Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 64621 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 09KABUL1567, Latest Draft of Governor-led Reconciliation Program

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09KABUL1567.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09KABUL1567 2009-06-18 14:10 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Kabul
VZCZCXRO2256
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #1567/01 1691410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181410Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9557
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 KABUL 001567 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
USFOR-A FOR POLAD 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV AF
SUBJECT:  Latest Draft of Governor-led Reconciliation Program 
 
REF: Kabul 0637 
 
1.  (SBU) We have just received from the Independent Directorate of 
Local Governance (IDLG) an updated version of its proposal for 
Governor-led reconciliation, originally dating from May 19. The 
paper remains a "confidential" internal document and has not, to our 
knowledge, been shared with others outside of the Afghan government. 
 It largely tracks with the earlier version (reftel) but organizes 
the elements of the proposed program in a more comprehensible 
manner. 
 
2.  (SBU) There are a few additions and changes.  The section on 
"customary justice" (1.3) now states explicitly that "Former militia 
members will not, under normal circumstances, be formally 
prosecuted."  A new "project process" section (2.1) provides a 
clearer explanation of how the program would run in practice.  It no 
longer calls for including district administrators (i.e., 
sub-governors) as members of provincial reconciliation shuras and 
stipulates that shura members should receive an appointment letter 
from the President.  A new section on "selection of targets" (2.22) 
notes that potential reconcilees are to be vetted by the National 
Directorate of Security (NDS) and UNAMA.  The role of the 
Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) in the program is made 
more explicit (section 2.3.1).  The new draft lays out in more 
detail the concept of "reconciliation packages" to be offered to 
reconcilees, with a special emphasis on guaranteeing their security. 
 Perhaps bowing to reality, the draft no longer assigns ministries 
the task of administering such packages but instead gives this job 
to "implementing partners" (while suggesting capacity-building 
within ministries so they can eventually take over this role). 
 
3.  (SBU) IDLG Deputy Director Barna Karimi, who continues to have 
primary responsibility for developing this program, believes the 
draft is fairly authoritative except in one respect - he remains 
stymied by the issue of how to prevent reconcilees from facing 
double jeopardy.  He has found no way so far to address the 
potential of former victims of insurgents refusing to accept the 
"customary justice" solution called for in the program and instead 
resorting to the formal legal system.  Consultations with Ministry 
of Justice officials have not produced a solution.  This issue 
appears to be at the heart of the statement in section 3.7 of the 
paper that the "IDLG will work with national and international 
stakeholders to clarify the legal basis of this program." 
 
4.  (SBU) Begin text. 
 
1. Project Summary 
 
1.1 Background 
 
Recent years have seen the rolling out of a number of security 
reform initiatives, including Focused District Development, 
Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups and DDR (Disarmament, 
Demobilization and Re-Integration).  However, despite some successes 
with these programs, the security situation in the Afghan provinces 
has been steadily deteriorating in the last few years. For example, 
more than 200 districts are under insurgency, and many are effective 
no-go areas for the government. The majority of the districts in key 
provinces adjacent to Kabul such as Logar and Wardak are now under 
actual or de facto Taliban control, and the number of attacks 
against government and ISAF troops has more than doubled in the last 
year alone. 
 
IDLG was created by means of Presidential Decree in May 2007 to make 
a difference to people's lives by improving governance at 
subnational level and improving subnational service delivery. IDLG's 
primary means of achieving this objective is through working with 
and strengthening the subnational governance institutions under its 
authority, including the offices of the Provincial Governors, the 
offices of the District Governors and the municipalities, and by 
institutionalizing subnational planning and budgeting. 
 
Since May 2008, IDLG has been leading an inter-governmental effort 
to develop a new Subnational Governance policy. This policy is 
intended to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the different 
subnational governance institutions and lay out a road map for the 
development of subnational governance in Afghanistan over the next 5 
years. The policy, now in a late draft and before a cabinet-level 
review committee, re-affirms the role of the Provincial Governor in 
planning and coordinating the delivery of services to people through 
the provincial line departments and other state institutions present 
at subnational level, and re-affirms the fundamental responsibility 
of the Provincial Governor to foster peace and stability in the 
Province. 
 
