IDLG GOVERNOR'S ADVISORS PROGRAM IN URUZGAN: A WORK IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002937 DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA THE HAGUE PASS TO POL NSC FOR WOOD OSD FOR WILKES CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ETRD EFIN AF SUBJECT: IDLG GOVERNOR'S ADVISORS PROGRAM IN URUZGAN: A WORK IN PROGRESS REF: KABUL 2641 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) dispatched nine advisors to Uruzgan Province in a direct response to Governor Hamdam's call for help as he undertook to coordinate the work of insubordinate and unqualified department directors. The advisors are part of an IDLG provincial government capacity building program that was initiated in early 2008 in ten provinces. The advisors, who are all equipped with impressive resumes, have given Hamdam a clearer picture of the challenges facing each department. However, they lack training on the role of an advisor and generally have been unable to cultivate productive relationships with the directors. The IDLG advisors program in Uruzgan could be strengthened by developing a robust training program for advisors, focusing the initial efforts of advisors on building the capacity of the departments (in an effort to earn their trust),and establishing closer ties between the IDLG advisors and the USAID-funded technical advisors assigned to the departments. End Summary. IDLG Advisors Deployed to Uruzgan -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Shortly after Assadullah Hamdam became Governor of Uruzgan in September 2007, he requested that the newly created Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) send him a team of subject matter experts to expand his capacity to manage the provincial departments. Hamdam, who is from Wardak Province, and a highly-educated professional by Afghan standards, was immediately treated as an outsider by the department directors and thus given little access to the inner workings of the departments (reftel). The directors, who generally possess little to no education and were selected more for tribal connections than competency, jealously protected their departments from the Governor's involvement. Hamdam hoped that a large group of competent advisors would help to level the playing field. ¶3. (SBU) Following a rigorous selection process, the IDLG dispatched nine IDLG advisors and two computer administrators over the last ten months. Hamdam has requested an additional eight advisors. The IDLG advisors have been tasked to: deepen the 
governor's understanding on the key challenges facing each department, extend the governor's reach and influence over the directors, and improve coordination among the departments and between the departments and the governor's office. IDLG Deputy Director Karimi recently told PRTOFF that IDLG advisors were sent to nine other provinces and stressed that the IDLG was committed to meeting the needs of the governors. (The Dutch Embassy funds the IDLG Advisors Program in Uruzgan through the Asia Foundation.) Advisors Have Helped Uruzgan Governor... -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The advisors have provided Hamdam a better understanding of the day-to-day activities of the departments through the preparation of daily and weekly reports. In an effort to raise the level of financial accountability to the Governor, the advisors provide counsel to Hamdam on the approval of directors' requests for the use of government funds. Before Hamdam signs off on the disbursement, the appropriate advisor verifies that the disbursement is in general accordance with the needs of the department and, afterwards, attempts to monitor the impact of the disbursement. Most importantly, the advisors have increased the capacity of the departments. The advisors, who are typically under 35 years old, highly-educated, and have years of professional experience in large, functioning organizations, have helped the directors and their staff meet the increasingly high expectations of their respective ministries in Kabul. ...But They Need Help Themselves -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The IDLG advisors have yet to earn the full confidence of Hamdam, and most departments remain reluctant to develop closer relationships with them. None of the advisors received training on KABUL 00002937 002 OF 002 the specific roles and responsibilities of an IDLG advisor, particularly in the field of proposing, assessing, and monitoring projects. Moreover, many of the advisors lack the social tact and diplomacy to cultivate productive relationships in their respective departments. The Governor told a visiting delegation of IDLG/Asia Foundation staff that his IDLG advisors were heavy on competency and light on "people skills;" thus, the Governor's relationships with most directors remained distant, if not adversarial. The directors complained to PRTOFF that the advisors treated the directors as subordinates, "demanding" reports and communicating taskings allegedly on behalf of the Governor. Steps to Strengthen IDLG Advisors Program -------------- ¶6. (SBU) After extensive conversations with Hamdam, the IDLG advisors, the directors, and a review of the IDLG/Asia Foundation's informal trip report, there is general agreement on the following suggested changes to the IDLG advisors program: -- Implement a training program. Future advisors dispatched to Uruzgan should participate in a mandatory training course on the specific responsibilities, expectations, and the "do's and don'ts" of an IDLG advisor. Current advisors should be sent back to Kabul for similar training. -- Focus on building capacity of departments. Given the dearth of qualified personnel in the departments, directors have repeatedly expressed their readiness to receive technical assistance from the Governor's advisors, as long as they respect the position of the director. -- Strengthen ties with USAID-funded technical advisors. Through USAID's Local Governance and Community Development (LGCD) program, technical advisors have been assigned to seven departments, and three more departments will be assigned technical advisors in the coming months. Establishing linkages with the IDLG advisors would give the technical advisors greater insight into the needs and demands of the Governor, and in turn, the IDLG advisors would obtain a clearer picture of the strengths and challenges in each department. -- Involve IDLG advisors in Governor's meetings. Hamdam rarely invites his advisors to his meetings with the directors, and as a result, the advisors are often unaware of the causes of the friction between the Governor and his directors and unable to help the Governor repair the relationships. PRTOff has asked Hamdam to consider involving his advisors in more meetings, and the Governor has started to include his chief advisor. Once Hamdam determines that his other advisors are sufficiently mature in their roles as counsel, he will likely invite them to more meetings. WOOD