New support for Afghanistan

28 January 2010

New programmes to strengthen Afghan governance and help Afghanistan’s farmers to increase their productivity were announced at the Afghanistan London Conference today.

The funding, from the Department for International Development, will total £72 million to support four new programmes that will:

• improve access to justice for ordinary people in Helmand, making it easier for them to hold criminals to account;
• train twelve thousand civil servants to help improve local government at provincial and district level;
• provide performance based funding for provincial governors, letting them run their provinces on an incentive basis, with more funding going to those who deliver the best results;
• deliver support for the Ministry of Agriculture to help Afghan farmers raise their productivity – for example increasing crop yields - and therefore raise their incomes, boosting the country’s economy.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said:

“It’s crucial that ordinary Afghans have confidence in their government.  The majority of Afghans come into contact with the government at a local level – but this is where systems are at their weakest. 

“The new funding announced today will help improve the lives of ordinary Afghans, giving them access to better justice, better-performing local government, and better government support for agriculture."

Read the full press release