This program proposes to support ongoing security initiatives by 
giving the Provincial Governors the lead in the process of 
reconciliation between the state and illegal armed groups acting in 
the provinces and districts. The program will also focus the 
 
KABUL 00001567  002 OF 010 
 
 
subnational service delivery system on supporting the reconciliation 
process, by providing re-integration services to demobilized members 
of armed groups, and rehabilitation of damaged communities. By 
combining these elements under the leadership of the governor, the 
program will foster a reconciliation process which is consistent 
with IDLG's mandate and the draft policy for subnational governance 
in Afghanistan. 
 
1.2 Program objectives and outcomes 
 
The objectives of this program are 
 
- To foster reconciliation at the provincial level and thereby 
 
-- Improve security and stability in the provinces 
 
-- Reduce insurgent and anti-government activity 
 
-- Help individuals and communities damaged as a result of violence 
done by anti-government armed groups to recover 
 
- To restore the ability of customary governance structures to 
engage in the process of reconciliation thereby 
 
-- Using social capital and traditional authority in the provinces 
to dissolve anti-government elements 
 
-- Applying customary/tribal justice to the reconciliation process 
 
- To build the capacity of the Provincial Government to promote 
peace and foster reconciliation by 
 
-- Developing the capacity of the Provincial Governor to address 
reconciliation issues 
 
-- Building systems in the Office of the Provincial Governor to 
facilitate governance of peace and stability-related programs 
 
-- Focusing provincial-level service-delivery systems on the 
planning and implementation of activities necessary for 
reconciliation 
 
The outcomes of this program will be that 
 
- The state and non-state groups are reconciled, and 
 
-- The provinces are more secure and stable 
 
-- Insurgent and anti-government activity is reduced 
 
-- Communities damaged by violence are at least partially 
rehabilitated 
 
- Customary governance structures are able to engage in 
reconciliation, and 
 
-- Social capital and traditional authority are powerful forces 
binding local people to the state 
 
-- Justice is seen to have been done in the reconciliation process 
as a result of customary justice 
having been dispensed 
 
- The Provincial Governments actively promote peace and foster 
reconciliation in virtue of 
 
-- The Provincial Governors personally having the capacity to engage 
in this issue 
 
-- Systems to support reconciliation existing in the Office of the 
Provincial Governor 
 
-- The Provincial service-delivery system delivering service needed 
by the reconciliation process 
 
1.3 Project Design 
 
The project design is based on the following elements: 
 
- Provincial Governor Leadership. In each province, the program will 
be under the leadership of the Provincial Governor. The Governor 
will play the critical role in directing all of the elements of the 
program, by coordinating with provincial security forces, convening 
the "reconciliation Shura" (see below) and by ensuring that the 
subnational service delivery system provides re-integration support 
and rehabilitation for victims. 
 
- Critical role of province-level Shura. A provincial-level 
"Reconciliation Shura", convened by the Governor and including the 
 
KABUL 00001567  003 OF 010 
 
 
major tribal and religious leaders of each district, will play a 
critical role in several components of the program. The Shura will 
use its own connections to open negotiations with militia members, 
and will be responsible for carrying them out. In addition to 
securing an agreement to de-mobilize, the Shura's negotiation 
process will generate the link to justice in the program, and 
contribute to the rehabilitation of victims. 
 
- Community engagement. Effected communities will be asked to assent 
to the initiation of the process and will be given the opportunity 
to nominate civil society groups that can represent them. This will 
make the process consistent with the Afghan customary adaptation of 
Islamic approaches to reconciliation, in which the victim may 
initiate the process by asking an abritrator to settle their 
grievance for them. 
 
- "Customary justice" as a substitute for formal prosecution. Former 
militia members will not, under normal circumstances, be formally 
prosecuted. Instead, the Reconciliation Shuras will be expected to 
apply lenient but clear customary justice to the surrendering 
militia. After receiving a full account of the crimes of the 
surrendering individuals, and a sincere acceptance of guilt and 
remorsefulness, the Shura will censure the individuals. The 
combination of account, remorse, apology and censure will constitute 
a kind of justice that local people will recognize and understand, 
and therefore will combat the tendency to see the reconciliation 
program as a type of amnesty. (This process should have some limit 
such that the most serious crimes should be treated only by the 
formal justice system.) 
 
