VZCZCXYZ0008
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBUL #0829 0940548
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD79631B TOQ3966-695)
O 030548Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3502
INFO AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS KABUL 000829 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION 
STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR JWOOD 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV AF
SUBJECT: AFGHAN SOCIAL OUTREACH PROGRAM GAINS MOMENTUM AS 
DONORS DELIBERATE 
 
REF: KABUL 498 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: SUPPORT FOR THE AFGHANISTAN SOCIAL OUTREACH 
PROGRAM (ASOP), UNVEILED BY THE INDEPENDENT DIRECTORATE FOR 
LOCAL GOVERNANCE (IDLG) ON FEBRUARY 14 (REFTEL), IS GAINING 
MOMENTUM.  IDLG ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROGRAM IS A WORK IN 
PROGRESS AND HAS WELCOMED COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.  DONORS HAVE PROVIDED COMMENTS 
AND ARE COLLABORATING ON STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION 
IN 11 INITIAL PROVINCES (BADGHIS, FARAH, FARYAB, GHAZNI, 
HELMAND, LOGAR, KAPISA, WARDAK, KANDAHAR, URUZGAN, AND 
ZABUL).  CITING SUCCESS IN THE PILOT PROJECT IN WARDAK, IDLG 
BELIEVES ASOP WILL FILL A CRITICAL GAP IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE 
UNTIL THE ELECTION OF DISTRICT COUNCILS.  ASOP IS THE FIRST 
OF SEVERAL PROGRAMS FOR WHICH IDLG WILL REQUEST DONOR 
SUPPORT.  POST IS WORKING TO QUICKLY PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE 
PROGRAM IN THE SHORT-TERM AND THE DIRECTORATE IN THE 
LONG-TERM, WHILE ENCOURAGING OTHER DONORS TO DO THE SAME. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
ASOP PROVIDES BRIDGE TO ELECTED DISTRICT COUNCILS 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (SBU) THE IDLG'S AFGHANISTAN SOCIAL OUTREACH PROGRAM 
(ASOP) IS DESIGNED TO FILL A CRITICAL GAP IN SUB-NATIONAL 
GOVERNANCE UNTIL DISTRICT COUNCILS ARE ELECTED.  THE PROGRAM 
WILL PUT IN PLACE APPOINTED DISTRICT SHURAS (COMMUNITY 
COUNCILS) TO PROVIDE COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT OF SERVICE 
DELIVERY AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL PROGRAMS AT 
THE LOCAL LEVEL.  THE GOAL IS TO BRING THE PEOPLE CLOSER TO 
THE GOVERNMENT IN ORDER TO HELP THEM DEVELOP A STAKE IN LOCAL 
AND CENTRAL INSTITUTIONS.  THE APPOINTED SHURAS WILL BE 
DISSOLVED WHEN DISTRICT COUNCILS ARE ELECTED AND CAN TAKE ON 
THE ROLE.  (DATES FOR DISTRICT ELECTIONS ARE PART OF THE 
CURRENT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE OVER THE ELECTORAL LAW; IDLG'S 
TARGET DATE FOR DISTRICT ELECTIONS IS 2011.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) THE IDLG CHOSE 11 PRIORITY PROVINCES BASED ON THEIR 
SEVERE AND/OR WORSENING SECURITY AND GOVERNANCE SITUATIONS: 
BADGHIS, FARAH, FARYAB, GHAZNI, HELMAND, LOGAR, KAPISA, 
WARDAK, KANDAHAR, URUZGAN, AND ZABUL.  ACCORDING TO ASOP 
PROGRAM MANAGER ENGINEER FARHAD, THE ORDER IN WHICH THE 
PROVINCES WILL BE TARGETED WILL, TO SOME EXTENT, DEPEND ON 
WHICH PROJECTS AND PROVINCES DONORS CHOOSE TO SUPPORT.  IDLG 
WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW THE PILOT PROJECT ALREADY UNDERWAY IN 
WARDAK PROVINCE WITH PROGRAMS IN LOGAR AND KAPISA PROVINCES, 
BUT THIS WILL DEPEND ON FUNDING.  IDLG DEPUTY BARNA KARIMI 
EMPHASIZES THAT IMPLEMENTATION IN PROVINCES CONCENTRIC TO 
KABUL IS IMPORTANT FOR MAINTAINING SECURITY IN THE CAPITAL. 
(EMBASSY IS DEVELOPING A RESPONSE TO IDLG'S REQUEST FOR 
FUNDING FOR THE LOGAR AND KAPISA INITIATIVES.) 
¶4. (SBU) THE U.S. AND OTHER DONORS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE 
MERITS OF ALIGNING ASOP WITH THE FOCUSED DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT 
(FDD) PROGRAM RUN BY COMBINED SECURITY TRANSITION 
COMMAND-AFGHANISTAN (CSTC-A) TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF POLICE 
AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL.  ALIGNMENT HAS OCCURRED SO FAR BY 
COINCIDENCE, AS A RESULT OF CERTAIN DISTRICTS ENDING UP NEAR 
THE TOP OF BOTH THE ASOP AND FDD PRIORITY LISTS.  THE 
INTENTION IS THAT BY LATE 2008 (PHASE SEVEN OF THE FDD 
PROGRAM) THIS OVERLAP WILL OCCUR BY DESIGN AND AGREEMENT 
AMONG ALL PARTIES. 
 
