The government of Afghanistan needs to improve its transparency and accountability, in order to bring reform in the structure of the government. For the first time in 2005, the president Karzai for elimination of administration corruption and reform in the government structure has talked on the government accountability and his cabinet member’s private asset reveal to the public. However the president initiative is not something new in most of the democratic governments of the world.

 The process of government accountability in Afghanistan which was identified by the president a few years ago as government accountability week to the public, however it was hugely welcomed by the public as gesture of good will but, in the same time the objection was that this process is only once at the beginning of each year.

 And this year 2010, it looks that it is not happening at all because of the so many big things happened like peace Jirga and etc; There is a huge need to foster and expand constant mechanisms that improves transparency and gain people’s trust

 In Afghanistan an estimated more than 50% of the total population are women, that were the major victims of war, the tragic consequences of war left thousands of widow women as guardians of families who are daily on the streets for begging or doing oppressive work and yet little has been done in bringing changes to their lives.

Now it has been 9 years that Taliban regime collapsed which was the darkest period for Afghan women but still there isn’t relative change in Afghan women lives. However, since then many international NGOs came in and together with governmental entities have been working massively for promoting women rights and empowerment. The work has been too much centralized at the capital centres that only benefit a small proportion of women population who are already living in a better condition, but outside the capital centres where there is real need for bringing change to the difficult situation exist. Civil society work has been so far fragmented and un-coordinated for the policy changes in Afghanistan.

According to the reports released from the Afghan women rights defence organizations, one from each three women is victim of violence in Afghanistan and that is increasing annually. This is a major problem and challenge for civil society entities working for the elimination of violence against women; therefore, there is an urgent need for more support and attention from the international community and government of Afghanistan to bring change in women lives.

Violence against women is not something natural or something which has no solution. It can be solved through institutionalizing women rights in Afghanistan laws and culture, gender issues should be mainstreamed in all development programs of Afghanistan as cross cutting issue. So far, there hasn’t been much attention given to gender issues in bigger programs; therefore, there is a real need for informing the policy makers on the real needs and there is a vital need for an advocacy program and campaign to flag-up un-heard voices, which have not been raised yet.

I believe solely Afghani approaches can play a vital role in bringing changes to the lives of suffering Afghan women.

Afghanistan is an agricultural country, which 80% of the population income relies on agriculture production and natural resources base. The main products are wheat, corn, barley, rice, vegetables and fruits (dried and fresh) however, in recent years the major product in Afghanistan has become the illicit cultivation of poppy and now mostly in areas where government does not have its control. It is due to decades of conflict and violence coupled with drought and earthquakes have had devastating impacts not only on the people of Afghanistan, but now suffering from years of overexploitation of natural resources, Agriculture and habitat loss.

It is tragic to see how many people have left Afghanistan due to war and drought-related issues. Apart from the conflict, agriculture degradation has been an important force driving people to find a better future elsewhere. The lack of water resources has led to the collapse of many livelihoods, and most of the country is subject to an alarming degree of land degradation propelled by poverty, population growth and the need to survive. The country has also been robbed of its precious forest resources by Afghan and non-Afghan timber mafia and smugglers. The net result of the degradation is widespread desertification and erosion, and increased vulnerability to food security for 80% of the population.

Since, the establishment of the new government in Afghanistan few international organizations have worked in agriculture sector, the investments was very poor, as fund allocation has been declined in Agriculture and Rural Development sector over the past years, which is a crucial sector for the development of Afghanistan.

After the Palestinians, Afghans are the second largest population of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the world. While an estimated five million Afghans have returned to their place of origin, more than three million residing in Pakistan and Iran have yet to undertake a similar journey. Military action has also led to ongoing population displacements, particularly in the south and east of the country

Environmental protection is one of the other important issues, which has also affected agriculture sector in Afghanistan; Environmental protection has been neglected during different government periods in Afghanistan. There wasn’t any particular entity working for environmental protection as well as there was lack of a national policy or law for environmental protection. By the international intervention and establishment of new government in Afghanistan, in 2002 National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) was established with an aim to make policies and mainstream environmental protection issue in all government endowers as stated in Afghanistan compact signed at the beginning of Jan-2006 in London donor conference for Afghanistan reconstruction.

The consequences of degraded environment have caused many natural disasters in recent years (flood, avalanches and heavy storms), which have affected displacement of thousands of rural peoples from one place to another place, and thousands hectares of arable lands were destroyed and caused a great loss in agriculture sector in Afghanistan.

Now it is the time to take stock of the current conditions, develop system for the sustainable use of resources and look for ways to rehabilitate and improve the agriculture sector in Afghanistan, which is a crucial sector for development and poverty alleviation in Afghanistan.

Environmental protection is one of the important issues, which has been neglected during different government periods in Afghanistan. There wasn’t any particular entity working for environmental protection as well as there was lack of a national policy or law for environment protection. By the international intervention and establishment of new government in Afghanistan, in 2002 National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) was established with an aim to make policies and mainstream environmental protection issue in all government endowers as stated in Afghanistan compact signed at the beginning of Jan-2006 in London donor conference for Afghanistan reconstruction, Government of Afghanistan has committed itself that [1]“ By the year 2007 environmental protection issue will be mainstreamed in all government endeavors”

 In contrary to that, the environmental protection is sidelined but, also its degradation has increased.