- Re-integration support for demobilized militia. The program will 
provide re-integration support for surrendering militia members 
including short-term cash support, assistance with developing an 
alternative livelihood, and social assistance. 
 
- Rehabilitation for damaged communities. The program will provide 
rehabilitation to communities that have been badly damaged by the 
violence of militia members that have surrendered. This will include 
recognition of the damage done, creation of the perception that 
justice has been done and a program of integrated community 
development. Damaged communities will also be offered to express 
their forgiveness for the damage done to them. 
 
- Development through subnational service delivery system. The 
program will harness the subnational governance system to deliver 
the services needed for reconciliation, especially re-integration 
and rehabilitation. In this program, the governor will coordinate 
the development and delivery of these services by relevant 
provincial line departments, and supervise their implementation. 
 
The program will therefore deliver stability and reconciliation 
through the combined use of traditional governance structures and 
the formal governance structures that IDLG is committed to 
strengthening. The structure of the process will also be consistent 
with traditional and Islamic approaches to reconciliation and 
grievance resolution. 
 
2. Project Process 
 
2.1 Summary of Project Process 
 
The reconciliation process will follow the following three steps: 
 
- Initiation of provincial process. The provincial Shura will be 
convened, and a governor-drafted list of targets will be vetted and 
finalized. 
 
- Reconciliation of targets. The Shura will make contact with the 
targets and invite them to enter the DIAG process. They will then 
collect an account of the wrongdoings of the target, hear their 
apology and censure them, thereby applying the customary justice 
process. Finally, the reconciliation package, comprising some 
mixture of short-term financial support, livelihoods assistance and 
security arrangements, will be designed and agreed. 
 
- Implementation of reconciliation packages. The reconciliation 
package will be implemented, and programs will be launched to 
rehabilitate communities that have been damaged as a result of the 
crimes of the former militia members. 
 
The process is summarized in the chart below: 
 
Initiative of Provincial Process 
-------------------------------------- 
 
- Reconciliation Shura convened including religious leaders, tribal 
leaders, PC members, civil society members 
 
- Provincial Governor drafts list of reconciliation targets 
 
KABUL 00001567  004 OF 010 
 
 
 
- NDS and UNAMA vet list of targets 
 
- List of reconciliation targets is finalized 
 
Reconciliation of Targets 
------------------------------- 
 
- Reconciliation Shura makes contact with target 
 
- Target enters into DIAG process 
 
- Reconciliation administers "Traditional Justice" 
 
- Target gives narrative of wrongdoing and apologizes 
 
- Shura censures target 
 
- Reconciliation package is designed and agreed 
 
Delivery of Reconciliation Package 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
-  Implementing partner delivers reconciliation package to target 
 
- Implementing partner delivers rehabilitation programs to damaged 
communities 
 
- Program monitored by IDLG, UNAMA and implementing partner 
 
The process is described in more detail below. 
 
2.2 Initiation of Provincial Process 
 
2.21 Formation of Shura 
 
The first step in each province will be the establishment of the 
"Reconciliation Shura". This will then launch the reconciliation 
process. This will then produce critical outputs into the 
reconciliation process. These activities are described further in 
the following paragraphs. 
 
The members of the reconciliation Shura should be 
 
- Key religious leaders from each district 
 
- Key tribal leaders from each district 
 
- 1-2 members of the Provincial Council 
 
- Members of civil society groups that represent victims (e.g. 
Internally Displaced Persons), and if possible representatives of 
victims not yet organized into Civil Society Groups. 
 
Members of existing Shuras, such as the district-level tribal 
Shuras, those convened by government pre-planting campaigns or the 
Shuras organized by the Afghanistan Social Outreach Program will be 
included where possible, although in principle any type may be used. 
The general objective is to avoid needless multiplication of the 
number of Shuras in the province. 
 
