Situating Workable Response continues....

Amidst these daunting challenges, it is important to underscore the

developments in recent years. Under the Bonn Agreement of December

2001, a 30-member interim authority, chaired by Hamid Karzai, was

established and the UN Security Council authorized the deployment in

Kabul and the surrounding areas of the International Security Assistance

Force by its resolution 1386 (2001). Like international state building

projects elsewhere, large numbers of international UN state-builders were

engaged in “humanitarian” activities and also helped run the state while

local actors, approved by the international community, were at the front.

The political and democratic infrastructure mandated by the Bonn

Agreement is now in place. So far, the struggle to assert power and define

roles within the new political system has been energetic. Apart from

relative stability and completion of the Bonn process, there are certain

other significant positive developments like substantial refugee

repatriation (1.9 million returnees), infrastructure building (schools,

roads, hospitals have been rebuilt) child immunization and women

empowerment programmes have gained some momentum. There has also

been significant technological advancements for instance with the

internet and telecommunications and improved banking quality and

accessibility which is at least benefiting the urban population. Private

media, despite criticism about its content, is dynamic and popular culture

(music, drama, sports) are being revived.

However, in Afghanistan, the achievements of the “peace-building”

process may prove short–lived if donor, government and public support

falter during the next several critical years of transition. This initial stage

of transition has been very difficult, with both donors and the Afghan

government struggling to define their roles and responsibilities for a longterm development process. In spite of the international community

remaining engaged in Afghanistan, coordination of international aid and

assistance remain a major issue and need to be driven by demand, and

prioritized according to Afghan needs. International cooperation and

coordination of all parties concerned is a necessary requirement as

without a strong international support and commitment, the Bonn

process and the Afghan Compact may not be able to sustain themselves..

To be continued....