VZCZCXRO3690
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #2383/01 2281406
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161406Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0864
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KABUL 002383 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM/EB 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
USFOR-A FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV EAID EAGR EFIN PREL AF
SUBJECT:  AFGHAN MINISTRIES ORGANIZE FOR POST-CONFLICT DISTRICT 
LEVEL ASSISTANCE 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary: The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and 
Development (MRRD) hosted a second meeting of the new 
Afghan/U.S./ISAF/UNAMA District Delivery Working Group (DDWG) on 
August 8 at the deputy minister level.  The Forum, aimed at 
encouraging the creation of a mechanism for the quick deployment of 
coordinated, inter-ministerial assistance packages to districts 
recently cleared by Afghan and international security forces, made 
progress on formulating terms of reference, reinforced the notion 
that the initial focus should be on the east and south and tasked 
ministries with providing assessments by August 15 of their 
potential contributions to assistance packages.  Afghan 
representatives stressed once again the central role that security 
will play in their ability to deploy resources and programs to the 
field.  Two subsequent sub-working group meetings began the process 
of identifying criteria for selecting target districts and gave the 
Ministry of Finance an opportunity to present a possible mechanism 
through which inter-ministerial packages might be funded through an 
injection of U.S. funds directly into the Afghan government's core 
budget.  This new consultation forum seems to have gotten off to a 
good start, but huge challenges remain to formulating and 
dispatching assistance to key districts - not least the scarcity of 
qualified personnel for ministries to send to the field.  End 
Summary. 
 
Second Working Group Meeting 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) At the August 8 meeting, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation 
and Development's (MRRD) Deputy Minister for Programs Barmak chaired 
the session, with the Ministries of Finance, Education, Agriculture, 
Public Health and Interior, as well as the Independent Directorate 
of Local Governance (IDLG), likewise represented at the deputy 
minister level.  Deputy SRSG Peter Galbraith's assistant Chris 
Stevens sat in for UNAMA, and ISAF Deputy Chief of Staff for 
Stability RADM Borsboom was in attendance again this week for ISAF. 
The U.S. was represented by Interagency Provincial Affairs (IPA) 
Coordinator Liberi and USAID Mission Director Frej.  For now, at 
least, suggestions to expand the membership of the working group 
were sidestepped. 
 
¶3.  (U) Discussion of the draft terms of reference for the working 
group brought to the fore the issue of whether the group should only 
focus on newly cleared districts in the South and East or also 
include targets elsewhere in the nation.  On that, in the end, there 
appeared to be general agreement that the entire country should in 
principle be targeted but the initial phases should concentrate on 
districts in the South and East.  Borsboom, the IDLG's Barna Karimi 
and Chris Stevens all brought up the UNAMA-sponsored "Integrated 
Approach" to identifying "tipping districts" for targeted 
interventions, with the question ultimately left unanswered about 
whether or not to synch the two approaches.  A number of the Afghan 
representatives cautioned that, once launched, we must make our 
initiative succeed or risk further damaging the government's 
credibility. 
 
¶4.  (U) Several ministry representatives reiterated that security is 
absolutely key to any intervention, as they have packages that can 
be applied anywhere, provided the overall environment is secure.  To 
them, designating which districts to target for ministerial packages 
is therefore primarily a function of the ANSF and international 
forces indicating the areas they expect to be able to hold 
long-term.  On the packages, discussion pivoted between the need for 
each ministry to determine what it can do in key districts and the 
importance of those individual ministry plans being assembled into a 
coordinated Afghan government effort.  IDLG's Barna Karimi correctly 
pointed out that packages will need to be tailored to the individual 
district.  UNAMA pressed for the U.S. to specify how its assistance 
would be funded. 
 
¶5.  (U) Interagency Provincial Affairs (IPA) Coordinator Liberi gave 
a short brief on the civilian uplift as it applies to the South, 
together with an explanation of the Embassy's new IPA office and the 
role of the Senior Civilian Representative.  USAID Mission Director 
Frej offered a preview of some of the kinds of programs (and their 
magnitude) that USAID hopes to deploy.  The Embassy team reinforced 
the message that, while the U.S. will remain committed to 
Afghanistan's development for years, our immediate focus is on 
making a difference over the next 12-18 months as part of COIN. 
 
¶6.  (U) Another meeting will be held August 15 at the Deputy 
Minister level, with the chair rotating next to the IDLG (The 
Ministry of Finance will host the following session).  At the next 
session, MRRD will seek final endorsement of fine-tuned terms of 
reference (para. 10).  An initial cut at identifying critical 
districts will also be presented along with thoughts on a funding 
approach.  Finally, individual ministries were tasked to prepare a 
notional plan of what they might be able to deploy to targeted 
 
KABUL 00002383  002 OF 004 
 
 
districts, to include the corresponding costing, logistical and 
staffing requirements. 
 