For the formation of the Shura, the activities will be as follows: 
 
- Community Mobilization. Communities in the areas effected by 
violence will be asked to assent to the process and, if any exist, 
select members of a civil society organization to represent victims 
in the Shurah. This will be managed by the District Governors and 
the maliks/arbibs, or the village councils/CDCs. 
 
- Identification of members. The Provincial Governor will identify 
the members of the Shura, and invite them to convene. The members 
may include members of Shuras convened by the Governors for other 
purposes. The final list of invited Shura members should include all 
of the most influential local people in the province. The selected 
members should receive a letter of appointment from the President. 
 
- Orientation. An initial meeting of the Shura will be convened to 
explain the reconciliation process to the members. The rationale and 
structure of the overall process should be explained, and the role 
of the Shura within it. After the program has reached phase II (see 
below), it will be possible to allow selected Shura members to meet 
Shura members from other provinces to learn from their experiences. 
 
 
Members of the reconciliation Shuras will receive an allowance for 
travel, accommodation, food and a telephone card, and also a small 
personal gift from the Provincial governor. There will be no payment 
for their services. 
 
 
KABUL 00001567  005 OF 010 
 
 
2.22 Selection of Targets 
 
In the second step, the Provincial Governor will develop a list of 
"targets", generally low-to-mid-level militia members who he or she 
believes could be reconciled with the state. This list should 
include names and sufficient identifying information for each 
target. 
 
Upon completion, the list will be submitted for vetting by NDS and 
UNAMA. This vetting process will ensure that none of the candidates 
for reconciliation have committed crimes that render them beyond the 
scope of reconciliation. The vetted list will then be registered 
with the program management and returned to the Provincial 
Governor. 
 
2.3 Reconciliation of Targets 
 
2.31 Negotiation of Surrender and Disarming 
 
The reconciliation targets should then be invited to participate in 
the reconciliation Shura. The first step in this process is for the 
target to formally abandon his or her militia status by surrendering 
his arms. The surrender of arms will be unconditional, although it 
will be done with the understanding that 
 
- No person will be left without a livelihood as a result of 
surrender 
 
- No person will be unnecessarily endangered as a result of 
surrender 
 
- No person accepted by the Shura will be in "double jeopardy"- if 
they submit to the Shura's customary justice system, they will not 
also be prosecuted by the formal justice system 
 
In order to continue through the Shura process, the disarming groups 
will be referred to a DIAG facility to disarm.  This will involve 
the following steps: 
 
- Registration. The individuals should travel to a MoI center for 
disarmament and, upon presenting proof of completion of the Shura 
process, register there. 
 
- Handing over of weapons. Upon registration, the individuals should 
surrender their weapons and ammunition. 
 
- Participating in regular monitoring/follow-up. The participants in 
the program will be monitored by the DIAG facility to ensure that 
they have not returned to arms. 
 
In effect, the disarming groups will become part of the ongoing DIAG 
process. 
 
2.32 Application of Traditional Justice 
 
As discussed above, the Shura process will be positioned as the 
application of traditional or "customary justice", in the tradition 
of Afghan mediation. This positioning will reduce the perception 
that the program is simply an amnesty for violent criminals, or, 
even worse, that it rewards violent criminality. By creating the 
perception that justice is done, the Shura process will also 
contribute to rehabilitating victims (who will often need to see 
some sort of justice done in order to be rehabilitated). 
 
Each Shura will be allowed and encouraged to develop their own 
process for dealing with the militia members, provided it delivers 
the essential outputs listed below. An example or guideline process 
will be supplied to them, however, which they will be free to follow 
or to adapt. The guideline process will be as follows: 
 
- Presentation of evidence of disarming. The individuals before the 
Shura should present the evidence of their registration at a local 
MoI disarmament center, and surrender of their weapons. 
 
- Contact and initiation. The members of the Shura will use their 
personal contacts and networks to bring members of armed groups to 
the Shura, preferably in groups (so that they can be dealt with at 
the same time). The Shura and the provincial governor will guarantee 
their security so that they can participate without fear of arrest. 
 
- Agreement in principle. Those before the Shura agree that they 
would be willing, in principle, to disarm and receive customary 
justice for their actions, and that thereafter they would be 
assisted in establishing new livelihoods. This allows the Shura to 
move on to the specifics of the case. 
 
