Aid effectiveness

  • Life and Death: NGO access to financial services in Afghanistan - NRC Report

    "Afghanistan faces a looming humanitarian catastrophe. Transferring funds into Afghanistan has become a major challenge for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) since the Taliban’s return to power on 15 August 2021." - NRC, 27th January 2022"The report finds:The ability of humanitarians to respond to the crisis is hampered by the fact that Western governments and financial institutions are making it impossible to transfer and withdraw sufficient funds into and across the country.Lack of clear guidance to international banks regarding what is permissible under sanctions means bank de-risking of NGO financial transactions is widespread.When NGOs are able to make transfers, the suspension of the Central Bank means domestic banks in Afghanistan don’t have enough bank notes in the country to allow NGOS to withdraw sufficient cash from our accounts.Public and private banks in country risk collapse, facing major challenges regarding access to physical bank notes, with withdrawal limits complication matters further for NGOs."Executive Summary: https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/pdf/reports/life-and-death/life-and-death-executive-summary.pdfFull Report: https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/pdf/reports/life-and-death/life-and-death.pdf

    Life and Death: NGO access to financial services in Afghanistan
  • Aid Effectiveness in Afghanistan: A Research Study by ATR Consulting

    Commissioned by Oxfam and SCA, this new report offers a comprehensive evaluation of aid effectiveness in Afghanistan. Ten years after Oxfam's and ACBAR's 2008 report on aid effectiveness, it assesses to what extent the international community and the Afghan government are fulfilling their commitments to aid effectiveness. While aid effectiveness has increased in importance with less financial flows to Afghanistan, challenges such as ineffective financial management and corruption still persist. International donors have become more critical about the performance of the government, but also need to realise that they play an important role in creating an environment in which aid can be more effective.

    PDF icon Aid Effectiveness in Afhganistan March 2018.pdf
  • Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2017

    This report provides a comprehensive overview of humanatarian funding. It includes an annual analysis and it introduces important topics to support the reform of crisis-related financing. The Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2017 supports official processes created to monitor progress and maintain momentum.

    PDF icon GHA-Report-2017-Full-report.pdf
  • AREU: The other side of gender inequality - Men & masculinities in Afghanistan, January 2016

    As raised in our own Getting it Right gender event/report, failure to understand masculinity and male perceptions is likely to undermine gender-focused programme approaches in Afghanistan. This new study by Afghanistan Research & Evaluation Unit argues that even though masculinity is a significant gender studies issue, the term “gender” for Afghans is connected almost exclusively with women, leading to men’s resistance towards messages interpreted solely as “women’s issues”.The aim for this research is to explain how men’s attitudes, perceptions and actions are influenced by socio-culturally constructed ideas of manhood, and how these factors further affect the interaction between men and women in Afghan communities. The paper strives to address the issues connecting the notions of “manhood” to violence against women, as well as the degree in which men tend to claim the “control” over women’s life and their decisions. 

    PDF icon AREU The Other Side of Gender Inequality- Men and Masculinities in Afghanistan.pdf
  • Bond: What Development Means to Diaspora Communities, Nov. 2015

    This report examines the relationship between Diaspora communities and INGOs. The report states that both Diaspora communities and INGOs want to create positive change in developing countries, but their priorities, strategies and ways of working differ substantively. The report also notes that given their different approaches, they often operate in parallel to each other, with few regular opportunities to interact and collaborate. Communication and engagement have to be planned endeavours that take up resources and require capacity. Diasporas tend to lack trust in INGOs and their effectiveness. Moreover, the language and images used by INGOs often lead to mistrust, frustration and a sense of disconnection. Many Diaspora communities believe that INGOs perpetuate negative stereotypes and oversimplify the serious issues that affect the lives of their families and friends in their countries of origin. The report also makes recommendations on how to improve this relationship between Diaspora communities and INGOs.                                                                                               

    PDF icon what-development-means-to-diaspora-communities-1115.pdf
  • Government of Afghanistan: Self-reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework, September 2015

    At the Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul on September 5th, the Afghan government and international community agreed a new partnership framework, the SMAF.  This replaces the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework, agreed and adopted in July 2012.  The SMAF poses the activities and developments for both parties in Afghanistan's journey to stability and self-reliance. Six areas of attention are posed: 1: Improving Security and Political Stability; 2: Anti-corruption, Governance, Rule of Law, and human rights; 3: Restoring Fiscal Sustainability & Integrity of Public Finance and Commercial Banking; 4: Reforming Development Planning and Management & Ensuring Citizen’s Development Rights; 5: Private Sector Development and Inclusive growth and development; 6: Development Partnerships and Aid Effectiveness

    PDF icon SMAF MAIN with annex 3 sep 2015.pdf
  • BAAG: Aiding Fragile States, July 2015

    As part of their Media4Development programme, BAAG organised a policy-makers and development practitioners roundtable. It aimed to explore the challenges of development in Afghanistan and the relevance of the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States framework in the country.  Moreover, it raised the question of how the development community (donors & NGOs) and the media can improve public communications about the complexities (and sometimes failures) of development in fragile states.  The report presents the main discussion points and recommendations. 

