OVERVIEW
MANAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE
POSSIBILITIES
CAPITALS
ACTIVITIES
ACTORS
BURGESS
Afghanistan | ||
A UN-backed conference called for $600 million in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan on 13 September 2021.A UN-backed conference called for $600 million in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan on 13 September 2021. (Denis Balibouse/REUTERS) Original article: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2021/9/13/Afghanistan-needs-international-support-but-what-kind Burgess COMMENTARY I did consulting assignments in a variety of low income countries for around 30 years starting in the late 1970s. I did work for the World Bank including IFC, various agencies of the UN including UNDP and UNHCR and a variety of companies working in developing countries. Before this I had been a corporate CFO with a strong track record of profit performance improvement. While most of the people who work on humanitarian assistance and development are well meaning and good people, rather few had the management skills to get the results that were needed ... but more serious is that the major organizations and institutions were ... by my corporate standards ... lacking in management systems and structure. Though Robert McNamara was the President of the World Bank when I first did work for them and was a person that worked by the numbers, he was gamed by the World Bank staff in much the same way he had been gamed by the military hierarchy when he was Secretary of Defense and advising on the Vietnam War. Numbers are very powerful, but they had better be numbers that reflect reality. After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in the early 1990s.I worked on a UN project preparation assignment for international reconstruction assistance. Our team was headed up by Winston Prattley, one of the most experienced UN staff with a long and distinguished career. The US Administration of President Bush (41) opposed this UN initiative, and it came to nothing but instead became a locus for extreme Jihadists and international terrorism culminating in the events of 9/11 2001. Since then most of the talk has been about military intervention and much less about the associated work of civil society and NGOs. While the military have been highly visible and very costly in terms of blood and treasure, the progress of society and sectors like health, education and to some extent urban development, roads and electricity has been substantial. Many of the issues I learned about in Afghanistan in the early 1990s remain, but there has been substantial social progress during the intervening years. This progress is fragile and not likely to be a priority for the Taliban who are now in control and in the process of forming a government. Violence is likely ... not so much from an organized military but via all sorts of groups that are a law unto themselves. My hope is that effective diplomatic pressure can be brought to bear on the de-facto ruling parties so that ongoing progress can be made for all the people of Afghanistan, and especially the youth ... both boys and girls ... and all women. Peter Burgess | ||
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Afghanistan needs international support. But what kind?
‘The humanitarian response should not supplant what already exists.’
By
Will the international humanitarian system repeat its mistakes by overlooking the capabilities that Afghan professionals have built over the last two decades? There are already worrying signs. The fall of Kabul to the Taliban almost immediately triggered international humanitarian mechanisms and a series of funding appeals by UN agencies. This is a well-known drill, as if the first and loudest call has a better chance of being heard by donors. On social media, international aid agencies share ever-rising financial estimates for emergency responses. The figures they quote are now so enormous that they have lost their meaning: One UN agency, for example, is requesting $192 million. Calls for urgent donor funding will echo in the days and weeks after the 13 September aid summit, which is backed by the UN and meant to galvanise support for Afghanistan. International support is desperately needed. But in its rush to help Afghanistan, the humanitarian world risks superimposing costly, parallel systems that ignore what already exists: a functioning public health sector, Afghan NGOs waiting for support, and aid agencies that have operated amid a complex crisis for years. This same story repeats again and again: In an emergency, the humanitarian sector feels obligated to send goods and personnel into a country in turmoil, as if this is the only option. The consequences can be seen in countries like Lebanon, where the relief response targeting different communities – the Lebanese population, Palestinian refugees, Syrian refugees – means that each group now has access to a different healthcare system. Creating parallel humanitarian systems weakens national structures and capacities: Hiring local staff for emergency operations, for example, undermines the services and organisations that already exist. This is also the danger in Afghanistan. When relations with the Taliban are clearer, some international relief agencies will see a new opportunity to send their teams and create offices in Kabul – even if they have minimal experience in the country. “This same story repeats again and again: In an emergency, the humanitarian sector feels obligated to send goods and personnel into a country in turmoil, as if this is the only option.” What the flashy social media appeals seem to ignore are the Afghan professionals – health workers, local NGOs – who remain in Afghanistan and want to continue working. The Ministry of Public Health – one of the few government systems still functioning – has held brainstorming meetings on how to coordinate aid and make use of what already exists. Today’s health system is a unique, hybrid model: In most of the country’s 34 provinces, the government uses donor funds to contract Afghan NGOs to deliver essential services. Years of donor investments in Afghanistan's health sector have produced results. Maternal mortality, child mortality, rates for neonatal deaths – all have dropped significantly over the last 20 years. In 2018 and 2019, the health sector saw donor investments totalling more than $1 billion each year, which helped run a network of some 3,600 health facilities and more than 32,000 health professionals. As the humanitarian sector prepares to scale up, we offer four key recommendations aimed at preserving Afghanistan’s health gains: Protect what has already been built: Our Afghan colleagues on the ground are pleading for continuous support to the existing health system and its strong network of health facilities. These include provincial hospitals, health centres, and mobile clinics – many located in the country’s most remote areas. The humanitarian response should not supplant what already exists. Prioritise aid organisations that know Afghanistan: Many humanitarian groups have been working in Afghanistan for the last 20 years and have established strong relationships with Afghan actors, including the Taliban. It is essential that humanitarian investments prioritise these well-established organisations, which have experienced security mechanisms in place and knowledge of the complexities on the ground. Fund Afghan NGOs: Humanitarian donors should sub-contract and fund the Afghan health NGOs that have been delivering healthcare for the last 20 years. They can continue to bring essential care to the most remote parts of Afghanistan, where populations have been interacting with these professionals and have trust in the system. Use the existing health programme: An emergency health plan already exists. The health ministry has clearly defined its health priorities for the coming years through the Integrated Package of Essential Health Services, which was finalised in July. This should serve as the basis for all humanitarian action trying to respond to the most acute and permanent health needs. Afghanistan faces an uncertain future, and the international aid system an important decision. If the immediate response needs to be a shorter-term humanitarian intervention, then it must also aim to protect the health gains Afghanistan has achieved over the last two decades. This means supporting the Afghan health professionals and the system already in place. -------------------------------------- Help make quality journalism about crises possible The New Humanitarian is an independent, non-profit newsroom founded in 1995. We deliver quality, reliable journalism about crises and big issues impacting the world today. Our reporting on humanitarian aid has uncovered sex scandals, scams, data breaches, corruption, and much more. Our readers trust us to hold power in the multi-billion-dollar aid sector accountable and to amplify the voices of those impacted by crises. We’re on the ground, reporting from the front lines, to bring you the inside story. We keep our journalism free – no paywalls – thanks to the support of donors and readers like you who believe we need more independent journalism in the world. Your contribution means we can continue delivering award-winning journalism about crises. -------------------------------------- Health A man waits outside a factory to get his oxygen cylinder refilled, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease in Kabul, Afghanistan 15 June 2021. Healthcare, aid, and the Taliban: A Q&A with Afghanistan’s health minister Interview 8 September 2021 Health A man waits to refill his oxygen cylinder during Afghanistan’s third COVID-19 wave in June. Donor funding freezes after the Taliban takeover will severely disrupt coronavirus treatment and vaccination, health officials say Afghan healthcare under threat from international aid freeze News 6 September 2021
| The text being discussed is available at | https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2021/9/13/Afghanistan-needs-international-support-but-what-kind and |