- Narrative and statement of remorse. Those before the Shura must 
provide a full account of their 
activities as part of the militia. Those disbanding must make a 
 
KABUL 00001567  006 OF 010 
 
 
sincere apology and express remorse for their actions as condition 
of the process being completed. 
 
- Determination of outcome. On the basis of the apology and 
expression of remorse and the account of activities, the Shura must 
officially recognize the wrong-doing of the disarming militia with a 
statement of censure. In so doing, the Shura is considered to have 
applied customary justice. 
 
As mentioned above, the Shura should be free to adjust or modify 
process provided critical outputs are delivered.  The critical 
outputs of the process should be 
 
- Individuals referred to disarmament and re-integration program. 
The process must be such that upon that prior to completion of the 
Shura process, the participating individuals have been referred to a 
DIAG facility to be registered and to surrender their weapons and 
ammunition. 
 
- Report of application of customary justice. The structure of the 
process must be such that some kind of justice is seen to be done. 
The process should include a consideration of evidence and a passing 
of judgment and this process must be presented as the process of 
justice itself. 
 
- Narrative of wrong-doing. Those before the Shura must provide a 
full account of their activities so that the Provincial 
Reintegration and Rehabilitation Committee can identify victim 
communities, and so that the state can officially recognize their 
suffering. 
 
2.33 Design of Reconciliation Package 
 
After the completion of the surrender and the customary justice 
process, a "reconciliation package" will be designed for the target 
by the implementing partner, which may include some or all of the 
following elements: 
 
- Re-integration payment. Individuals will receive a small cash 
stipend of $50-$75 per month for a period of six months, to enable a 
transition to a new livelihood system. 
 
- Social support. Individuals will receive assistance in adapting to 
life outside an armed group, such as counseling or mediation with 
community members. 
 
- Alternative livelihood support. Individuals may select one 
alternative livelihoods program such as 
 
-- Return to formal education system. For younger candidates, it 
will be possible to allow them to 
return to the schooling system. Some scholarship or stipend will be 
provided to cover the costs 
associated with this, such as travel or school books. 
 
-- Vocational training. In this program, participants should receive 
a set of training in some 
livelihood system that is appropriate for the economic environment 
in the province, e.g. carpentry or tailoring. Upon completion of the 
training the person should receive a basic set of 
tools in order to allow them to practice their trade. 
 
-- Employment skills training. For more entrepreneurial individuals, 
training in skills such as 
business planning, banking or marketing can be provided. This will 
assist the individual who 
already has relevant skills to establish an enterprise. 
 
-- Employment assistance. A subsidy may be paid to a local employer 
to reduce the cost of hiring 
individuals in the program. This will be for a finite period of time 
and would be gradually 
phased out. 
 
-- Integrated rural development. When a large number of individuals 
from the same rural area 
disarm, they will have the option of a small rural development 
project being conducted in their 
area, including, for example, introduction of improved crop 
varieties, development of an 
agricultural cooperative and improvement of the local secondary 
road. 
 
- Security arrangements. Targets may be assisted in improving their 
security arrangements, and/or in moving to more secure and better 
controlled areas. Higher-level targets may be provided with 
bodyguards. 
 
The design of the package will be conducted by the implementing 
 
KABUL 00001567  007 OF 010 
 
 
partner, based on the following inputs what kinds of livelihood he 
is interested in. 
 
- Implementing partner assessment of target & situation. The 
implementing partner may arrange for an evaluation of the target, 
his personal situation and the local situation, in order to design a 
suitable package of measures. 
 
- Recommendation of Governor and Shura. Guidance form the Provincial 
Governor and the Shura on the level and type of assistance can be 
used. 
 
- Available resources. The overall package will be adjusted to make 
optimal use of the available resources. 
 
The target will have some options to tailor the package, but will 
not be able to conduct true negotiations. 
 
The package will be approved by IDLG and UNMA, within a policy and 
procedural framework approved by a Steering Committee including 
IDLG, UNAMA, NDS, the head of DIAG, the Ministry of Justice and the 
implementing partner. The packages approved will be reviewed post 
facto in periodic Steering Committee meetings, and the policy and 
procedural framework will be revised if necessary. 
 