    PDF icon BAAG_RoundtableReport_WEB.pdf
  • CSJWG: Position Paper for London Conference, November 2014

    Ahead of the London Conference on Afghanistan, the Civil Society Joint Working Group (CSJWG), a membership network of local, community and grass-roots Afghan civil society organisations, prepared the paper below.  It highlights their review of the current situation, past achievements and future needs in the following thematic sections: Democratic reform; Governance, Rule of law and Human Rights; Government revenues, Budget execution and Sub-national Governance; Economic growth and Development; Continued partnership and Aid effectiveness; the Role of civil society.  

    PDF icon Civil-society-position-paper-london-conf-23Nov2014.pdf
  • Afghan CSOs: Support to Afghan Civil Society in the Decade of Transformation, November 2014

    Ahead of the London Conference on Afghanistan (4th December 2014), 22 Afghan civil society organisations (CSOs) collaborated to produce the attached briefing paper.  Amongst the numeous thematic papers produced by organisations, theirs focused more specifically on the role of civil society itself - to both support the new Afghan government in the delivery of reforms and services, but also to hold that government accountable on behalf of the Afghan people.  They present recommendations to the government and international community which could help civil society flourish and become a genuine partner in Afghanistan's future. 

    PDF icon Support to Afghan Civil Society in Decade of Transformation.pdf
  • ACBAR: Transforming development beyond Transition, October 2014

    BAAG's partner in Afghanistan, ACBAR, have produced 4 thematic and 1 summary position paper for the London Conference on Afghanistan, on 4th December.  These papers reflect the progress made since their previous papers for the Tokyo conference in 2012, and highlight the continuing needs, challenges and recommendations.  Their papers are on Women's Rights, Aid Effectiveness, Service Delivery and Governance.  

    PDF icon Transforming Development Beyond Transition in Afghanistan AID EFFECTIVENESS.pdf, PDF icon Transforming Development Beyond Transition in Afghanistan GOVERNANCE.pdf, PDF icon Transforming Development Beyond Transition in Afghanistan SERVICE.pdf, PDF icon Transforming Development Beyond Transition in Afghanistan Womens Rights.pdf, PDF icon Transforming Development Beyond Transition in Afghanistan SUMMARY.pdf
  • InterAction: Human security in Afghanistan - where do we go from here?, October 2014

    InterAction, based in Washington, D.C., is an alliance organization of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), with 180-plus members working around the world. InterAction serves as a convener, thought leader and voice of the NGO community.  Ahead of the London Conference on Afghanistan (4th December 2014), their Humanitarian Practice prepared the attached briefing paper to highlight issues of aid effectiveness and development support requiring the attention of governments and donors. 

    PDF icon InterAction Afghanistan policy paper Oct 2014 pdf (1).pdf
  • ACF: Afghanistan - back to the reality of needs, September 2014

    Action Contre Faim (Action against Hunger) call for a shift in thinking by the international donors and community to address humanitarian and development financing.  Since 2012 the Afghan government took responsibility for disbursement of aid budgets - but were not supported sufficiently for doing so.  Subsequently funding decisions and mechanisms have impacted the quality and reach of aid and development programmes, to the detriment of local communities and the most vulnerable. Essential aid activities have suffered as a result of political decisions - ACF call on the Afghan government, international donors and NGOs to consider alternative policies and practices. 

    PDF icon ACF_Afghanistan_backtotherealityofneeds_sept14_reportBDef.pdf
  • HPG: Negotiating perceptions - Al-Shabaab & Taliban views of aid agencies, July 2014

    Part of the HPGs project 'Humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors', this paper explores how both of these armed groups perceive aid agencies and the implications on humanitarian response in those areas.  When their decisions to grant or deny access to populations in need, these are life-saving challenges. 

    PDF icon HPG Negotiating perceptions Al-Shabaab and Taliban Jul14.pdf
  • HPG: Humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors, March 2014

    Despite insurgents and armed groups increasingly targetting aid workers - including attacking them, looting their humanitarian supplies, extorting money or denying their access to regions or entire countries - the humanitarian sector has long recognised  the need to talk to such groups to increase their access to communities in need.However very little information regarding the groups is available to humanitarians, making it difficult for organisations to successfully engage with these actors to gain access to populations under their control.The Humanitarian Policy Group's brief highlights key lessons from a two-year research project on humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors (ANSAs) in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan. It draws from over 500 interviews with aid workers, members of armed groups (including the Taliban, Al-Shabaab and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North) and others.

    PDF icon HPG Humanitarian negotiations Mar2014.pdf
  • BAAG: Understanding Gender Programming & Issues in Afghanistan, March 2014

    BAAG's briefing paper was drafted ahead of our Getting it Right Gender Conference, held in London on March 26th & 27th.  It summarises key points raised during BAAG's earlier gender programme activities, including discussions by 4 leading Gender specialists on programme successes and challenges (held in May 2013) and points raised  during a week of discussions on violence against women & girls (VAWG) by 3 leading Afghan women's rights activitists (held in July 2013).The paper includes comments on the increased need for men and boys to be included in women's rights programming, the need for experienced and specialist staff to design and run gender programmes and the dangers of inconsistent gender policies within the donor community. 

    PDF icon BAAG Briefing Note_Understanding Gender_FINAL.pdf

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