Change How Aid Is Distributed to Afghanistan

Current international funding practices in Afghanistan do not contribute to the medium- to long-term sustainability of the Afghan state. International aid spent in Afghanistan has been delivered outside government channels through donor-managed aid projects, nongovernmental organizations or contractors, and direct payments to local power brokers. The state is already weakened by this array of domestic competitors, yet is still dependent on the international community for almost 80 percent of its own budgets.

The international community should restructure its assistance to Afghanistan and prioritize the government’s ability to sustain itself over the long term by increasing assistance through international trust funds that support the Afghan government’s budget. The international community should match its contributions over a multiyear time period to the Afghan government’s own domestic revenue. This method would offer an incentive to the Afghans to improve their revenue-generating capabilities.

For more on this topic please see:

• What the International Community Should Focus on at the Kabul Conference by Caroline Wadhams and Colin Cookman