Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Mr alexander's 6 key steps to development

* Reinforce key anti-corruption bodies, such as the High Office for Oversight and the Control and Audit Office.

* Channel aid through government systems. Only twenty percent of aid currently goes through the Afghan government.

* Support government efforts to provide necessary agricultural supplies, including seeds and fertilizers. The agricultural sector has the potential to create millions of jobs, in addition to providing food security.

* Ensure a consistent power structure and progression of responsibility from local councils through to the provincial governors and the central government in Kabul, across all provinces. A clear national framework will reduce inter-governmental squabbling and strengthen the idea of Afghanistan as a nation.

* Coordinate aid through the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan. The donor community should also coordinate and clearly communicate its expectations to the Afghan government,

* Speed up the transfer of civilian and military institutions to Afghan control after the August elections.

question

Q: you described the border – that you cited – as one of the most dangerous
places in the world. And as you may know, there are millions of refugees spilling over into Pakistan every day. Will any of the aid or any of the political stability you cited be targeted towards those areas or, perhaps, the North-Western Frontier Province of Pakistan?

MR.DOUGLAS ALEXANDER: (Secretary of State for international development, United Kingdom) Well, if you look at the work of my department, Pakistan is now our
second-largest bilateral aid program anywhere in the world. And this year we, in light of the level ofinternal displacement, have made significant contributions to the humanitarian efforts that are
required. There is more work to be done in relation to that continuing humanitarian challenge, but Britain, of course, is but one actor in relation to support for Pakistan. And I know that there areother countries who are also considering what further support can be provided. It is also fair to acknowledge that these areas are extremely challenging environments in which to work. And if you are to move beyond the humanitarian response to both the reconstruction phase and the longer-term development work, then it’s right to acknowledge that these are very, very
challenging environments. But in that sense, I know that it is an issue of which we are focused on and I know a number of other international partners are focused on.

PAL-C in the field

recently pal-c attended an event about the future of afghanistan and pakistan, towards the end there was an inquiry made by one of our own interns

at around the 33.50 mark.

http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/?fa=eventDetail&id=1379&prog=zgp&proj=zdrl&zoom_highlight=douglas+alexander

http://english.safe-democracy.org/2009/07/09/pakistans-multidimensional-governance-crisis/ at Blogged

Food

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Beautiful Pakistan

Look how beautiful pakistan is . Its heaven on earth and it has many natural resources but these days Pakistan is having a down fall. No one wants to have a down fall in beautiful country like Pakistan.

Our PAL-C Interns: