CANADA'S APPROACH IN AFGHANISTAN

   Canadian projects and contributions

Canada is a major participant in the Afghanistan Compact – a five-year agreement between the Government of Afghanistan, the UN and the international community.  The agreement provides a framework for coordinating the work of the Afghan government and its international partners by outlining expected results and timelines in the areas of security, governance and development.  Canada pledged its full support and was instrumental in ensuring that the January 2006 Compact included a mechanism to monitor programs and promote forward momentum.

Canada’s reconstruction goals follow the principle of enabling Afghan communities to lead and take ownership of the development projects themselves.  Governance objectives are likewise focused on helping Afghans establish institutional capacity to bring about long-term and sustainable progress – instead of temporary fixes.  This development model is an approach that works and one to which Canada is committed.

Canada also plays a major role in the UN-sanctioned, 37-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).  Approximately 2,500 members of the Canadian Forces are currently serving as part of Joint Task Force Afghanistan.  They play a key role in the NATO-led ISAF mission whose goal is to help bring security and stability, and foster development in Afghanistan.  Approximately 15,000 Canadian soldiers have served in Afghanistan since 2001 – in Kabul and Kandahar.

Security is necessary for development and reconstruction to move forward successfully.  While the Taliban insurgency is a challenge for Afghanistan and the international community, it mainly affects the five southern provinces, including Kandahar; the other 29 provinces are largely unaffected.

A key security objective is the training and enabling of Afghan police and military forces to gradually assume responsibility for security from the international community.

Roger Lemoyne/ACDI   Related:  Canada’s Most Recent Development Announcements to Afghanistan

Canada is one of the top five donors to national Afghan development programs, a key partner in United Nations de-mining work, and a leading nation in decommissioning regional militias and securing the storage of heavy weapons and tanks.

Canada also maintains key bilateral programs such as the Vocational Training and Food Aid for War Widows and is the lead donor for the highly successful microfinance program for small businesses – which has benefited 300,000 Afghans (72 percent women).

Canada supports Afghan-designed and -led national programs that bring benefits and basic services to Afghans across the country.  Sustainable progress is achieved when Afghans themselves are leading the way.  By supporting projects for water wells, roads, schools and health clinics, or by helping the Afghan people create jobs, Canada is helping to improve the lives of all Afghans.

Canada also helps fund the National Solidarity Program, through which more than 17,000 villages, or half of all Afghan villages, have had a say in the construction of schools, clinics, roads, irrigation canals and wells in their communities.  This program has the double advantage of helping Afghans elect village councils (some 16,000 to date), comprising men as well as women, and helping them build infrastructure to improve their access to health services and education for their children.