Norway has selected some main areas for work: developing good governance, education and rural development. Human rights, strengthening of women’s position and combating corruption are other focus areas for the Norwegian assistance. In addition, Norway is carrying out extensive humanitarian work.

The Norwegian aid is channelled through the UN, World Bank and Norwegian and international voluntary organisations.

The difficult security situation makes both the humanitarian efforts and development work challenging. Year 2011 has also been marked by the fact that transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan authorities has started.

Budget aid

The multidonor fund Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) is the central most channel for supporting the priorities set by the Afghan government itself, and as such, it is a contribution to the Afghan ownership. The fund is administered by World Bank and it has made a significant contribution towards bettering public finance management. Norway gave 285 million NOK to ARTF in 2011.

Some results:

• Over 10 000 kilometres of roads have been improved including asphalt laying over 4000 kilometres
• 27 000 local development groups have been established since 2002 that work for development. They themselves have determined what is needed at the local level. This has resulted in completion of over 45 000 projects. Irrigation plants, electricity and supply of drinking water are keywords for the projects.

Voluntary organisations

Several non-governmental organisations have been involved in Afghanistan through the changing regimes from the 1970¬s till today.

These work for health, education, water supply and road construction. Many of the initiatives are directed at enhancing local competence within these areas.  Organisations that Norway cooperates with are the Aga Khan Foundation, the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee, DACAAR, ACTED, Norwegian Church aid and the Norwegian Refugee Council. The last four of these work in Faryab¬ province.

Results:

Availability and quality of water has been improved for more than 558 000 people as this is a prerequisite for better health and better quality of life. Poor hygiene is responsible for diseases in several areas, therefore, information activities have been undertaken to change people’s attitudes towards and practices for personal hygiene. Through questionnaires an organisation has documented that over 42 000 persons have improved their hygiene practices as a result of this work. Training of over 5 000 health workers has increased the availability of health services in Faryab. Over 130 000 people in Faryab received health services in 2010.

In a region where many residents do not have access to electricity, an organisation has assisted 2 850 households, that were previously living without electricity, with solar energy plants. To ensure sustainability local technicians have been trained in operation and maintenance.

The agriculture sector has also been strengthened through vaccination of over 320 000 cattle

• Read more in Norad’s results report for 2011

Ensuring salaries to the police

In the past the police were paid in cash. Norway is now supporting an initiative, under UNDP, which in addition to other things is directed at enhancing competence among the police and setting up salary and personnel systems. The fund is now using electronic systems to make salary payments.

Results:

• 80 per cent of the salaries of Afghan police employees are now transferred electronically into bank accounts
• Surveys completed by the USA defence department have shown that certainty of salary payments has resulted in reducing the number of resignations by around ten per cent

Education

Norway’s assistance to education has been channelled through World Bank’s multidonor fund and voluntary organisations.

Results achieved through the multidonor fund: The Afghan Education Ministry has reported that there were around eight million students in primary and high school in 2010. This number was less than one million in 2001.
37 per cent of students are girls. This is a major increase although the number is uncertain and student leave school very often. At least 4.5 million school-age children, mostly girls, are still not attending school.

Number of teachers rose from 20 000 in 2002 to 170 000 in 2011. More than 30 per cent are female teachers.
4500 new school buildings have also been constructed since 2001. But many schools lack sanitary facilities and boundary structures. It is important to construct these in order to ensure girls’ attendance. Still only half of the schools in Afghanistan have their own buildings and students are still taught under the open sky, in private homes and in mosques.

Voluntary organisations have also received aid to work for schools and education.

In regard to enhancing competence initiatives such as promotion of literacy, vocational education and general education have put people in a better position to support themselves, their families and communities. An organisation reported that almost 7 000 women have a more stable income and are better able to earn their living as a result of such training. Over 400 employees of school districts’ offices and teachers have completed courses organised by one of the organisations, and 1 834 youths have participated in vocational education. Two organisations have had 4630 persons in a nine months literacy course directed at vocational activity.

Norway has supported construction, establishment and operation of National Institute of Management and Administration. The institute provides education of international standard within data, accounting and management. The first batch of 1510 students (34 per cent female students) graduated in spring 2011 after completing a two years diploma programme.

Rural development

ARTF (see above) and UN-support for rural development provide new workplaces and better access to, for instance, health facilities and education. Several sectors are making joint efforts which now cover 70 per cent of the country’s villages.

• More than 25 000 rural development advisors have been elected
• 55 000 projects have been planned

Through voluntary organisations Norway is focusing on rural development also around Faryab province where the Norwegian forces are deployed. Keywords here are agriculture, health, infrastructure, vocational training, cattle farming and renewable energy.

Women, gender equality and human rights

Afghanistan has recently prepared its first report on the UN convention for abolishing all forms of discrimination against women. The report provides important information about work to stop discrimination against women. Norway has supported this work through UN Women.

It is also due to Norway’s involvement that World Bank’s multidonor fund reports increasingly about women’s situation in Afghanistan.

The Norwegian Embassy is also working to develop collaboration with the Afghan Women’s Network. Projects will relate to enhancing competence around peace negotiations and conflict resolution, work for integration and reconciliation and development of ways to protect women’s rights activists and human rights activists.

Humanitarian work

Norway spends around 130 million NOK annually on humanitarian work in Afghanistan. The funds are channelled through the multilateral system as appropriate besides financial assistance to voluntary organisations that can show good results in the area of humanitarian work.

The Norwegian Refugee Council and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees jointly assist both refugees and the internally displaced with provision of critical necessities. Norway also has good experience with the International Red Cross Committee, ICRC, and therefore Norway supports this humanitarian organisation in Afghanistan which has access to most provinces. ICRC has worked extensively in the health sector all over the country through running hospitals, public health centres and providing training to the staff.