VZCZCXRO0975
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #3286/01 2881458
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151458Z OCT 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2190
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003286 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
USFOR-A FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV EAID AF
 
SUBJECT: HELMAND "DISTRICT DELIVERY" VISIT A GOOD START, BUT IT'S 
THE FOLLOW-UP THAT COUNTS 
 
REF: (A) KABUL 2940 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  A District Delivery Working Group (DDWG) 
delegation visited Lashkar Gah and the Nawa District Center in 
Helmand Province on October 10 and 11, holding detailed talks with 
Afghan Provincial and District Officials, as well as with Lashkar 
Gah PRT officers.  The IDLG-led group included representatives from 
the Ministries of Finance, Health, Education, Agriculture, and Rural 
Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), as well as UNAMA and the 
U.S., UK, and Canadian embassies and ISAF.  All agreed that action 
was needed to bring better support to local governance, and the 
Helmand provincial officials consistently pushed for direct 
assistance from Kabul to empower their line ministry departments. 
The local officials argued strongly that they and their staffs were 
capable of building better local governance if Kabul pushed the 
resources down quickly and efficiently to the Provincial level.  The 
visit was informative for all parties, and follow-on meetings are 
anticipated to work through staffing and financing challenges.  End 
Summary. 
 
Better Local Governance Needed Now 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Helmand Province has made real progress improving the 
capacity of the provincial government under the direction of 
Governor Mangal.  However, governance and service delivery at the 
district level is still negligible, and the lack of funding, 
management, and basic infrastructure hinders those local officials 
who do want to work at the district level.  The District Delivery 
Working Group (DDWG) was established to deal with these challenges 
(see reftel), and two of six pilot districts for the DDWG are 
located in Helmand.  To further the initiative, representatives from 
the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, ISAF, and UNAMA 
travelled to Helmand Province on October 10 and 11 with officials 
from the Ministries of Finance, Health, Education, Agriculture, and 
Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) to see and discuss 
first-hand the challenges to expanding governance and delivery of 
services at the district level. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In a meeting at the Helmand PRT in Lashkar Gah, the DDWG 
delegation received a briefing on the work over the past months to 
facilitate the establishment of district governance in six new 
districts, largely through enhanced cooperation of the Provincial 
Governor and provincial officials in the wake of security operations 
that have allowed the expansion of governance.  The missing element 
in that enlargement of GIRoA presence, however, has been the 
presence of supporting staff and financial resources from ministries 
in Kabul.  The progress in Helmand, they noted, has so far been a 
"local solution" that can be replicated in other areas with 
effective provincial leadership, but will remain fragile in the 
absence of support from Kabul. 
 
Mangal Takes Charge 
----------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Governor Mangal, who has been tireless in his efforts to 
expand governance at the district level, chaired a marathon session 
with the visiting delegation on October 10 that highlighted 
conflicting approaches between the ministry visitors and the local 
leaders.  The "top down model" advocated by the ministry officials 
conflicted with the approach of local officials seeking greater 
resources and decision-making at the local level.  The latter argued 
for more decentralization, since the bulk of ministry resources 
never reach provincial offices.  Helmand ministry line directors 
said the current top down model consistently undercuts local efforts 
at building and expanding local governance, and undermines delivery 
of basic service packages at the district level as a result of the 
lack of salary and program funds to deliver these services.  Local 
officials also noted the critical role of governance infrastructure, 
stating clearly that district centers, police stations, and official 
accommodation must be built or renovated to help local officials 
deliver services.  Helmand province has only one operational 
district government center, in Garmsir; new buildings are planned 
for Nawa and Kanashin but have not yet been built.  At the same 
time, district officials advocated for provision of basic services, 
against larger more expensive packages proposed by central 
government.  Governor Mangal also expressed his thanks for USG 
assistance and military support, as well as to other donors for 
their support over the years.  The Provincial office building, for 
instance, was funded through a USAID program; USAID historically is 
remembered in Helmand from the 1960s when irrigation systems were 
built by the USG that remain today. 
 
Nawa Elders: More, Better, and Soon 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
KABUL 00003286  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The DDWG delegation, Mangal, and two PRT officers also 
travelled to the Nawa District Center - one of the DDWG's six 
priority districts -- on October 11.  The refrain they heard from 
locals was that the government must do more, do it better, and do it 
soon.  Several key elders said that basic services such as health, 
education, and irrigation must be established and supported by the 
government.  Many said they welcomed the improved security in recent 
months, but told the ministry officials that the absence of 
teachers, doctors and government officials in Nawa was impeding 
progress.  Several elders noted that government corruption was a 
large problem, and one elder declared that "no one trusts the 
government -- it must earn the trust of the people or they will 
again look towards the Taliban" to provide basic services.  Mangal 
pushed back on many of the points, but it was clear the local 
population wants a government that works for them, has the capacity 
to establish basic - not luxury - services, and has the support from 
Kabul and Lashkar Gah to sustain these efforts. 
 
Comment 
------ 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The visit to Helmand was a useful opportunity for many of 
the ministry officials to visit Helmand for the first time and see 
district level challenges first hand.  The insights gained from the 
visit will inform on-going DDWG and wider discussions on the 
important mechanical issues of staff recruitment, incentive pay, 
program funds, funding accountability, and the respective roles of 
the provincial government and district governors and councils. 
Governor Mangal and his line directors' insistence on greater 
provincial/district empowerment, and the need for additional 
staffing and funding resources at the district level, were 
important messages for the Kabul-based officials to hear as they 
continue to consider how the DDWG can support a more robust GIRoA 
presence at the local level.