Sub-Working Group Meetings on Identifying Districts and a Funding 
Mechanism 
------------------ 
 
¶7.  (U) On August 7 the IDLG hosted a sub-working group meeting on 
defining which districts to target for intervention.  The discussion 
was a bit circular, as the Afghan ministry representatives indicated 
they would direct programs to areas the ANSF and international 
forces declared secured; while the ISAF representative noted Gen 
McChrystal's concern to factor GIRoA priorities into his revision of 
the ISAF operational plan.  Some general criteria were nonetheless 
identified, and the Embassy took these back and is now developing a 
short-list of districts in the South and East to present for further 
review at the August 15 meeting of the working group.  During an 
August 13 meeting with IDLG Director Popal and Deputy Director 
Karimi, Emboffs reiterated that, in order to select priority 
districts, it is essential to know where GIRoA has the capacity to 
deliver services and personnel. 
 
¶8.  (U) The Ministry of Finance called together a separate 
sub-working group meeting this week where, as expected, Deputy 
Minister Mastoor presented a fairly cogent proposal for the U.S. to 
channel its funds for integrated ministerial assistance packages 
directly through GIRoA's core budget.  His plan calls for 
establishing a separate code for this funding in the budget, with 
allocations under this code going to participating ministries.  He 
expressed confidence that it would be possible to disburse funds on 
a fast-track basis and that delays caused by cumbersome procurement 
procedures could be avoided.  He suggested that actual disbursements 
should be made via MOF offices in the provinces, which would likely 
be reinforced with additional MOF personnel to help ensure proper 
accounting and oversight.  Mastoor called for establishing a 
steering committee in Kabul to approve the district packages, though 
the involvement of line ministry representatives at the provincial 
and district levels would also be key to the success of the program. 
 Terms of reference for the steering committee as well as an 
agreement of some sort between GIRoA and the U.S., perhaps in the 
form of an MOU, would be required.  In principle, the procedures 
would need to be in place by October in order to be folded into the 
next Afghan budget cycle, though the Deputy Minister suggested a 
bridge funding mechanism could be used if it proved difficult to 
meet the October deadline. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) After two working group and two sub-working group 
meetings, we seem to be off to a good start with this new forum.  It 
certainly appears to have succeeded in focusing the minds of key 
ministries on the issue of quick, post-kinetic interventions.  Next 
steps will be agreeing on a small number of districts for initial 
focus, as a prelude to a larger rollout in the foreseeable future. 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) As far as funding is concerned, the Ministry of Finance 
made a good case for its proposal, but the World Bank has also 
approached USAID about a possible fast-track Afghanistan 
Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) mechanism. 
Funding through a capable Ministry of Finance mechanism meets our 
goals of channeling a greater share of assistance directly through 
GIRoA and ensuring GIRoA remains at the forefront of the District 
Development Fund initiative, but the World Bank ARTF option, if 
sufficiently agile, offers the proven benefits of World Bank 
oversight and enhanced accountability.  Depending on further 
discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, we may 
need to consider the ARTF approach or even a hybrid if the MOF 
approach alone proves unfeasible and these other approaches can 
address the critical need for quick responses to implement this 
initiative. 
 
¶11. (SBU) It is impossible to overlook the challenges ahead, not 
least of which is the lack of GIRoA personnel to put in the field 
(the Ministry of Finance even suggested most early implementation 
might have to be via NGOs or the private sector - not our preferred 
solution if that means GIRoA officials remain invisible in targeted 
districts).  Another issue we will be addressing shortly is the 
inclusion of key allies in this process, particularly the British 
and Canadians. 
 
¶12.  (U) Begin text of draft terms of reference 
 
District Delivery Working Group (DDWG) 
Terms of Reference 
 
 
KABUL 00002383  003 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. Background 
The establishment of this Working Group was agreed in a meeting 
between the Ministers of Rural Rehabilitation and Development 
(MRRD), Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), Finance (MoF), 
and Public Health (MoPH), Deputy Ministers of Education, the 
Director of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) 
and the US Ambassador and USAID Mission Director on the 1st August 
¶2009. 
 
¶2.  Objectives to Achieve 
The Government of Afghanistan (GoA) has 4 primary objectives to be 
achieved through the District Delivery Working Group: 
 
1)  The establishment of a cross-ministerial Government presence in 
rural districts that have been recently secured as a result of 
military operations. 
2) The delivery of services to the rural people through an 
integrated package of activities which include both governance and 
development. 
3) Sufficient capacity and capabilities for the Government's 
district staff to deliver these services. 
4) Afghan leadership guiding this process, supported by the 
international community. 
 
