Governance Structure
Visualization of Governance Structure:
https://docs0.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1juDm1_0VgjIxeSBbZG1P1XP-sh-iQB_N8sm-M7PZMgc&hl=en
We propose that the international peacekeeping and reconstruction effort be handled by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The UNDP would implement our proposed government structure and administer it throughout its life. First, the UNDP would establish a Council for a Sustainable Afghanistan (CSA), composed of countries who are currently involved and who would like to become involved in stabilizing and reconstructing Afghanistan. While this council would include countries who are currently very involved in Afghanistan like the US, UK and others, we would like to promote the greater involvement and participation of regional countries who have a stake in keeping Afghanistan stable, inviting countries such as Tajikistan, China, India Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and even Iran. Also, we will promote the greater participation of countries from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). It is our firm belief that by getting more Muslim countries involved in the reconstruction and peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan, the international involvement will be more accepted, as other Muslim countries are less likely to be seen as an imperial force (Afghanistan is a member of the OIC) and the representatives from these countries may have a better sense of development activities that are more likely to succeed in a Muslim country. Also on this council will be senior officers from the OIC peacekeeping force in order to facilitate direct communications between peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts. Five representatives from Afghanistan will be on this council as well, in order to ensure the involvement of the Afghan people in the higher levels of decision making, one being a senior official in Karzai’s government, and the other four being heads of local provincial governments. One of these representatives must be a woman. This council will promote better donor coordination as countries can better communicate development projects that their government and other organizations from their country are working on, thereby decreasing the overlap that leads to so much aid being wasted in Afghanistan. Committees will be formed within the Council for greater discussion on particular topics of interest to particular countries, such as the water system and irrigation, or the coordination of an electrical system. This will allow for greater coordination of development efforts.
The CSA will elect a High Representative (HR) from its ranks who will be the head of this operation. This HR will not be sovereign, a system of checks and balances will be in place to ensure his or her accountability to the Afghan people. However, he will serve as the facilitator and mediator of discussion within the CSA. Also, he will receive Bonn-type powers, allowing him to dismiss corrupt officials in the Afghan government, and also to implement much needed laws that Karzai has neglected, such as compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1735, which aims at publicizing the names of major drug lords, banning their travel, and seizing their assets. Being able to dismiss corrupt officials, the HR will be able to reform both the Interior Ministry and the Judiciary. However, there will be checks and balances on this power. The case for every dismissed official must be reviewed and the effect of every legislative imposition must be reviewed by an independent commission. In order to further ensure that the international administration is held accountable to the people, an office of the ombudsperson will be established, that will have regional offices where locals can file complaints and concerns. The main office in Kabul will receive and address these concerns, and can inquire and investigate any issue being brought to his or her attention.
Under the HR will be nine departments, those being health, security, infrastructure, civil society/rule of law, women's issues, education, demilitarization, election regulators and economy. Each will be headed by a department head who reports back to and advises the HR. Applicants for the job will be reviewed and selected by the UNDP. Staffing these departments to ensure the coordination of development efforts between countries and donors and also directly assisting with these efforts will be staff from the UNDP.
The international administration will continue to work with Mr. Karzai's government. To dispose of him runs the risk of eliminating the international presence's legitimacy and becoming viewed as another occupying power in Afghanistan. Therefore, we must be careful not to appear to eliminate Afghan governance structures and allow them to retain authority because otherwise charges of corruption and conspiracy theories could strengthen the Taliban and create a plethora of problems for the international presence.
Elections
Once the threat of the Taliban’s guerilla warfare has been eradicated, Afghanistan can take steps toward a stable government system and fair elections that are not marred by fraudulent activities. Since the president serves for a five-year term, we will honor the remainder of Karzai’s presidency, working with him to ensure his safety and honest governance. The next election will be held as scheduled, in 2014, and will be administered by the PIC’s Election Regulator Department (ERD).
The ERD will oversee the next elections to ensure their legitimacy by creating a department of regulators that will work closely with Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) to monitor their actions. The ERD should focus on three things: ensuring honesty within Afghanistan’s IEC; providing security during elections; and preventing future political chaos and violence. There will be a special ERD policing force that will be trained to deliver and assure security and will be stationed throughout Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
There were many problems with the recent September 2010 parliamentary elections: there was only 40 percent voter turnout; polling stations opened late or not at all; there may have been instances of multiple voting due to inaccurate recordings of who had already voted; and there were forged voting cards and votes being bought. Also, members of the IEC and candidates were killed during the election process. The ERD must address all of these issues to ensure safety, security, accurate election results, and greater voter participation in the 2014 election. All future elections should be monitored both by this ERD and IEC partnership, as well as Afghanistan’s independent Electoral Complaints Commission so that elections will have various bodies, both international and local, ensuring that governments established by elections will not be corrupt.
Judiciary System
All people living in Afghanistan should have local access to a justice court that: protects their human rights, give resolutions to gender, ethnic and social conflict, and checks and balances the legislative control of the local tribal and district leaders. In order for this to happen effectively, the Justice Courts must be interconnected and all legal representatives should be trained and accountable under the same legal system. Also, the Judiciary must be trusted to investigate and then exercise judgment on all cases presented in the courts. For this to happen, a court police system should be created with the focus of protecting, investigating, and enforcing the decisions of the judges related to the court cases.
