Better coordination of aid needed

Afghan government officials, independent international observers and aid workers have joined the Afghan Planning Minister in questioning how international aid is coordinated and spent in Afghanistan. "It [the international aid] has worked well in some instances and has problems in other areas," a high-ranking Afghan official told IRIN from Kabul on Friday. The official, who requested not to be named, added that aid mechanisms needed to be reviewed both inside the Afghan government structure and internationally. The comments follow a BBC report quoting the Afghan Planning Minister, Mohamed Mohaqeq, as saying that massive amounts of reconstruction aid coming into the country were being misused and squandered because there was no proper planning and accountability. Commenting on the issue, Samina Ahmed, head of the International Crisis Group, an independent global organisation working on conflict resolution, maintained that that there was a great deal of concern over the relationship between the new government and foreign aid. "The resentment is basically that the Afghan government is not getting enough money to run its machinery," she told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The interim authority in Kabul is struggling to pay salaries of employees, many of whom have not been paid in six to eight months. Although up to US $4.5 billion was pledged for Afghanistan’s reconstruction at a major donor conference in Tokyo at the beginning of the year, much of that money has yet to reach the country. NGOs and UN agencies have emphasised that resources are urgently needed now if the fragile post-Taliban government is to survive. "Some major quick impact reconstruction projects should begin and this will have a positive impact on the Afghan economy," Ahmed said. She emphasised that balancing the Afghan government’s budget should be a first priority. "If the basic requirements of the government are not met they will point a finger at the international community," she said. "But there is already talk of donor fatigue." Some donors have been reluctant to make good on pledges, waiting to see if security improves before committing large sums. Batin Shah Safi, a senior Afghan aid worker told IRIN that the international aid effort required better organisation, but that Hamid Karzai's government had to play a more responsible role as well. "There is a need for proper planning and coordination at every level," he said, adding that the Afghan government’s policies and actions were not well organised at the moment.