News
Press Release: British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG)
3 December 2009
Aid agencies call for the needs of the Afghan people to be put centre - stage
As the US and Britain decide to send more troops to Afghanistan, the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG) – a coalition of NGOs that work in Afghanistan - warns that unless there is a significant change in the way humanitarian and development aid is delivered the security situation in the war torn country and the condition of the majority of its people is unlikely to improve.
While we welcome President Obama's mention of a more effective civilian strategy and assistance with agriculture, we would point out that eight years and billions of dollars on living standards of the majority of Afghans, especially in rural areas, remain as low as in the pre 2001 period. Unemployment is exceptionally high. Thousands of impoverished Afghans face a stark choice: to live in poverty; leave the country; or turn to crime or the insurgency.
Whilst there has been a modest growth in the country’s economy, many Afghans still need aid to survive. Nearly a third of the population do not have access to enough food to live active healthy lives*. Another 8.5 million people, or 37 percent, are on the borderline of food insecurity. The level of malnutrition remains high. The UN's Children's agency, UNICEF, says more than half of all children under age five suffer from malnutrition.
Where time has been taken to plan, understand local needs and build on the local capacity, aid has made a difference to the lives of Afghans. However, much of the international assistance funding over the past eight years has been used by donors to support their military objectives through hearts and minds operations. Whilst the quality of these projects remains unclear, Afghans grow increasingly resentful over the lack of meaningful change and sceptical about plans for more troops. “Afghans are growing weary of discussions about more troops when similar measures in the past have not led to improved security and governance. They hear about billions of dollars being spent on development, but tangible results remain few and far between”, said David Page, the Chair of Afghanaid.
The need for a rethink of where and how development funds are spent has never been more urgent. “Ineffective development and lawlessness are eroding people’s confidence in the competence and ability of the Afghan government and the international community to help the country out of the quagmire. All actors need to become a lot more transparent about what they do with their funds, evaluate their programmes and commit to working together and to developing Afghan capacity”, said Abdul Basir, Director of BAAG.
There is a need for urgent and concrete action to restore the hopes of Afghans by putting their needs first. Until this is done, their trust and confidence in the international community’s intentions will continue to diminish. “Whilst time is clearly running out, not all has been lost” said Abdul Basir.
* Preliminary data from the 2007-2008 National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA)
British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group is an umbrella network of 26 British and Irish NGOs that work in Afghanistan. For more information visit www.baag.org.uk
For more information contact:
Abdul Basir, Director, BAAG, abdul.basir@baag.org.uk, Tel: (0) 20 7065 0795 or 07746675211
Verity Spence, Information Coordinator, BAAG, verity.spence@baag.org.uk
The views expressed in this Press Release do not necessarily reflect the views of BAAG member agencies or other NGOs.