DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE Responds to the Manley Report by asking: And what about the people of Afghanistan?

January 25, 2008
Montreal

Development and Peace believes and reaffirms that the only way to truly advance the debate on Canada's role in Afghanistan, and to promote the appropriate decisions that must follow, is to place the well-being of the people of Afghanistan at the centre of all analysis and decisions.
1. An insufficient opening to greater diplomacy and more development
Informed and well-documented, the Manley report calls upon Canadian decision-makers to develop a more comprehensive policy, one more in line with the situation in Afghanistan, and a policy that gives diplomacy and development greater importance than does Canada's current response to the situation in this country. Although Development and Peace welcomes this opening, it regrets that the report put so much emphasis on the issues of security and more effective use of Canadian military forces instead of providing analysis and suggestions on how an increased role for diplomacy and development could be achieved.

In addition, given the means, resources and access to documentation afforded the commission, the report is somewhat disappointing. It fails to offer new insights or innovative solutions that could contribute to clear decision making. Many of the solutions offered have already proven inadequate or have demonstrated clear limitations. Simply affirming that Canada needs to develop an overall strategy, without providing at least some guidelines and proposing clear recommendations to bring this about, does not really advance the search for the appropriate solutions.
2. The people of Afghanistan are being neglected
Development and Peace has always believed and reaffirms here that the only way to truly advance the debate on Canada's role in Afghanistan, and to promote the appropriate decisions that must follow this, is to place the well-being of the people of Afghanistan at the core of all analysis and decisions. The rights of women are particularly problematic in Afghanistan. They should benefit from extra-special attention. This is why the goal of building a prosperous and secure Afghanistan for all citizens should not be subverted to international geopolitical considerations. Before all else, the men, women and children of Afghanistan have inalienable rights as human beings, and it is our responsibility as a rich country to stand alongside them and lend them our solidarity.

Afghanistanis’ rights to security are as important as other rights, but the country’s recent history clearly demonstrates that security cannot be achieved through military operations, whether national or international. While diplomatic and development initiatives also play very important roles, the participation of Afghanistanis in the re-building of their country is absolutely indispensable. In the end, Afghanistan can and should not be anything but that which its citizens desire: a strong civil society, well-organised, committed and engaged in determining its own future is a basic requirement to healthy development and proper functioning of a country Thus, the importance of enabling citizens’ early involvement and commitment to democracy and transparency. The Manley Report makes no mention at all of the participation of Afghanistanis in deciding their future, a major failing that is not resolved with references to the government of Afghanistan… for a country is so much more than its government.
3. The failings of Canadian development assistance in Afghanistan
Violence, poverty, and corruption, in addition to the cruel lack of services and infrastructure in Afghanistan demands an intelligent development strategy. It should be a combination of: 1) an immediate response to urgent needs, 2) a re-launching of the economy, a restarting of services and infrastructure rehabilitation, and 3) the building of solid, viable, tolerant and democratic communities in a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.

