VZCZCXRO4257
PP RUEHDBU RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHIK RUEHQU RUEHVC RUEHYG
DE RUEHOT #0047 0101320
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101320Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4741
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/A AND WHA/CAN 
USAID FOR ANE AND DCHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PREL SOCI AF CA
SUBJECT: MORE CANADIAN AID TO AFGHANISTAN ANNOUNCED: 
MINEFIELD CLEARANCE, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, RECONSTRUCTION, 
AND WOMEN 
 
 
 ¶1. (U) Summary:  On January 9, International Cooperation 
Minister Josee Verner announced that Canada will provide 
C$8.8 million for demining activities in Kandahar province 
and across Afghanistan as well as C$1.9 million to promote 
community-led development in that province.  The Minister 
made the announcement during a visit to the Canadian Forces 
Base at Valcartier.  She said that Canada's aid to clear land 
mines and unexplored ordnance will open up more land for 
agriculture, pasture and housing and its investment in 12 new 
democratically-elected Community Development Councils will 
help communities to establish shelter, electricity, roads, 
drainage and sewers, and improve water and waste management 
services.  A day earlier, Minister Verner said that Canada 
will provide C$1.75 million to UNICEF for projects to support 
maternal health and women's literacy in Kandahar.  She also 
announced a C$11.5 million Accelerated District 
Reconstruction Program to speed up reconstruction and 
development throughout Kandahar province.  Comment:  The two 
announcements coincided with Foreign Minister MacKay's early 
January visit to Afghanistan, including to Canadian forces in 
Kandahar province, and may be an attempt by the Harper 
Government to remind Canadians that the GoC has robust 
reconstruction and poverty-alleviation programs to help 
stabilize Afghanistan in addition to the efforts by its 
military.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) According to the Canadian International Development 
Agency (CIDA), Canada's contribution will support activities 
undertaken by the United Nations Mine Action Center for 
Afghanistan (UNMACA) across the country, including minefield 
survey and clearance, stockpile destruction, mine risk 
education, victim assistance and capacity building.  C$3.8 
million of the money will support Operation Hamkari (the Dari 
word for assistance and partnership) in the Kandahar 
districts of Panjwari and Zherai.  Canada hopes that over the 
next 12 months, about 2.9 million square meters of 
contaminated land will be cleared, and 27,000 local Afghans, 
including women and children, will be educated about the 
dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance.  Awareness and 
advocacy will also be undertaken to ensure opportunities and 
equal rights for land mine survivors and people with 
disabilities. 
 
¶3. (U) In a separate initiative, Canada will contribute C$1.9 
million to UN-Habitat's activities in Kandahar City.  Working 
with the Afghan Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, 
UN-Habitat will establish 12 new democratically-elected 
Community Development Councils (CDCs).  It will work with 
these and existing CDCs in Kandahar city to help communities 
implement neighborhood development projects.  Some 6.000 
households are expected to benefit from this project which 
seeks to rebuild areas destroyed by the conflict in Kandahar. 
 The project will also rehabilitate local infrastructure 
including shelter, electricity, roads, drainage, while also 
improve services such as water, health and sanitation, and 
waste management.  The infrastructure upgrades will also 
create local employment. 
 
¶4. (U) The funding announced on January 8 will support UNICEF 
efforts to establish a residential obstetric care facility in 
Kandahar City as well as to expand that agency's literacy 
program throughout the province.  The C$11.5 million set 
aside for the Accelerated District Reconstruction Program, 
over two years, will speed up the construction and 
Qover two years, will speed up the construction and 
rehabilitation of roads, aqueducts, sanitation infrastructure 
as well as repair schools and clinics through Kandahar 
province. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
DICKSON