DUTCH CONTRIBUTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 001415 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR JWOOD OSD FOR SHIVERS CG CJTF-101, POLAD, JICCENT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM PREL AF NL SUBJECT: DUTCH CONTRIBUTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Dutch are shouldering a heavy burden as the lead nation in Uruzgan, one of the most underdeveloped provinces in Afghanistan. There are almost daily attacks on ISAF forces and civilians by the Taliban, often resulting in serious injuries or death. The Dutch focus on supporting and promoting reconstruction efforts by the Afghan government and NGOs as well as training and monitoring of Afghan security forces, with the aim of ensuring effective control by the Afghan army and police. Their mission is that of stabilization and support aimed at transferring responsibility to Afghans, inherently linking their security and development objectives. The Dutch motto remains: "reconstruction where possible, military action where necessary." Security Contributions -------------- ¶2. (U) The Netherlands has been the lead nation in Uruzgan since August 1, 2006, with Australia as a junior partner. On November 30, 2007, two-thirds of the Dutch parliament supported the decision to retain the main responsibility for supporting the Afghan authorities in Uruzgan, including military, reconstruction, and governance assistance, until August 1, 2010. Over 1,300 of the 1,770 troops that the Netherlands currently contributes to ISAF are based in Uruzgan, with the rest in Kabul and Kandahar. Dutch troops serve six-month tours of duty. After August 2008 France, Czech Republic, and Slovakia will deploy troops in Uruzgan, enabling the Dutch to reduce the number of their troops in Uruzgan to approximately 1,000-1,100. ¶3. (U) The Netherlands military presence in Uruzgan consists of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT),a Battle Group, and logistical support, divided between the two bases in Tarin Kowt and Deh Rawod (Western Uruzgan). The Netherlands also provides two Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) to help train and guide the Afghan army; after August 2008 the Dutch OMLTs will be replaced by Hungarian and Slovakian OMLTs. They deployed police trainers in Uruzgan, and they will continue to contribute five Apache combat helicopters and four F-16 fighter planes to ISAF. Starting November 1, 2008 the Netherlands will provide the commander of ISAF's Regional Command South, General De Kruif. The Dutch-led PRT is actively engaged in training, mentoring, and equipping Afghan National Police (ANP) in coordination with CSTC-A's police training and mentoring program. In April, a Dutch delegation to Kabul pledged up to five Police Mentoring Teams (PMTs) to support CSTC-A training efforts for Uruzgan police. Task Force Uruzgan (TFU) has established a fourth line of operations, "credible task force," to ensure freedom of movement and action for the TFU forces and to gain the trust and confidence of the local population, enabling further separation from the insurgency. Since the start of the Dutch mission on August 1, 2006, a total of 16 Dutch soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, including the son of General van Uhm, the Chief of Defence of the Netherlands. Nationwide Reconstruction and Development Contributions -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) Dutch development priorities are: health, education, infrastructure, rural development (which includes alternative livelihoods for poppy growers),gender, human rights, and conflict transformation. The Netherlands has disbursed more than Euros 500 million in official development assistance to Afghanistan since ¶2001. The Netherlands is the fifth largest donor to the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF),with Euros 242 million since 2002. In 2008 the Netherlands will again contribute Euros 25 million to the ARTF in addition to contributions to national programs, including Euros 4.07 million to the Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP) for 2 years and Euros 6.3 million to Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) for three years. The Netherlands is also one of the main donors to the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA),contributing Euros 10 million in ¶2007. The Dutch fund a range of nationwide projects, including Euros 3 million for legal sector development, with a focus on transitional justice, detention, and women's rights; Euros 2.3 million for World Food Program; Euros 3 million for UNHCR to support the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs); Euros 0.5 million to UNICEF for health and education; Euros 2 million to UN Mine Action Services for demining and