The rapid response projects in support of Canadian troops in the Kandahar region, as discussed in the Manley Report, fall far short of the broader development approach that Development and Peace recommends. While it is clear Canadian assistance must bear fruit within a reasonable timeframe and assist the civilian population in the Kandahar region, Canada should not be focusing its assistance so narrowly. Intelligent development action needs to go deeper and further. This, of course, raises the issue of resources. While the Manley Report's assessment acknowledges the imbalance between the resources dedicated to military operations (more than $6 billion) and to development ($1.2 billion), its recommendations omit any reference to this. Given that Canada has the resources to help redress this imbalance: it is imperative it do so, and the Manley Report should have said this.
4. Afghanistani leadership - the forgotten element
Development work in Afghanistan, from emergency to reconstruction to long-term community development, is a complex and difficult task due to an atmosphere of overall insecurity, ethnic and religious differences and the fragility of its government. International aid workers are forced to contend with all sorts of restrictions, not the least of which is their own security, so they are unable to deploy all of their talents and capacities to the full. While they bring to Afghanistan valuable knowledge, expertise, equipment and technical know-how, as well as devotion and compassion, this does not negate the imperative and basic fact that development must be led and managed by Afghanistanis themselves. The government of Afghanistan, national institutions, local and civil society organizations must play a leadership role in this process and CIDA must support them and their diversity. Our experience in war-torn countries, and reconfirmed after 7 years in Afghanistan, illustrates that local organizations, these natural networks of assistance and solidarity and their traditional structures, are best able to support the population with greater security and impact, even in the most remote areas.
5. Distinguishing military concerns from humanitarian assistance and development issues
The perversion of international assistance into condescending strategies designed to captivate the support of the local population must cease immediately, if development work is to be successfully carried out, and if the people of Afghanistan are to be the principal actors in their own development. Giving the military the responsibility for projects intended to win the "hearts and minds" of the people of Afghanistan, and handing this responsibility to Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) under military command, simply imposes additional and unnecessary risks on national and international development workers. Plus it is a major obstacle to development work over the medium and longer terms. Even if NATO continues to pursue such short-sighted strategy, the Canadian government should exercise leadership and innovation by refusing to adhere to it and give the military responsibility only for activities within their domain. In the end, development work requires competencies and approaches that are outside of military expertise. Unfortunately, the Manley Report does not identify or recognize this problem.
6. Forgetting the national reconciliation and negotiation process
The "hearts and minds" of the people of Afghanistan must instead be mobilized around a national reconciliation initiative. All the major actors currently at war, as well as those who, under certain conditions, are prepared to participate in this initiative, should be invited. Canadian diplomacy has an important role to play in supporting this process with the Afghanistanis, and in promoting it with neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, India, Iran, and with its NATO allies and the United Nations, in addition to pressuring them all to take a more active role in the mediation and negotiation process.
7. The need for a clear debate
Over the coming weeks and months, the Canadian Parliament, government, media and the general public will be discussing what Canada needs and must do in Afghanistan. The Manley Report has already disappointed those expecting innovative ideas and new solutions to this very complex crisis. However, the discussions must continue and they must be thorough. They cannot be limited to legitimate concerns about our military compatriots deployed in the country, nor subordinated to purely geopolitical considerations, however important these may be.

For this reason, we feel called to repeat the obvious question, "And what about the people of Afghanistan?"

Development and Peace in Afghanistan
• DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE has been working continuously in Afghanistan since August 2001, supporting 22 development projects for a total of C$2,140,000.
• Project financing has come from public fundraising campaigns by DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE.

Our principal partners in Afghanistan throughout the years have included:
• Afghan Women’s Education Center
• Afghan Women’s Resource Center
• Afghan Bicycle Relief Association
• Caritas Austria
• Caritas Germany
• Caritas Pakistan
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) – Afghanistan
• Cordaid
• International Catholic Migration Commission
• Revolutionary Afghan Women’s Association
• Shuhada organisation

Types of projects undertaken with our partners include:
• Provisions for basic human needs (drinking water, water purification, food, blankets, shelter and equipment, especially winter kits)
• Refugee resettlement assistance
• Economic alternatives and income-generating activities
• Institutional capacity-building
• Education and literacy training
• Inter-religious dialogue
• Professional training

Populations helped:
• Children
• Women and girls
• Handicapped and maimed persons
• Refugees, internally displaced persons, and nomads

The Development and Peace 2007-2011 program budget for Afghanistan is C$700,000, focused on:
• Reinforcing civil society groups and organisations
• Empowerment of women and women’s groups
Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian representative of Caritas Internationalis. For more than 40 years, Development and Peace has worked directly with organizations made up of or representing the poor and marginalized in the Global South, and provided in excess of $500 million to 15,000 projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. We are presently active with over 200 partners in 33 countries. In Canada, we are a democratic movement for international solidarity - educating the public about the root causes of poverty and mobilizing social action for change - with 13,000 members from coast to coast.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Wanda Potrykus
514 257-8710, ext. 365
wanda.potrykus@devp.org
Development and Peace is the official international development organization
of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis.
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