STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: GOVERNANCE WORKING GROUP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000685 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, SA/PB, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC PASS TO NSA FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR KIMMITT CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICCENT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ASEC MARR AF SUBJECT: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: GOVERNANCE WORKING GROUP OUTLINES COMMITMENTS FOR PLENARY REF: STATE 193719 KABUL 00000685 001.3 OF 003 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On February 22, senior USG officials responsible for Afghanistan and GoA counterparts participated in a Working Group on Governance in preparation for the Strategic Partnership plenary to be co-led on the U.S. side by U/S Burns and U/S Edelman on March 13-14. Participants agreed on a list of 32 GoA and USG commitments for the plenary addressing transparency and accountability in sub-national planning, anti-corruption, capacity building, human rights, and the development of civil society and democratic institutions (NOTE: Commitments listed in paragraphs 5-10). Participants reaffirmed the importance of the Strategic Partnership dialogue. The upcoming March 13-14 visit to Kabul by Under Secretaries Burns and Edelman is a key opportunity to advance the U.S. agenda in this most conceptually challenging of the three SP pillars. -------------- -------------- GOVERNANCE WG A LESSON IN MINISTERIAL COOPERATION -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) A visiting delegation of senior USG officials and their Afghan counterparts participating in a Governance Working Group on February 22 agreed to a list of 32 commitments in preparation for the Strategic Partnership plenary to be led by U/S Burns in March. SCA DAS John Gastright, speaking for the USG, emphasized our commitment to a continuing partnership with Afghanistan in the development of transparent, accountable, effective government. He was joined by NSC Senior Director Tony Harriman and USAID Acting Assistant Administrator Mark Ward, and supported by Embassy staff. ¶3. (SBU) The GoA side of the table was less structured. Deputy Minister of Justice Qasim Hashamzai chaired the first half of the meeting. He then departed, leaving in his place Kawun Kakar, a MoJ advisor funded by USAID. The chairs of both sides were thus on the USG payroll. Officials from various GoA ministries also participated, reporting on their achievements, highlighting challenges, and requesting further assistance. In addition to the specific commitments (listed in paragraphs 5-10 below),prominent themes included the need for increased support for capacity building, improved leadership from line ministries to promote central-provincial cooperation, better liaison between local government and PRTs, more resources for civil society and media, a more coherent anti-corruption strategy with high-level support, more effective donor coordination, and the urgent challenge of making the election system sustainable for 2009 and beyond. ¶4. (SBU) The meeting itself was an illustration of governance challenges and an exercise in capacity building. In the days leading up to the session, the MoJ organizers were slow to appreciate their ministry's responsibility on behalf of the GoA as a whole, including identifying and ensuring the participation of the appropriate subject matter experts and responsible officials for each agenda item from every ministry concerned, not just their own. The MoJ organizers relied heavily on assistance from the Ministry of Finance and Embassy staff. While the individual GoA participants present seemed knowledgeable and capable, the meeting lacked appropriate GoA officials authorized to make commitments for several agenda items (in contrast to the Security Working Group meeting held Feb. 15, in which Defense Minister Wardak participated the entire time). The participants therefore agreed on a list of provisional commitments which were subsequently cleared by the appropriate GoA officials. KABUL 00000685 002 OF 003 -------------- TEXT OF GOVERNANCE COMMITMENTS FOR PLENARY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Paragraphs 6-10 list under each agenda item the agreed GoA and USG commitments made during the Governance WG. The text has been cleared by the participants on both sides, except where noted. ¶6. (SBU) Transparency and Accountability I: Sub-national Planning GOA COMMITMENTS: -- Expand the adoption of internationally accepted standards for monitoring and disbursements of donor funds, as was done for the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). -- Eliminate the Governors' Discretionary Funds for the upcoming