Project for the Promotion and Enhancement of the Afghan Capacity for Effective Development （PEACE）Phase 2
1. Country
Afghanistan
2. Date R/D signed
March 5, 2016
3. Term of Cooperation
March 5, 2016 – March 31, 2025
4. Project Background
Afghanistan faces the lack of government human resources for effectively and efficiently carrying out development projects due to the conflicts over the years. In the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), “Capacity Development” is positioned as a cross-sectoral priority issue. Also in the sector development strategies of each ministry, the importance of capacity building of government officials and organizations is emphasized. In the London Conference held in December 2014, the new government declared that 2015-2024 will be the “Transformation Decade”, and they will move towards peace, recovery, productivity and growth in order to realize self-reliance. In the same declaration, in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency of public administration, civil service reform is set as a priority issue with an emphasis on the capacity building of civil servants. It aligns with the GOJ’s Country Assistance Policy for Afghanistan (2013), which emphasizes on the importance of human resource development.
At the Kabul Conference in July 2010 in Afghanistan, GOJ pledged to support the capacity development of up to 500 administrative officers in the fields of engineering and agriculture. Since 2011, JICA have been implementing the Project for the Promotion and Enhancement of the Afghan Capacity for Effective Development (PEACE) Phase 1 (hereinafter referred to as “Phase 1”). Phase 1 provided Afghan civil servants with the opportunity to study in the Master’s program or Doctoral program. As of the end of 2015, 436 civil servants from 13 Afghan ministries/organizations have been dispatched to Japanese graduate schools mainly in engineering and agriculture fields. It is expected to reach 500 in 2016, which was the maximum number of dispatch planned in the Phase 1.
5. Overall Goals
The planning and implementation capacities of the ministries related to the Infrastructure Development, Agriculture/Rural Development, Education and Health Development sectors in Afghanistan are strengthened.
6. Project Purpose
Strengthened capacities of civil servants and university teachers of the ministries related to the above sectors are utilized in the formulation and implementation of policies in each ministry.
7. Activities
- Implementation of long-term training program
- To implement recruitment and selection
- To support successful candidates to enroll in the universities (research student program, Master’s program and Doctoral Program)
- To conduct monitoring meetings
- Implementation of short-term follow-up training program
- To examine the proposals made by returnees and select participants
- To implement training programs based on the proposals
- Preparation of the environment to utilize returnees’ abilities
- To organize reporting sessions
- To support returnees to be reinstated to appropriate ministries/positions
- To support the activities of alumni association