2.4 Implementation of Reconciliation Packages 
 
In the final stage, the reconciliation packages agreed upon will be 
delivered by the implementing partner, under supervision of IDLG and 
the Provincial Governor. The Governor will also provide regular 
reports on the progress of implementation to the Reconciliation 
Shura, for as long as it is standing. The relevant line ministries 
will be closely involved in the supervision and implementation of 
these programs. 
 
This phase will also include the launch of programs aimed at 
rehabilitating victims, as identified during the course of the 
traditional justice process. The program will identify communities 
that have experienced a high degree of damage done by individuals 
demobilizing within the province. The communities will be targeted 
for an integrated set of activities to help to rehabilitate them, 
including: 
 
- Information Program. An information program will be conducted, 
explaining the necessity of reconciliation, while also highlighting 
the fact that the government recognizes the harm done to them, and 
that the perpetrators have been subject to customary justice. 
 
- Forgiveness. Damaged communities will have the opportunity to 
express forgiveness for the damage done to them in a formal 
statement or formal ceremony. This will give the communities the 
opportunity to feel that reconciliation is something that they 
themselves can contribute to, and not just a process in which they 
are passive recipients. This process may help communities to engage 
in current and future activities and events, and focus less on their 
grievances, which will directly contribute to reconciliation. 
 
- Livelihood Improvement. A set of rural development activities will 
be implemented to improve the economic status of the affected 
community, for example improving road access or water-resources.  It 
should include infrastructure, public good provision and improvement 
of economic opportunities. 
 
- Community Development. Additional activities will be implemented 
to strengthen the community for example by building or strengthening 
the local Agricultural Cooperative or establishing other self-help 
groups. These activities should involve a high level of 
participation in design, implementation and monitoring, and should 
cover a large a section of the community as possible. 
 
As with the re-integration activities, these will be implemented 
with maximum possible cooperation from relevant line ministries, 
e.g. the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and 
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. 
 
3. Program Management 
 
3.1Management Structure 
 
The elements of the management structure will be: 
 
- National-level Steering Committee. This will include IDLG, MoI, 
MoD, the Ministries responsible for reintegration and rehabilitation 
programs, and any donor or major implementing agencies. This 
committee will monitor the performance of the program against 
targets, ensure corrective actions are taken when targets are 
missed, and ensure that resources are delivered to activities as 
planned. 
 
 
KABUL 00001567  008 OF 010 
 
 
- Office of Provincial Governor. As mentioned above, the provincial 
governor is the critical link between the line ministries, the 
Shuras and the national steering committee. The governor will be 
supported by a team within his/her Sectoral Technical Services 
division who will liaise between the governor and the line 
ministries and produce an integrated provincial report based on the 
activities of all participants. This team will include the offices 
of 
 
-- Security and Judicial Sector 
-- District Affairs 
-- Socio-Cultural Development 
-- Reconstruction and Development 
-- Economic and Development 
 
- Provincial Security Committee. This committee will supervise the 
demobilization process and will include all the government 
stakeholders in district security affairs. 
 
- Provincial Reintegration and Rehabilitation Committee. This 
committee will supervise the re-integration, livelihood and 
rehabilitation activities. The committee will identify the needs in 
this area, ensure that the appropriate line ministry plans, budgets 
and implements programs to address these needs, supervises the 
activities and produces an integrated report of them. In later 
stages of the program, the committee will ensure that all activities 
are submitted to the provincial budget, as described in the draft 
policy on subnational governance. This will include the key 
development-related Ministries. 
 
- Provincial Reconciliation Shura. As described above, the 
Provincial Reconciliation Shura makes contact with antigovernment 
element, negotiates disarmament and applies customary justice, 
before referring disarming fighters into the rest of the system. 
 
3.2 Implementation Modality 
 
The implementation modality will avoid the creation of parallel 
structures and not include mechanisms that prevent the government 
agencies from developing their own implementation capacity. The 
elements of the program will be implemented as follows: 
 
- Planning and monitoring activities. These activities can be 
implemented directly by the provincial administration and by 
national organizations using existing resources (operating budget). 
There is no need for a specific implementation modality. 
 
