Atlantic Community:Open Think Tank Article "Civil Projects Need to Play a Greater Role"

Civil Projects Need to Play a Greater Role

Interview with Bente Aika Scheller: Following yesterday’s London Conference, and reflecting the debate currently running on atlantic-community.org, we interviewed the Director of the Boell Foundation’s Kabul office. Dr. Scheller states that along side security, the international community also needs to strengthen Afghan civil society.

Security and stability are clearly important aspects of the international community's mission in Afghanistan, but, as Dr. Bente Scheller points out, it is only part of the equation. There is a lot of room to improve the functioning of the state, its administration and legal system. Furthermore, unemployment must be tackled and income generating projects must be promoted. Strategies need to be developed towards improving these important civil areas.

Dr. Scheller also added to the debate currently running on atlantic-community.org, commenting on engaging the local population with small-scale community projects, the need to better understand the power structure and the role of warlords, and understanding corruption within a certain cultural context.

The UN reported that "Afghans paid $2.5bn (£1.5bn) in bribes over the past 12 months, or the equivalent of almost one quarter of legitimate GDP." Surveying 7,600 people, the UN found that 60% were more concerned with corruption than insecurity or unemployment.

For more information about the work of the Boell Foundation in Afghanistan and the London Conference, click here.

For more information about the Boell Foundation's work with women in Afghanistan, click here.

Dr. Bente Aika Scheller is the Director of the Boell Foundation's Kabul Office. The interview was conducted by Joerg Wolf, Editor-in-Chief of atlantic-community.org.

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Comments

February 3, 2010

Khalid Ahmed Chaudry

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I can not agree more with Ms.Bente Aika Scheller about her comments on Afghanistan's situation. She is very right in saying that Civil Projects Need to Play a Greater Role. Only yesterday here in The Hague (Netherlands) there was a debate organized by one of the Afghan NGO, participants were the members of the Dutch Parliament (government and the opposition),Afghan Diaspora and the Dutch public.

There too was a strong support for the Civil Projects and lesser role of the foreign armed forces (only for the training purposes /Afghan military and police).

Afghanistan needs development aid from the International Commuinity and not the militarization of their land. They need national unity and reconciliation, the dialogue is required between every one including War Lords,Taliban's,Loya JIrga,Tribal Chiefs and the Civil Society organizations reaching to an agrement, towards national government.

The world should realize that leaving everything up to the Afghan government would not help towards a sustainable peace in Afghanistan and the region.

The Hague.

February 3, 2010

Rebecca Ann Greenwald, Atlantic-Community.org, Bronze Contributor (18)

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Both Bente and Khalid reinforce the idea that any strategy that hopes to achieve long term peace and security in Afghanistan needs to focus as much on the humanitarian aspect of the country as it does on the military aspect. If programs are not put in place to help Afghans help themselves, then they have little chance of rebuilding a sustainable political system and economy.