Withdrawing Troops
Every single American soldier costs approximately $1 million USD to transport and keep in Afghanistan. This expense - in lives and money - will not be diminished if more and more troops are sent to Afghanistan; we cannot maintain our forces there forever. Therefore we propose a comprehensive plan to withdraw American troops and fill this security void with a more sustainable and effective peacekeeping force as a main tenet of our development plan for Afghanistan. This plan will begin in January 2011 with the goal of complete American military withdrawal within two years. In addition to preventing the loss of more American lives, the process of withdrawing our troops will ease the tension and stop exacerbating local resentment. We implement this plan with the hopes removing one more incentive for resentful youth to join the insurgency.
The Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), of which Afghanistan is a member, will provide troops and security forces as part of a Muslim International Peacekeeping Force (MIPF). Countries that border Afghanistan inherently have interests in the success of the fragile state. Destabilized countries unavoidably destabilize the countries around it and therefore it really is in the national security of the OIC members to contribute to the Muslim International Peacekeeping Force. In an effort to find an effective alternative to continued U.S. military presence, we believe
The MIPF troops deployed by the OIC will be led at first by the UN with support and training from American and NATO-member troops. Beginning in January 2011 these troops will be deployed into Afghanistan in stages in order to receive training from American troops as they withdraw. The goal will be to phase out the American and NATO troops while simultaneously training and equipping the MIPF and Afghan security forces to protect and maintain peace in all spheres of public life. These security forces will protect roads and transportation routes, important cities and towns, communities that are particularly at risk for militancy and insurgency, and important political or humanitarian efforts and programs.
Our other goal is to disassociate the OIC troops from the American military presence that has, in many instances, garnered public disapproval on behalf of both Afghan civilians and the international community at large. The OIC peacekeepers will give a sense of ownership to the Afghani government in the form of a legitimate, non-occupying military force. These troops will provide a sense of security to Afghan civilians who will find an alternative provider of protection to the Taliban forces, therefore minimizing the power of their insurgency.
It would be disastrous to suggest that we remove all military presence completely from Afghanistan and leave a security void for any amount of time; destabilization of that magnitude would inevitably lead to a collapse or at the very least an opportunity for militants to gain control of the countryside. However, it is equally disastrous to maintain an American military presence for too much longer, because it only fuels anti-American sentiment, places American lives at risk, and creates a babysitting situation in Afghanistan. Therefore it is in both American and Afghan interests to remove American soldiers and transfer the capacity to protect citizens in a military force that is uniquely tailored to the needs of Afghanistan and its neighbors; this will come in the form of the Muslim International Peacekeeping Force.
Demilitarization
Demilitarization is vital to the future political freedom and economic success of the Afghan people. Programs focusing on rehabilitating former combatants are important to disarming militant groups. We have proposed a multilateral program that addresses the economic and psychological needs of ex-combatants. The “Afghan Transitional and Rehabilitation Program (ATRP)” will offer microfinance loans, beekeeping training, technical jobs and counseling. Upon turning in their arms and renouncing their affiliation with their militant group, ex-combatants will be immediately offered counseling and placed in one of the three divisions based upon program participant’s choice. ATRP field offices will be located in every province in Afghanistan, where combatants will turn in their arms, receive a psychological test to determine appropriate counseling environment and choose which track to follow.
Counseling
All program participants will be provided with Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The goal of TF-CBT is to help address the needs of people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other problems related to traumatic life experiences. TF-CBT is a model of psychotherapy that combines trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral therapy.[1] Former combatants will meet once a week with a counselor for psychological therapy sessions.
Microfinance
One goal of ATRP program is to provide a source of income for former combatants through the means of micro finance loans. Micro finance is a method of alleviating poverty for former combatants through creating small businesses. The ATRP micro finance division will partner with BRAC, the largest sustainable development program in Afghanistan. The BRAC micro finance program promotes and trains Afghan national employees to operate the micro finance loans. They are given funds for agricultural projects or small business projects. Depending on the trajectory of the project, former combatants are granted micro-loans, small enterprise loans, and seasonal agricultural loans. Former combatants micro finance networks will be established to focus on community partnerships that offer assistance to members when repayment issues occur. The ATRP micro finance option is ideal for individuals that have entrepreneurship ambitions. Microfinance is a long term commitment that will require more active involvement in building a successful enterprise than an occupation in infrastructure development. Importantly ATRP will be offering murabaha loans, which are non-interest bearing loans consistent with Sharia principles.
Technical Occupations
Technical occupations in infrastructure development are ideal for former combatants seeking to learn new skills and earn an immediate and stable income. Once an ATRP program participant chooses the technical track, they are assigned to different sector of infrastructure. Occupations include construction, road-building, and agricultural development.Once given their assignments, program participants enter a three month paid training session. After three months, participants are given a full time position in their sector.
Beekeeping Training
The beekeeping training will be an alternative option for combatants forfeiting their arms. This unique program will be in partnership with the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) project. Led by the Afghanistan’s New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) and the Government of Afghanistan’s Disarmament and Reintegration Commision, former muhajideen participate in honeybee keeping technical training in the Qarabagh district of Kabul. After giving the former combatants an educational curriculum and practical training, each program participant will be given four boxes of bees and the tools required to extract honey. ATRP will assist DIAG in expanding the program to all provinces in Afghanistan.
[1] National Child Traumatic Stress Network 2004 How to Implement Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
No comments:
Post a Comment