Development Initiatives in Afghanistan

Rural Development

With a population that is more than 70% rural, initiatives to develop sustainable livelihoods is key to reducing poverty, curbing the poppy trade and facilitating security in the regions.

One such initiative is the Microfinance Investment and Support Facility (MISFA), a program to provide a range of financial services, including loans for income generation and enterprise development, savings services, and consumer loans to low-income people, particularly women. Through the Canadian International Development Agency, Canada is the lead donor to this program, one of the largest microfinance schemes in the world, and one which has reached almost 140,000 clients so far, 89% of whom are women.

CIDA is also a key supporter of the National Solidarity Program, which has provided more than 10,000 villages with small-scale funding, enabling an estimated 150,000 families to access basic rural infrastructure. Funding is awarded to projects that have been selected by the communities themselves through elected local governance bodies called Community Development Councils.


Demilitarization

More than 62,000 former combatants have been disarmed and demobilized through the Afghan New Beginnings Program, an initiative funded by the Canadian International Development Agency to provide soldiers reintegration packages to enable them to return to a new civilian life. Training programs included initiatives in agriculture, tailoring, teaching and demining.

To date, close to 10,000 pieces of heavy weaponry such as artillery, tanks, and rocket launchers – the same weapons that bombarded Kabul and other major cities for months and killed thousands – have been surrendered and returned to central government control.

This impressive achievement was made possible by very close collaboration between development and political officers from the Canadian Embassy in Kabul, Canadian military personnel based in Afghanistan, and financial support from CIDA. The next step will be to address the challenge of the Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG).


Demining and Ammunition Destruction

Since 1989, the Canadian International development Agency has contributed over $46.5 million to the activities of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Afghanistan. The funding has supported contamination surveys, clearance, mine risk education, monitoring and training of mine action practitioners, mine victim assistance, and technical support, planning, and coordination among agencies.

In addition, Canada has led the survey of ammunition stockpiles and their destruction, a critical step in minimizing the risk posed by explosive remnants. These initiatives have helped promote agricultural revival, economic development and human security in Afghanistan.