- Shura process. The Shura process should be organized by the office 
of the Provincial Governor. Cash and materials needed for the Shurah 
can be delivered through the implementing partner's procurement 
system, except in the case of very small items that may be procured 
by the PGO. 
 
- Security activities. The security activities should be directly 
implemented by the DIAG program, under the supervision of MoI. 
 
- Rehabilitation and re-integration. As discussed above, these will 
be delivered by the implementing partner. The relevant line 
ministries will participate in the supervision, and steps will be 
taken to transfer the activities to ministry implementation as soon 
as is feasible. 
 
The planning, budgeting and implementation of rehabilitation and 
integration activities will be made consistent with the approach to 
subnational planning and finance prescribed by the draft subnational 
governance policy. To the maximum possible extent, the participating 
line ministries will be supported to include these activities in 
their annual plans and budgets, and these plans and budgets approved 
by the Provincial Governor and Provincial Council prior to being 
disaggregated and submitted to the parent ministries in Kabul. In 
order to achieve this, the 
implementing partners will be expected to include a 
capacity-building component for their partner ministry so that in 
the medium-term they can plan, budget and implement the activity 
themselves. 
 
3.3 Capacity Building 
 
The following Capacity-Building activities will be needed: 
 
- Provincial Governor. The Provincial Governor should be given 
training in reconciliation, DDR programs (Disarmament, 
Demobilization and Reintegration) and peace building, and should be 
helped to understand the role of the Provincial Governor in these 
processes. 
 
- Provincial Governor's Office. Some or all of the key positions in 
the PGO may be vacant, and so will need to be recruited. Once all 
positions are filled, the staff should be trained in reconciliation, 
 
KABUL 00001567  009 OF 010 
 
 
DDR and peacebuilding, and receive special coaching for their role 
in the program. The staff will be assisted in the development of 
working systems and procedures for discharging their particular 
responsibilities, and may also receive some additional training in 
project management, reporting, M&E, etc. Some office equipment may 
also be needed. 
 
- Reconciliation Shura. The Shuras will need orientation and should 
also be given opportunities for learning exchanges with other 
Shuras. The Shuras should also be assisted in the process of 
reviewing their own performance, identifying weaknesses, 
implementing solutions, and so on. 
 
- Security Ministries. The capacity of the security ministries to 
operate the disarmament centers and to monitor demobilized armed 
group members needs to be built. It may be appropriate for a partner 
agency to hire staff for the centers, and they should provide 
assistance in developing operating procedures. 
 
- Development Ministries. As discussed above, the capacity of the 
ministries involved in re-integration and rehabilitation programs 
will receive capacity-building in planning, budgeting and 
implementing these programs, so that they may assume responsibility 
for service delivery at some point in the future.  This should be 
provided by their implementing partners in conjunction with the 
actual delivery of services. 
 
Further capacity-building activities and programs may be identified 
at a later date. 
 
3.4 Budget Categories 
 
The program will incur the following costs: 
Travel for Provincial Governor to participate in orientation, etc: 
Cost-Bearing Agency IDLG 
 
Salaries for Sectoral Technical Services division staff: 
Cost-Bearing Agency IDLG 
 
Travel for STS staff for training:  Cost-Bearing Agency IDLG 
Office equipment for STS staff:  Cost-Bearing Agency IDLG 
 
Salaries for Staff for Disarmament Center staff:  Cost Bearing 
Agency MoI/MoD 
 
Office and security equipment for Disarmament Centers:  Cost Bearing 
Agency MoI/MoD 
 
Travel, accommodation and hospitality costs for Shura:  Cost-Bearing 
Agency IDLG 
 
Cost of retaining implementing partner for development: 
Cost-Bearing Agency Line ministries 
 
Cost of directly-implemented line ministry programs:  Cost-Bearing 
Agency Line ministries 
 
More work will need to be done to develop a detailed budget, 
including a needs assessment for the capacity of the PGO Sectoral 
Technical Services division and the Disarmament Centers. Individual 
costs of re-integration packages and rehabilitation programs must be 
developed, and these combined with a need/demand forecast. 
 