IDLG CLAIMS SUCCESSES IN WARDAK PILOT 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) IDLG,S PROGRESS IN WARDAK PROVINCE PROVIDES A 
PREVIEW OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE ASOP NATIONALLY.  IN A 
MARCH 15 MEETING WITH INTERNATIONAL DONORS, IDLG DEPUTY 
KARIMI OUTLINED THE PROGRESS MADE BY THE ASOP IN GATHERING 
SUPPORT FROM A SKEPTICAL POPULATION FEARFUL OF ASSOCIATING 
WITH THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT.  HE REPORTED THE PROGRAM HAS 
ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY COUNCILS IN SAYEDABAD AND NIRKH 
DISTRICTS, INCREASED LAGGING POLICE RECRUITMENT, AND 
FACILITATED GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AT THE DISTRICT 
LEVEL.  IDLG HIGHLIGHTS SUPPORT RECEIVED TO DATE FROM THE 
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND THE NATIONAL DIRECTORATE FOR 
SECURITY (NDS), RELATIONSHIPS THAT WILL BE IMPERATIVE TO THE 
 
 
 
PROGRAM,S SUCCESS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.  TO ENSURE THE 
FUNCTIONALITY OF THE DISTRICT SHURAS, AN ASOP COORDINATION 
UNIT, COMPOSED OF APPROXIMATELY THREE IDLG PERSONNEL, WILL BE 
ESTABLISHED IN WARDAK (AND OTHER PROVINCES WHERE ASOP IS 
IMPLEMENTED).  IDLG IS CONVINCED ASOP WILL TRANSFORM WARDAK 
WITHIN A YEAR. 
 
DONORS DELIBERATE OVER PROGRAM,S MERITS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) IDLG HAS MOVED BEYOND ITS EARLY RESISTANCE TO EVEN 
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND NOW WELCOMES INTERNATIONAL 
COMMUNITY COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO THE ASOP. 
A SMALL GROUP OF DONORS (THE U.S., THE UK, THE NETHERLANDS, 
NORWAY, AND CANADA) HAS MET INFORMALLY SEVERAL TIMES TO 
DISCUSS THE PROGRAM AND SUBMITTED DETAILED, PROGRAMMATIC 
QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO THE IDLG.  PRINCIPAL AMONG THE 
CLARIFICATIONS REQUESTED BY DONORS WERE: THE RELATIONSHIPS 
BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY COUNCILS AND EXISTING LOCAL GOVERNMENT 
STRUCTURES, THE PROGRAM,S IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY, AND 
THE CAPACITY OF IDLG TO IMPLEMENT SUCH A LARGE AND COMPLEX 
PROGRAM.  IDLG HAS RESPONDED QUICKLY AND COHERENTLY TO DONOR 
CONCERNS AND IS CURRENTLY INCORPORATING CLARIFICATIONS IN A 
REVISED ASOP DOCUMENT TO BE RELEASED IN THE SECOND WEEK IN 
APRIL. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  THE U.S. AND OTHER DONORS ARE COLLABORATING ON 
POSSIBLE WAYS TO FUND THE ASOP AND IDLG IN THE SHORT AND LONG 
TERM.  ALTHOUGH SOME DONORS (PRINCIPALLY CANADA AND THE UK) 
HAVE SUGGESTED A POOLED FUNDING APPROACH, IDLG HAS PRESSED 
FORWARD IN APPROACHING INDIVIDUAL DONORS TO SUPPORT PROVINCES 
IN WHICH THEY HAVE NATIONAL EQUITIES.  IDLG HAS APPEALED TO 
THE UNITED STATES DIRECTLY FOR SUPPORT IN IMPLEMENTING THE 
PROGRAM IN WARDAK, LOGAR, KAPISA, GHAZNI, ZABUL, FARAH, AND 
POSSIBLY KUNAR.  IN A MARCH 8 MEETING WITH IDLG DIRECTOR 
GENERAL JELANI POPAL, THE AMBASSADOR UNDERLINED U.S. 
COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING ASOP IMPLEMENTATION.  POST IS 
PUTTING TOGETHER A PLAN TO QUICKLY SUPPORT THE SOCIAL 
OUTREACH PROGRAM IN TARGET PROVINCES.  WITH IMPLEMENTATION IN 
WARDAK UNDERWAY, IDLG IS LOOKING FOR FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT THE 
PROGRAM IN LOGAR BEGINNING IN APRIL. 
 
ASOP - A TACTICAL COMPONENT OF IDLG'S STRATEGIC PLAN 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) THE ASOP IS THE FIRST OF SEVERAL IDLG INITIATIVES 
THAT WILL STRENGTHEN SUB-NATIONAL GOVERNANCE OVER THE LONG 
TERM.  THE IDLGS FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC WORK PLAN (NOT YET 
FORMALLY RELEASED) PROVIDES A ROAD MAP FOR THE GOVERNMENT,S 
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE.  THE PLAN 
INCLUDES AN APPROXIMATELY $160 MILLION BUDGET FOR VARIOUS 
PROGRAMS RELATED TO POLICY DEVELOPMENT, INSTITUTIONAL 
DEVELOPMENT, AND BROADER GOVERNANCE OBJECTIVES. 
 
¶9. (SBU) ALTHOUGH SOME DONORS WERE INITIALLY WARY OF THE 
IDLG,S CAPACITY TO FULFILL AN EXPANDING MANDATE IN LOCAL 
GOVERNANCE, THE IDLG HAS SHOWN IT CAN BE VISIONARY, 
ASSERTIVE, AND NIMBLE.  THE IDLG QUICKLY DEMONSTRATED ITS 
ABILITY TO AFFECT CHANGE IN GOVERNANCE AT THE PROVINCIAL 
LEVEL THROUGH GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTMENTS.  THE ASOP IS THE 
IDLGS FIRST ATTEMPT TO TRANSFORM GOVERNANCE AT THE DISTRICT 
LEVEL AS WELL.  THE U.S. AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ARE 
POISED TO GIVE THE ASOP AND IDLG THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO 
SUCCEED. 
DELL