HELMAND "DISTRICT DELIVERY" VISIT A GOOD START, BUT IT'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003286 DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA USFOR-A FOR POLAD SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PGOV EAID AF SUBJECT: HELMAND "DISTRICT DELIVERY" VISIT A GOOD START, BUT IT'S THE FOLLOW-UP THAT COUNTS REF: (A) KABUL 2940 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A District Delivery Working Group (DDWG) delegation visited Lashkar Gah and the Nawa District Center in Helmand Province on October 10 and 11, holding detailed talks with Afghan Provincial and District Officials, as well as with Lashkar Gah PRT officers. The IDLG-led group included representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Health, Education, Agriculture, and Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD),as well as UNAMA and the U.S., UK, and Canadian embassies and ISAF. All agreed that action was needed to bring better support to local governance, and the Helmand provincial officials consistently pushed for direct assistance from Kabul to empower their line ministry departments. The local officials argued strongly that they and their staffs were capable of building better local governance if Kabul pushed the resources down quickly and efficiently to the Provincial level. The visit was informative for all parties, and follow-on meetings are anticipated to work through staffing and financing challenges. End Summary. Better Local Governance Needed Now -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Helmand Province has made real progress improving the capacity of the provincial government under the direction of Governor Mangal. However, governance and service delivery at the district level is still negligible, and the lack of funding, management, and basic infrastructure hinders those local officials who do want to work at the district level. The District Delivery Working Group (DDWG) was established to deal with these challenges (see reftel),and two of six pilot districts for the DDWG are located in Helmand. To further the initiative, representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, ISAF, and UNAMA travelled to Helmand Province on October 10 and 11 with officials from the Ministries of Finance, Health, Education, Agriculture, and Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) to see and discuss first-hand the challenges to expanding governance and delivery of services at the district level. ¶3. (SBU) In a meeting at the Helmand PRT in Lashkar Gah, the DDWG delegation received a briefing on the work over the past months to facilitate the establishment of district governance in six new districts, largely through enhanced cooperation of the Provincial Governor and provincial officials in the wake of security operations that have allowed the expansion of governance. The missing element in that enlargement of GIRoA presence, however, has been the presence of supporting staff and financial resources from ministries in Kabul. The progress in Helmand, they noted, has so far been a "local solution" that can be replicated in other areas with effective provincial leadership, but will remain fragile in the absence of support from Kabul. Mangal Takes Charge -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Governor Mangal, who has been tireless in his efforts to expand governance at the district level, chaired a marathon session with the visiting delegation on October 10 that highlighted conflicting approaches between the ministry visitors and the local leaders. The "top down model" advocated by the ministry officials conflicted with the approach of local officials seeking greater resources and decision-making at the local level. The latter argued for more decentralization, since the bulk of ministry resources never reach provincial offices. Helmand ministry line directors said the current top down model consistently undercuts local efforts at building and expanding local governance, and undermines delivery of basic service packages at the district level as a result of the lack of salary and program funds to deliver these services. Local officials also noted the critical role of governance infrastructure, stating clearly that district centers, police stations, and official accommodation must be built or renovated to help local officials deliver services. Helmand province has only one operational district government center, in Garmsir; new buildings are planned for Nawa and Kanashin but have not yet been built. At the same time, district officials advocated for provision of basic services, against larger more expensive packages proposed by central government. Governor Mangal also expressed his thanks for USG assistance and military support, as well as to other donors for their support over the years. The Provincial office building, for instance, was funded through a USAID program; USAID historically is remembered in Helmand from the 1960s when irrigation systems were built by the USG that remain today. Nawa Elders: More, Better, and Soon -------------- KABUL 00003286 002 OF 002 ¶5. (SBU) The DDWG delegation, Mangal, and two PRT officers also travelled to the Nawa District Center - one of the DDWG's six priority districts -- on October 11. The refrain they heard from locals was that the government must do more, do it better, and do it soon. Several key elders said that basic services such as health, education, and irrigation must be established and supported by the government. Many said they welcomed the improved security in recent months, but told the ministry officials that the absence of teachers, doctors and government officials in Nawa was impeding progress. Several elders noted that government corruption was a large problem, and one elder declared that "no one trusts the government -- it must earn the trust of the people or they will again look towards the Taliban" to provide basic services. Mangal pushed back on many of the points, but it was clear the local population wants a government that works for them, has the capacity to establish basic - not luxury - services, and has the support from Kabul and Lashkar Gah to sustain these efforts. Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The visit to Helmand was a useful opportunity for many of the ministry officials to visit Helmand for the first time and see district level challenges first hand. The insights gained from the visit will inform on-going DDWG and wider discussions on the important mechanical issues of staff recruitment, incentive pay, program funds, funding accountability, and the respective roles of the provincial government and district governors and councils. Governor Mangal and his line directors' insistence on greater provincial/district empowerment, and the need for additional staffing and funding resources at the district level, were important messages for the Kabul-based officials to hear as they continue to consider how the DDWG can support a more robust GIRoA presence at the local level.