Afghanistan

Emergency National Solidarity Project (NSP) (US$305 million Grant, US$156.4 million ARTF Grant, and US$26 million JSDF Grant):

This is the Government of Afghanistan’s flagship program to support small-scale reconstruction and development activities identified by local Community Development Councils (CDCs) across the country. The World Bank is the main source of financing for NSP. Other sources include: the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), the Japanese Social Development Fund, and several bilateral contributors. Since September 2003, it has reached over 14.9 million Afghans (around 78 percent of Afghanistan’s estimated 19 million rural inhabitants).

Members of community council discuss their priority needs in Bamiyan Province.

Around 15,404 communities have elected CDCs. Over 19,914 community projects have been financed, of which more than 8,631 projects have been completed. About 80 percent of the community projects involve infrastructure such as irrigation, rural roads, electrification, and drinking water supply, all critical for the recovery of the rural economy, stability, and governance. The community projects financed under NSP focus on social and economic infrastructure and are based on the priorities of the rural population. Of the current 19,914 funded community projects, about 26 percent are for supplying drinking water; 18 percent for the rehabilitation of irrigation systems; 21 percent to improve transport infrastructure (roads, bridges); 15 percent for the provision of energy (generators, micro-hydro, solar energy); 9 percent to improve livelihoods and generation of income; 5 percent for education infrastructure; and 1 percent for other investments. The NSP is active in 276 districts in all the country’s 34 provinces. As of 04 January 2007, US$249.5 million of block grant installments had been disbursed out of US$278.1 million committed to community projects. The NSP start-up phase (US$22 million) was funded under the Emergency Community Empowerment and Public Works Project in June 2002. More information is available at NSP website