The goal is for the Government to be visible on the ground in 
post-kinetic districts, delivering services in response to the 
priority needs of the local communities. 
 
These activities will create a foundation for stabilization and 
prepare the ground for the (re-) introduction of national programs. 
This can be used as a model and applied across Afghanistan to 
capitalize on the opportunities in recently cleared areas to 
successfully hold and build. 
 
Implementation will take place through a phased approach, with an 
immediate focus on the post-kinetic, newly secured areas in the 
South and East, with the longer-term aim to utilize this model in 
other post-conflict districts nationwide. 
 
¶3.  Main Tasks 
 
a) Delivery 
-- Devise a multi-sectoral and costed package of immediate 
interventions, encompassing a flexible and effective funding 
mechanism which maintains acceptable standards of transparency and 
accountability 
-- Develop an implementation approach and mechanism, including 
levels of decision making authority - taking into consideration 
existing mechanisms 
 
a) State Governance 
-- Devise a strategy to strengthen GoA leadership at the district 
level and promote positive Government visibility through delivery 
and the establishment of productive partnerships with rural 
communities 
-- Visible commitment by the Ministries' senior management through 
regular visits to the areas of implementation 
-- Agreement and positioning of Government staff at the regional 
level for liaison with Regional Commands 
-- Identification and mobilization of staffing requirements for 
Government departments at the district level to deliver the package 
of activities, including capacity support to develop and strengthen 
the necessary capabilities 
 
b) Partnership 
-- Definition of relationship, roles and responsibilities between 
the Ministries as individual Ministries and as a 'whole of 
Government' team 
-- Definition of relationship, roles and responsibilities of the 3Ms 
together: Ministries, Military, Missions (Embassies, donors, UN etc) 
 
-- Full consultation between partners for the design of the standard 
package, with sequenced participation during implementation 
according to the level of stability 
-- Agreement on and support to a single governance structure for 
development activities at the district level 
 
c) Planning 
-- Identification of priority districts, through agreed criteria, 
for presence and development activities 
-- Needs identification plan (with mechanism) - including community 
identification of priorities and Ministry needs assessment for 
individual ministry activities, through a mobile and responsive 
scoping team with a defined Terms of Reference 
-- Formulation of generic basic service provision packaged, tailored 
according to the results of district-specific needs assessment 
-- Implementation plan for the immediate term - to include targets 
 
KABUL 00002383  004 OF 004 
 
 
and timeframes - including the deployment of staff to the districts 
and the delivery of development activities 
-- Identification of logistical requirements and successful 
allocation/receipt of dedicated transport 
-- Capacity development support plan based on available resources 
and technical assistance, and the sequencing of inputs, which will 
be adjusted to reflect the changing level of stability 
 
d) Communications 
-- The DDWG is responsible for all communications with regard to the 
presence of Government staff and the delivery of services by the 
Government Ministries at the district level 
-- Communications will be delivered through the spokesperson of the 
relevant Provincial Governor 
 
¶4.  Preliminary Membership 
 
-- Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) 
-- Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) 
-- Ministry of Finance (MoF) 
-- Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) 
-- Ministry of Education (MoE) 
-- Ministry of Interior (MoI) 
-- Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) 
-- U.S. 
-- UNAMA 
-- ISAF 
 
It is recommended for the Ministry participants to be a Deputy 
Minister and 1 key advisor, and for senior representatives from the 
international community. 
 
The expansion of the membership to include other Ministries and 
donors will be flexible with additional parties included on an as 
needed basis. 
 
¶5.  Organization 
 
Due to the need for immediate Government presence and rapid 
implementation, weekly meetings will take place, at the appropriate 
level, on Saturdays at 10 a.m. 
 
The venue for the meetings will be rotated between the Ministries, 
with the host Ministry chairing the meeting and responsible for the 
secretariat support.  Minutes will be circulated by the close of 
business the day after the meeting. 
 
The agenda for following meetings will be agreed at the close of 
each meeting. 
 
If the regular members are unable to attend, they must take the 
responsibility to fully brief the participants before the meeting 
and share previous minutes, to prevent duplicate discussions on 
issues that have already been decided in previous meetings. 
 
Sub-committees will be organized to make progress with the tasks 
identified by the DDWG. 
 
¶6.  Timeframe 
 
The DDWG has specific tasks to complete in a short timeframe (1-3 
months).  However, implementation of activities is initially 
programmed for one year.  This allows for the implementation of 
immediate activities to stabilize and hold newly secured areas, 
together with the transition in the semi-stable environment to the 
resumption of the national development programs. 
 
It remains to be discussed whether, once these tasks have been 
accomplished, the DDWG will assume the responsibilities of a project 
Steering Committee to oversee project implementation. 
 
EIKENBERRY