Newsletter - Integrity Watch Afghanistan...Mohammad Aziz Akramzada joined Integrity Watch...
Transcript of Newsletter - Integrity Watch Afghanistan...Mohammad Aziz Akramzada joined Integrity Watch...
Afghanistan boasts its score on the OBI … p2
A solution to the “missing buildings” ...p3
Highlights of the month…
p2, p3, p4
Welcome and introduc‐
tions… p4
Newsletter The District 16 disaster
Volume 25| 3rd Year | January 2013
Research and Policy Organization for Transparency and Accountability
In this issue...
Page 1
The label on the back of a municipality worker says “Our city, our home” while septic waste
is loaded off in open By Mirwais Nasery
Where does Kabul septic waste end
up? It is not a question that bothers
Kabul Municipality. However, it has
created a disastrous situation in a
district next door to the presidential
palace. The septic waste from many
parts of Kabul city is loaded off in an
open area surrounded by houses in
district 16.
Some 40 people from the district partici‐
pated in a workshop organized by Integ‐
rity Watch to mobilize people in the dis‐
trict to monitor services and to hold the
government accountable. The locals com‐
plained about septic waste, the muddy
roads, and the swamps in the area. As a
result of this activity, people organized
Photo by: Sayed Ikram Afzali
meetings with the district officials and
conveyed their demands to them.
Integrity Watch worked with the local
people to come up with an advocacy plan.
The communication team of Integrity
Watch prepared video clips and shared it
with media to raise public voices against
the poor service delivery in the area.
By Wazirgul Anis
It has not been more than a year that community based monitoring of infrastructure projects has started in Panjshir province. But,
the change in people’s perception and attitude is are already evident. Integrity Watch mobilized local monitors to monitor con‐
struction of Panjshir ring road. However, local monitors together with local people have started monitoring of other construction
projects on their own initiative. The work of Abdul QadirTawana, an active local monitor in Panjshir, is an example of people ex‐
panding their monitoring on their own initiative. He mobilized people to resume construction of a health clinic in Marshtan village.
He together with young people from his village constantly monitors construction of the clinic. Tawana said, “We should not wait for
NGOs to mobilize us to take part in the reconstruction of our country. People should themselves take the initiative to stop corrup‐
tion and misuse in construction of their schools, clinics, and roads.”
The multiplier effect of community monitoring in Panjshir
Highlights of the month
Page 2
Afghanistan boasts its score on
The Open Budget Index
Volume 25| 3rd Year | January 2013
Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Mastoor speaking at the launch event in Kabul
By Sameerullah Popalzai
Afghanistan has made significant im‐
provement in budget transparency
over the last four years. The Open
Budget Survey report, published every
two years, ranked Afghanistan as one
of the fastest improving countries in
enabling its citizens to understand and
influence budget decisions that affect
their lives. Produced by independent
experts not beholden to national gov‐
ernments, the Open Budget Survey
2012 (www.internationalbudget.org)
found that Afghanistanincreased its
budget transparency score from
8points out of 100 in 2008 to 59 this
year.
“The significant improvement Afghani‐
stan has made in budget transparency
is a positive sign towards good govern‐
ance in Afghanistan” said Yama Torabi,
Executive Director of Integrity Watch.
“However, the Afghan government can
potentially increase budget transpar‐
ency even further without much cost
by publishing documents such as Mid‐
Year Review and Audit Report.” He
added that public participation in the
budget process is one key area that the
government and civil society must take
seriously. Integrity Watch organized
the launch event of the report in Kabul
on Saturday, January 26, 2013. The
launch aimed to provide wider aware‐
ness on budget transparency and par‐
ticipation. More than 100 representa‐
tives from government, parliament
members, donors, civil society repre‐
sentatives, and journalists participated
in the event. More than 20 media
channels covered the launch and
broadcasted it widely.
Photo by: M
irwais Nasery
Civil Society Coalition around AEITI
expanded to provinces
Civil society coalition working with EITI
has been expanded to the Logar and
Bamyan provinces of Afghanistan. Eight
members from civil society associations
of Logarand Bamyan province became
members of Civil Society Coalition
around AEITI.
Integrity Watch is an active member of
the coalition and also a mentor of
Multi‐Stakeholders Group working on
AEITI process.