This work will take place in the next rounds of planning for this 
program. 
 
3.5 Roll-Out Schedule 
 
Afghanistan Reconciliation Project (APRP) will initially focus on 
the provinces around Kabul where the security situation is not 
satisfactory, such as Maidan/Wardak, Logar and Kapisa provinces. The 
national coverage will be ordered into phases as follows: 
 
Phase I: Maidan/Wardak, Logar and Kapisa 
Phase II: Ghazni, Khost, Paktia and Paktika 
Phase III: Helmand, Kandahar, Farah, Urozgan 
Phase IV: Laghman, Kunar, Nangarhar and Nuristan 
Phase V: Badghis, Herat and Ghor 
Phase VI: National coverage, where and whenever situation permits 
 
If resources are available and there is implementation capacity, 
provinces may be brought forward to earlier phases, and the overall 
process may be shortened. 
 
3.6 Reporting and Performance Management 
 
The program will track and report the following types of information 
on a monthly basis: 
 
 
KABUL 00001567  010 OF 010 
 
 
- Impact information. Indicators of impact, measuring stability and 
provincial administration capacity, are the most important and 
high-level activities. 
 
- Narrative of activities. An account of activities such as Shuras 
held and re-integration programs 
(partially) implemented should be given. This should include an 
account of problems experienced and solutions that were used. 
 
- Indicators of activities. Indicators of activities such as the 
number of Shuras, number of people 
disarmed, number of communities supported through re-integration, 
and so on, should be given. 
 
- Expenditures and disbursements. Total and per-unit expenditures 
and disbursements in each area, e.g. on Shuras, re-integration 
payments, livelihood support, etc should be given. 
 
Each province should aggregate all provincial performance and 
activity data into a single provincial report, prior to submission 
to the national steering committee. 
 
3.7 Next Steps for Implementation 
 
This will be a major program that will take considerable effort to 
launch. The next steps for implementation include building 
stakeholder consensus, establishing the legal basis for the program, 
designing the reintegration and rehabilitation packages, and 
coordinating the program with other Security Sector activities. 
These are described in the following paragraphs. 
 
IDLG and key partners will build consensus around program with key 
stakeholders, e.g. Provincial Governors, Line Ministries involved in 
law enforcement or development at provincial level, other public 
organizations, e.g. Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission 
and Key members of international community. This may lead to the 
launch of a formal Program Development Steering Committee to oversee 
the development of the initiative. 
 
IDLG will work with national and international stakeholders to 
clarify the legal basis of this program. Work will be done to 
establish how and if the findings of the customary justice system 
can be recognized in law, what the limits on the Shura process are, 
and any other legal arrangements that might be needed (for example 
making the proceedings in the Shura inadmissible as evidence in the 
formal courts). 
 
Significant additional work must be done to plan and cost 
reintegration packages. For example, it will be necessary to 
estimate potential need/demand for reintegration and rehabilitation 
in each province, and to develop operational plan and costing for 
different reintegration and rehabilitation packages. It will also be 
necessary to design a flexible funding modality to allow channeling 
of resources to appropriate line ministries, depending on 
need/demand in each province. This process will require 
collaboration of all implementing agencies and also donors. 
 
Lastly, the program design will have to ensure consistency with 
other DDR and reconciliation programs ongoing at subnational level 
in Afghanistan, for example the Ministry of Interior Disbandment of 
Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) initiative and activities under the UNDP 
Afghanistan New Beginnings Program. In cases where structures and 
processes proposed in this document have already been created, 
methods for avoiding unnecessary replication and duplication should 
be developed- for example the national-level steering committee 
developed for the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups might serve as 
the steering committee for this initiative, assuming that IDLG 
joined this steering committee. Similarly, development initiatives 
planned and implemented under this initiative should be coordinated 
with those implemented by the UNDP National Area-Based Development 
Program. It can be expected that this alignment process will emerge 
as a result of further planning and mobilization of other 
stakeholders. 
 
End Text. 
 
EIKENBERRY