AFGHANISTAN
Finland's Assistance Programme 2007-2009
The establishment of democratic institutions and internationally supported reconstruction efforts during the Bonn Process (2001-2005) served to provide Afghanistan with a fresh start and an opportunity for making amends with the past after decades of war. The Afghanistan Compact, adopted in February 2006, provides a comprehensive post-Bonn framework for carrying forward the challenging process of reconstruction which continues to remain largely dependent on support from international donors. Finland, along with the other Member States of the European Union, announced its commitment to support the Afghanistan Compact and pledged 50 million euros in aid for 2006-2010. The present programme is based on an updated Finnish Afghanistan Strategy adopted on 23 November 2006.
Meeting the Most Critical Needs
Aligned with the Afghanistan Compact, the over-arching goal of Finland's current engagement in Afghanistan is to contribute consistently and effectively to Afghan reconstruction with a view to preventing Afghanistan from slipping back to war. Finland's engagement in Afghanistan draws on the internationally shared awareness that without security there is no development and without development there is no long-lasting security. Security sector reform, governance and counter-narcotics efforts play therefore a central role in Finland's assistance programme, reflecting the priorities set in the EU-Afghanistan Joint Political Declaration adopted on 16 November 2005.
Finland's 100-strong ISAF contingent, concentrated in Northern Afghanistan (Maymana and Mazar-i-Sharif PRTs), represents the most direct means at Finland's disposal for contributing to the establishment and maintenance of security in Afghanistan. The four Finnish civilian experts in PRT Maymana, together with the Finnish PRT contingent, identify and design small-scale projects in security sector reform and other areas of need. Finland has very positive experiences from the close collaboration between civilian experts and peacekeepers.
Coordination and Focus
In keeping with the Paris Agenda, Finland seeks to harmonise its reconstruction support with other donors under the overall coordination of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB). Division of labour and tapping into the value-added of different donors are essential to meet the coordination challenges while pivotal sectors, such as security, require investment from all actors engaged in Afghanistan. In order to maximise aid-effectiveness and donor-coordination, Finland's new Afghanistan Strategy will concentrate on fewer programmes and channel its contribution through centralised funds administered by the World Bank and UN agencies.
Rule of law (particularly police), governance and counter-narcotics remain sectors with the most direct bearing on preventing the return to war. Finland will therefore take part in two consultative groups (CGs) under the JCMB, namely governance, rule of law and human rights (CG-2), with an emphasis on police and subnational governance, and rural development and agriculture (CG-6), particularly in the area of alternative livelihoods to poppy farming.
Approximately half of Finland's 50 million euro contribution under the Afghanistan Compact (2006-2010) will be channelled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). Finland has indicated to the World Bank its preference that 50 % of its ARTF support will be further allocated to the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) and the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA). The former lends support to participatory governance in rural communities and the latter advances alternative livelihoods. Finland will also allocate a multiple million euro contribution to the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA) and continue supporting the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), the UNODC Programme for Strengthening Provincial Capacity for Drug Control, the civilian component of the PRT and PRT reconstruction projects in the north of the country. Finland will also continue to actively support efforts to enhance the EU's role in Afghanistan in the field of police and rule of law.
Programme Budget 2007-2009
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