 The consequences of degraded environment recently have caused many natural disasters throughout the country (flood, avalanches and heavy storms), which have affected displacement of thousands of rural peoples from one place to another place, and thousand hectares of arable lands were destroyed and caused a great loss in agriculture sector in Afghanistan.  

Environmental protection is one of the important issues, which has been neglected during different government periods in Afghanistan. There wasn’t any particular entity working for environmental protection as well as there was lack of a national policy or law for environment protection. By the international intervention and establishment of new government in Afghanistan, in 2002 National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) was established with an aim to make policies and mainstream environmental protection issue in all government endowers as stated in Afghanistan compact signed at the beginning of Jan-2006 in London donor conference for Afghanistan reconstruction, Government of Afghanistan has committed itself that [1]“ By the year 2007 environmental protection issue will be mainstreamed in all government endeavors”

In contrary to that, the environmental protection is sidelined but, also its degradation has increased.

 The consequences of degraded environment recently have caused many natural disasters throughout the country (flood, avalanches and heavy storms), which have affected displacement of thousands of rural peoples from one place to another place, and thousand hectares of arable lands were destroyed and caused a great loss in agriculture sector in Afghanistan.  

 After 1919 there were only super powers (west and east) who were examining their power in Afghanistan but, in recent decades, more countries has gained interest to take part in the great game of super power. EU countries in different occasions are taking their decisions over their involvement, particularly over their troops in Afghanistan on basis of their rivalries with another. Germany wants to be in Afghanistan because France is still in, if they pull out it would be a big defame for Dutchland as power in EU. In the public eyes UK is a close ally of US but, on the ground in Afghanistan they are rivals of each other, they didn’t like US troops on poppy field of Helmands, they wanted to be by themselves. If Pakistan does not like the conditions proposed by India government for negotiation, attacks on Indians in Afghanistan. If Iran fears of its position from engagement of all major influence in Afghanistan, supply explosive device and weapons to insurgent groups to destabilize the whole process for all of them. Sudia Arabia was the founder of Taliban still would like to keep their involvement. China does not care what so ever, as far as they can extract the big mines of Afghanistan and economically defeat their rivals. Russia regularly reminds US and NATO by warning not to forget Russia importance in the game otherwise they can take revenge of their defeat from US. Like the examples given above many more are engaged in this great game behind the scene.

 In all of these, we as the ordinary Afghans are the main victims. The big question is for how long and how many decades more or probably centuries we should pay the price for these rivalries of others.

 What is your view?

Was it really a honest effort Or PR reinforcement for Karzai or Election Campaign for Gordon Brown?

 In, 2004 when for the first time Afghans were experiencing direct vote for electing their president, Mr. Karzai with the support of international community won the first 5 year term election. Karzai had not only had the majority of votes from Afghans inside Afghanistan also, had huge international community support at the top US and UK because, he was seemed as the only trusted good guy by that time in the eye of western countries publics and governments. The obvious reason for that was, because until that time the so called WAR ON TERROR was a good foreign policy for winner political parties in western countries.

 Then, when the situation started to get worse in Afghanistan, hence more financial and military support was needed, and at the same time economic global down turn was affecting already some of the countries in the west, the Mr. Good Guy (Karzai) was turned into (introduced)as a Bad Guy.

Then 2009 presidential election scandal was clear and predictable even before the election!
As the previous Good Guy was not new in the game anymore, played the game the other way round by promising power share to warlords and to sub-national authorities in the 2009 presidential election, this was killing two birds with one stone: first this was the only way for Karzai to get the votes of different Afghan ethnic groups and Secondly this was a strong answer from Karzai to the west who would wanted Karzai to loss in 2009 election.

 After all dilemmas when the election result was announced made Karzai winner in a run off, that did not ever happened. Troop contributing countries to Afghanistan, at the second top UK, after congratulating Karzai for his winning immediately called for an international conference on Afghanistan for January 2010 in London to be hosted by UK government.

 The question is – In the sequence of international conferences on Afghanistan why the UK one was important?

The first answer might be, the labour party had became even more a leading party in UK when Tony Blair was the prime minister and even he was regarded as ever best prime minister in UK history but, recently he was accused of supporting Bush plan of attack on Iraq illegally in which he had to be trailed and caused him to loose the credit he had obtained among the UK public. And as the second prime minister from labour party, gordan brown’s term is ending. the war for UK in Afghanistan is becoming a failed war that has caused huge both financial cost and troop causalities for UK military. Obviously the election campaign is becoming crucial for labour party, they had to show to their public that they are now serious and trying to correct the mistakes the had committed in Afghanistan for the last 9 years.

 The second answer could be, assuming the international community might have thought that they might bring someone else (?) in 2009 election and by that time Karzai had already been introduced as the bad guy, but the scenario was changed, leaving them with no option except to introduce Karzai back as a good guy to their public. So, that they could still have the answer for supporting a president who is trying to rebuild tthe country,

 Or it might be both?? What is your view. Please post your comment.

I am happy to tell that i have started bloging, my main blogs will be about social and political conditions of the country. and i will be happy to get your comments and feedback on each of the blogs i will be writing.