Page 3
Community monitoring: A solution to the “missing buildings”
Volume 25| 3rd Year | January 2013
Public hearing on budget organized
Integrity Watch Afghanistanin collabora‐
tion with Afghans Coalition for Transpar‐
ency and Accountability held a public hear‐
ing event regarding national budget of
2013 on Saturday January, 05, 2013. The
event brought together parliamentarians
and representative of the budget depart‐
ment of the Ministry of Financeto hearcivil
society and public concerns.
The main objective of this event was to
increase citizen’s contribution and partici‐
pation in the national budget process and
disseminate the output in a broader way
to the public and aware them for their
rights of participation in the national
By Sayed Ikram Afzali Recently the U.S. Special Inspector General
for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR),
John Sopko, said that several buildings the
U.S. thought it had constructed were miss‐
ing in Afghanistan. He added that, each day,
the U.S. spends some $28 million on recon‐
struction. However, there is risk of wasting
billions of dollars, he said.
There can be many reasons behind the is‐
sue of “missing buildings.” However, the
most important reason behind corruption
in construction projects is weak monitoring.
While insecurity and limited capacity pre‐
vents donors and the government from
constant monitoring of projects, monitoring
by local people is an alternative that has
proven its effectiveness.
Integrity Watch has mobilized around 500
communities in over 20 districts to monitor
construction projects. Local monitors,
representing the communities, have
received training from Integrity Watch
and have identified flaws in 346
projects out of which 304 have been
solved.
Local people monitored construction of an agricultural lab in Nangarhar
budget process and it impact on citi‐
zens live. The hearing was also meant
to discuss why 2013 national budget
was rejected by the parliament, and
Around 90 people participated in the event including parliamentarians, represen‐
tative of Ministry of Finance, civil society members, and media
Photo from Integrity Watch photo archive (2010)
Photo by: M
irwais Nasery
to provide recommendations to im‐
prove the second draft of the national
budget 2013.
Highlights of the month
Newsletter
Research and Policy Organization for Transparency and Accountability
Main Office
House 61, Qomandan
Gadah Street,
Kolola Poshta,
Kabul, Afghanistan
+93(0)785431054
Herat Office
Majedi Street,
District 6,
Herat City,
Afghanistan
+93(0)700285401
Mazar Office
Guzar Shortagzar,
Asia Street, District 4,
Mazar‐e‐Sharif,
Afghanistan
+93(0)787124303
Bamyan Office
Center of Bamyan,
Main Bazaar, Opp.
Pakiza Hotel, Bamyan,
Afghanistan
+93(0)799440327
Contact us: [email protected] | www.iwaweb.org | +93(0)785431054 Follow us:
Volume 25| 3rd Year | January 2013
Civil society workshop ahead of conference at the EU Parliament
Integrity Watch, in collaboration with Euro‐
pean Network of NGOs in Afghanistan (ENNA)
and other civil society organizations, organ‐
ized a workshop on “Afghanistan’s Extractives
Sector: Challenges and Civil Society Recom‐
mendations”. This workshop was a prepara‐
tory event for an international conference in
the European Parliament on 28‐29 January,
2013 in Brussels. Civil society provided recom‐
mendations for improving the extractives sec‐
tor. Later, Dr Yama Torabi participated in the
conference in the European Parliament and
informed the participants on prospects and
challenges of the extractives sector in
Afghanistan.
Mohammad Aziz Akramzada
joined Integrity Watch Afghanistan
as Advocacy and Communication
Intern. Mr. Akramzada gained his
L.L.B from Kabul University . He
has worked with different interna‐
tional and local organizations in
s e v e r a l depa r tmen t s
Welcome and Introductions
Mirwais Nasery joined Integrity Watch Afghanistan as Communication Officer. Mr. Nasery gained his BA in Journalism Faculty
Kabul University and has worked with different international and local organizations and TV channels. He has several years of
experience in media relations, communications and media. He can be reached at [email protected]
Some25 representatives of civil society participated in the workshop
Jalalabad Office
House 33, phase 1,
street 3, zone 3
Arbaban Jalalabad,
Afghanistan
+93 (0) 782069644
Photo by: M
irwais Nasery