USAID

Afghan and U.S. government officials give remarks at the national network meeting.

During their bi-annual national network meeting at the Serena Hotel today, high-ranking U.S. and Afghan government officials shared their thoughts and experiences about the progress of USAID’s Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society II (I-PACS II) project with its key partner organizations.

“Providing the means for the citizens of Afghanistan to have a voice in their communities is a key to the success of our mutual aims of promoting security, development and good governance,” said USAID Senior Deputy Mission Director Dr. Jeffrey W. Ashley.

With the goal of enabling Afghan citizens to effectively participate in the political process, take an active and practical role in solving community-level problems, and demand good governance from selected and elected leaders, I-PACS II works in three main areas: 1) improving accountability, legal, and regulatory frameworks for civil-society; 2) strengthening the capacity and infrastructure for democratic processes of civil-society; and 3) enhancing Afghan citizen mobilization and participation in relevant policy processes.

Hashim Basirat, the director of the non-governmental organization department of the Ministry of Economy said, “The Government of Afghanistan, in close cooperation of the international community, is working to become a country with good governance and a real democracy for its citizens. In order to achieve this vision, it is important to create strong civil-society organizations and ensure they share information with each other.”

USAID encourages the development and growth of a politically active civil-society in Afghanistan. Since January 2005, USAID has strengthened the role and viability of civil-society in Afghanistan by providing technical assistance, capacity-building training, and grant support to civil-society organizations nationwide. A new phase of activity under I-PACS II started in October 2010. USAID is working to enable Afghan citizens to more effectively participate in the political process, solve community problems, and advocate for good governance from their leaders.