Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance through Synergies and Sustainable Linkages between Communities and Government in North Afghanistan

The development of a proactive adaptation strategy to drastic changes in the geopolitical context has proven essential. By anticipating methods of adaptation to changing circumstances, whether natural, pandemic or geopolitical, it proposes actions and measures to be taken in the event of these changes materializing. Systematically integrating this strategy into the planning of projects strengthens the resilience of initiatives to changing conditions and increases their long-term effectiveness.

The establishment of an institutional consultation strategy between the project and institutional, social and international stakeholders has emerged as a key element to optimize resources, avoid redundancies and strengthen coordination. This approach, which encourages collaboration and close communication with various stakeholders, should be actively promoted in all projects to maximize the impact and sustainability of interventions.

Post-project studies can constitute a key element in shedding light on the performance of any project. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the progress of the project, even before the UNDEF evaluation, provided early visibility on the results obtained. The Post-Project Study carried out by the implementing agency after the closure of the project proved to be crucial for evaluating the achievements of the initiative.

Organizations with “niche” expertise in complex contexts and with a high capacity for access can prove decisive for project success: A convincing example is Balai Citoyen, whose ability to operate in difficult-to-access areas, its technical, administrative and financial expertise, as well as its vast institutional network have considerably expanded the scope of the project. This approach highlights the importance of choosing strategic partners who can provide significant added value in varied contexts.

While the project may have helped to encourage informal linkages across the three sets of stakeholders listed, there is little evidence of “enhanced mechanisms” or the ability of the project to “enable synergies”. Further, the activities designed to bring the stakeholders together after training was completed, the forums, seemed to add no significant value to the project, although, as suggested in the Final Report, they may have helped to build connections, and to bring new initiatives proposed at community and district levels to the attention of government officials in Afghanistan.

The provincial/district forums in Afghanistan at the close of the project did not build effectively on the training, and, in any case, most trainees did not take part. The weakness of many training projects is the failure to reinforce through practice what is learned in courses and workshops, thus increasing the likelihood that what has been learned will be retained and applied.

What is required is a very long-term engagement to build the necessary capacities. For efforts to support democratic development and an active and dynamic civil society in Afghanistan, prospects of sustainability are yet more limited.

A minority of as many as 25-30 per cent of the beneficiaries in the project in Afghanistan, were thought by project managers to be friends or relatives of those who nominated them, and had little interest in proceedings, being motivated by the travel expenses and food provided.

The needs of female trainees would have been better-served had ACTED proved able to recruit at least a few female trainers in Afghanistan ; none was hired.

Failure to translate learning materials form Dari to Pashto, and recruit a cadre of trainers capable of operating in the Pashto language in Afghanistan.

The institutional impact of the project at district or provincial level in Afghanistan is difficult to judge, but unlikely to be significant. However, at community level, it may well be that the enhancement of organizational/managerial and advocacy skills will have made a difference to the energy and effectiveness of governance processes. The experience of participating together in the workshops may also have resulted in new possibilities for cooperation across stakeholder groups.

Project strategy for training was well-prepared, taking account of the needs and characteristics of potential trainees in the area. The training-of-trainers course, training curriculum and methodology, all designed by a contracted provider, appear to have been well-done, and matched appropriately to trainee learning needs and capabilities of the beneficiaries in Afghanistan.

The grantee had offices and active projects in the three target provinces in Afghanistan, and recruited its staff from the region. Drawing on its experience, the grantee began the project with careful and thorough consultations with major stakeholders. This enabled the project to obtain strong local buy-in and support for its activities in all its target districts, as well as in the three provincial capitals.