fiscal year (1386). -- Develop an aid results tracking system with the World Bank by the JCMB V meeting on May 1. -- Expand the pilot provincial budgeting process to seven additional provinces with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Reconstruction and Rural Development. USG COMMITMENTS: -- Continue to feed timely information into the Donor Assistance Database (DAD) maintained by the Ministry of Finance. -- Facilitate a conversation between the GoA and ISAF regarding data input into the DAD database. -- Continue to support the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS) working groups and the processes to improve aid coordination. ¶7. (SBU) Transparency and Accountability II: Anti-Corruption GOA COMMITMENTS: -- Share a draft anti-corruption report from Chief Justice Azimi's commission before the plenary session. (NOTE: The MoJ contact said he has not cleared this item with Chief Justice Azimi personally, but that the draft report is already available. END NOTE.) USG COMMITMENTS: -- Continue to assist judicial sector reform. -- Stand ready to assist the National Assembly committees that will review the UN Convention on Corruption. -- Provide technical assistance for the anti-corruption road map and plan, if requested by the GoA. -- Entertain specific proposals on anti-corruption assistance in preparation for the Rome justice conference, including finalization of the anti-corruption strategy and roadmap. ¶8. (SBU) Democracy and Governance I: Capacity Building GOA COMMITMENTS: (NOTE: After initially clearing this document, the MoJ contact subsequently said he may have to follow up further with the MoI on these commitments. END NOTE.) -- Give capacity-building a prominent role in the plenary. -- Review the Military Liaison Officers' PRT coordination role. -- Complete the professional grading and pay regulations in the next two years. -- Fund Ministry of Interior (MoI) PRT liaisons. -- Create a PRT Office in the MoI's new organizational framework. -- Designate a MoI point of contact for sub-national government with the authority to make decisions. USG COMMITMENTS: -- Give capacity-building a prominent role in the plenary. -- Work with the GoA and other stakeholders to develop the Afghan Merit Scholars program, through which scholarship-preparation programs and scholarships for in-country regional and U.S. study will be identified and implemented. -- Help address the need for English language skills to KABUL 00000685 003 OF 003 increase the pool of qualified applicants for exchange programs. -- Ask NATO/ISAF to become more closely involved with the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB). ¶9. (SBU) Democracy and Governance II: Public Outreach to build Civil Society GOA COMMITMENTS: -- Take into consideration strong US concerns about the media law and encourage the National Assembly to consider it closely. USG COMMITMENTS: -- Strongly support and encourage broad support among GoA ministries for the National Communications Coordination Center (NC3). -- USAID will share the NGO assessment report completed in 2002 and will consider supporting another assessment of civil society in Afghanistan if the GoA thinks it would be useful. ¶10. (SBU) Democracy and Governance III: Development of Democratic Institutions, Civil Society, and Human Rights GOA COMMITMENTS: -- STAFF the senior appointment board, with UN support. -- The elections working group agreed to at the JCMB Berlin meeting will meet and produce recommendations and actions that will lead to sustainable future elections. (Note: This group planned to meet on February 24, but it has been delayed pending the nomination of individual participants by the countries involved.) USG COMMITMENTS: -- Fully support the action plan for justice, peace and reconciliation. -- Support the senior appointments board if the GoA needs more than the UN assistance currently provided. -- Welcome a presentation by the GoA to the principals at the plenary session on the needs and concerns pertaining to preparation for future elections. -- Continue to support sustainable, affordable election processes and take part in the elections working group. ¶11. (SBU) Comment: Governance, in contrast to Security or Prosperity, is the most conceptually difficult area of the Strategic Partnership on which to engage the Afghans effectively. This reflects the scale and scope of the challenges, which go to the heart of the Afghan body politic. Engagement by senior USG officials is an indispensable tool for keeping up the pressure on the GOA to communicate better internally and generate real progress on corruption and delivery of services to the people. The March 13-14 Plenary to be co-chaired by U/S Burns and U/S Edelman will help draw out senior Afghans on this vital yet sensitive topic. NEUMANN