awareness; Euros 1.4 million to HALO trust for demining; and Euros 1 million to the International KABUL 00001415 002 OF 003 Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Uruzgan Development Contributions -------------- ¶5. (U) The Netherlands also has a significant civilian component in Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan; they plan to expand to 13 diplomats and development staff by August 2008. The TFU management board, consisting of the Commander of TFU and the Civilian Representative, make the 3D decisions (diplomacy, defence, and development) for the Dutch interventions in Uruzgan. The Dutch have funded more than Euros 75 million in Uruzgan since August 1, 2006. ¶6. (U) Education: The Dutch are funding EQUIP to work specifically in Uruzgan for Euros 2.5 million. EQUIP, Afghanistan's largest education initiative, operates through the extensive involvement of community members. Elected Parent-Teacher Associations and School Management Committees are trained in project and budget management; they are then responsible for identifying community education needs, developing proposals, and overseeing the implementation. The Dutch also give many local NGOs smaller grants for education development in Uruzgan. For example, they have a Euros 150,000 grant for the protection of vulnerable children, a teachers' hygiene course, and radio programs. Due to the extreme lack of teachers in Uruzgan, the Dutch are also starting a teacher training course, with a 100 scholarships for a one-to-two year training program in India. The recipients must make a commitment to teach in Uruzgan for three-to-five years after they complete the training. ¶7. (U) Healthcare: The Dutch gave Euros 2.3 million over two years to support the Uruzgan provincial Ministry of Health office's efforts to provide a basic health package to Uruzgan's inhabitants, including community health centers, training for healthcare workers, purchasing basic pharmaceuticals, training midwives, and training boys as nurses. The Dutch also have many smaller health projects through local NGOs. ¶8. (SBU) Rural Development: The Dutch are giving the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) in Uruzgan Euros 5 million for the construction of infrastructure (roads, irrigation systems, etc). However, the MRRD's absorptive capacity is very low and this project is facing many problems. The Dutch are also utilizing a public-private partnership to introduce saffron cultivation in Uruzgan, where the growing conditions are optimal. The private Dutch company provides mentors for 120 farmers and also guarantees that it will buy back the saffron at world prices, if the farmers cannot sell it. The Dutch also give several local NGOs small grants, including a Euros 1 million grant for developing capacity to farm fruit trees and a Euros 2 million grant for very small scale infrastructure development, including rural roads, wells, and building shelters where homes have been destroyed. ¶9. (U) Establishing Implementing Partners: The Dutch are giving GTZ, the German equivalent of USAID, Euros 34 million over three years to establish an office in Tarin Kowt. GTZ will focus on building a road from Tarin Kowt to Chora, capacity building of the provincial government, and assessing the agricultural chain of production. The Dutch gave the UN Food and Agricultural Organization Euros 2.4 million to launch a project to help a thousand farmers in Tarin Kowt and Chora. They will be provided with seeds, fertilizer, and tools; training in technical aspects of farming; and taught how to sell their products to their best advantage. The Dutch gave the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) Euros 6.3 million to establish an office in Tarin Kowt and expand their work into Uruzgan. ¶10. (U) Information and Access: The Dutch support Radio Nava, which reaches a wide range of listeners across Uruzgan in both Dari and Pashto. They also support a radio drama series and public service announcements raising drug awareness. There is currently no civilian airport in Uruzgan, which greatly hinders the mobility of government officials as well as NGO and IO staff. The Dutch are working with a humanitarian air service to develop a fee-based charter system. ¶11. (U) Security Structure: The Dutch are giving the MOI and UNODC Euros 5.2 million to improve the security structure in Uruzgan, including prisons and police and army resources and training. KABUL 00001415 003 OF 003 Baghlan Development Contributions -------------- ¶12. (U) After the Hungarians took over the Baghlan PRT the Dutch began slowly phasing out their Baghlan-speific projects; however, they still have Euros 2 million to support EQUIP education programming and Euros 3 million to Aga Khan to implement agricultural projects. DELL