A to Z Guide to Afghanistan Assistance 2012 - the Afghanistan ...

The A to Z Guide to Afghanistan Assistance
Government Media and Information Centre (GMIC)
www.gmic.gov.af
The Government Media and Information Centre (GMIC) was founded by presidential decree in
2007 as an Afghan-led entity to respond to the information needs of the Afghan public, media,
and other national and international stakeholders. The GMIC aims to build trust among the
Afghan public and other stakeholders through: provision of timely and accurate information,
continuous and consistent dissemination, facilitation of coordination and information sharing
among acting agencies in the Afghan government and independent media, and capacity building
for the government’s information and communication portals. The majority of GMIC’s funding
comes from the US Embassy.
GMIC’s three programme departments serve the goals of the Centre. The Media Relations
and Coordination Department ensures information coordination and dissemination to the
public through establishing and maintaining relationships between the government and the
independent media. The Capacity Building Department builds capacity in the Afghan government’s
communications offices by creating and conducting educational activities tied to their needs,
also organising seminars and workshops for the professional capacity-building of journalists
from the independent media. The Public Outreach Department, the awareness-raising unit within
GMIC, aims to eliminate the gap between the government and the people through nationwide
information collection and dissemination using modern and traditional means so that the Afghan
public are properly informed about the progress and activities of the government.
Hague Conference on Afghanistan
On 31 March 2009, the Netherlands hosted the International Conference on Afghanistan: A
Comprehensive Strategy in a Regional Context at the World Forum in The Hague. The conference
brought together high-ranking officials from 72 countries, reaffirming their commitment to
Afghanistan. In their final statement, the participants stressed the need for greater cooperation,
good governance, economic development, and strengthened security in Afghanistan.
High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC)
www.anti-corruption.gov.af
The High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC) was created by presidential decree in
July 2008, mandated with supervising and implementing the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.
Anti-corruption is a cross-cutting issue of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS,
p. 15). In 2006, President Karzai set up the Inter-Institutional Committee on Corruption (IICC),
which was tasked with assessing remedies to corruption within Afghanistan. This produced the
National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which recommended the creation of HOOAC.
As well as enhancing government mechanisms to reduce opportunities for corruption, HOOAC
maintains a whistle-blowing function, allowing citizens to report instances of corruption which
HOOAC will then follow up, passing them to the Attorney General if sufficient evidence of
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