the Balkhab copper deposit in Sar-e-Pul
Province were the first of a long list of small- to medium-scale mineral and “rare earth” deposits
to go to market during the reporting period.
Three of the four blocks of the Hajigak iron deposit were awarded to a consortium of six Indian
companies; the fourth was awarded to the Canadian company Kilo Gold. The contract is
expected to be signed in Spring 2012. Although production is not expected before 2016, the
exploration phase will induce large-scale investments in strategic infrastructure, specifically in
energy, rail, and road networks. The resource base of the Hajigak deposit is estimated at 1.6
billion tons at 62 percent iron ore, and is expected to provide the Afghan Government with up to
$200M in royalty payments per year.
6.5: WOMEN’S ISSUES
Women are making progress in Afghanistan, playing an ever-increasing role at all levels of
Afghan society, particularly in the public and political arenas. Women hold 27 percent of the
seats in the National Assembly and 25 percent of the seats in the Provincial Councils. In the
2010 Wolesi Jirga election, 406 of 2,556 candidates were women, a 24 percent increase from the
2005 election. Increased participation was met by increased electoral success: there were two
female winners in Nimruz Province who won both provincial seats; 69 women filled elected
seats, one seat above the reserved number of 68; and 11 women had enough votes to enter the
Parliament independent of the reserved seats. Women have also increased their presence and
visibility through the National Solidarity Program and constitute 24 percent of participants in the
local Community Development Councils.
Women are also assuming greater responsibility in the socio-economic realm. In the health
arena, 30 – 40 percent of the medical professionals are women. In the economic sector, the
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