Wednesday Plenary Session

Partnership and Finance

Mohammad Yousaf Pashtun, Minister of Urban Development, Government of Afghanistan

Urban Development in Afghanistan Challenges and Opportunities

Outline:

1. Situation by 2002
2. Major challenges (both for Afghanistan and the world)
3. Opportunities (both for Afghanistan and the world)
4. Afghanistan Urban Development Crisis as a SEVERE CASE OF POST CONFLICT SITUATION.
5. Where should we be heading?
6. Objectives and Obstacles

INTRODUCTION:

The existing situation of Afghan Urban Development in its comprehensive form, both at national and international level, could be best described as a set of " Challenges and Opportunities ".

After 25 years of war, destruction, conflict and local and regional strives, like most of the sectors of the country, Urban problems were enormous and the process to find solution was in a total chaotic situation.   To make the situation of Urban Crisis more clear in the minds of distinguished audience, I would like to remind you that Afghanistan went in to a War Conflict situation for a period of five times of the second world war. With more than 70% of all the infrastructures of the Urban areas totally destroyed and the remaining 30% in a shabby conditions, with a doubling of Urban population from 1.5 million in 1978 to over 5 million in 2002 and over 5% of urban expansion, with the expected returning of over 5 million refugees back to the country, rapid rural to urban migration, absence of effective land management policies, acute shortage of technical human resources at the planning and municipal levels; the situation could nor be described better than a REAL URBAN CRISIS POSING REAL CHALLENGES.

To face the situation in a more scientific approach, the Afghan government organized an international conference on the Afghan Urban Development Situation in September 2002 in Kabul.   More than 150 experts from the international community attended the conference which came up with a 12 point resolution after seven days deliberation. These 12 points were adopted as the basis for the first National Urban Program (NUP) developed by the Ministry of Urban Development in 2004.

The six point NUP consisted of:

1. Urban Planning and Management
2. Urban Governance
3. Land Security and Management
4. National Housing Policy
5. Water Sanitation, Environment and Transportation
6. Preserving Urban Heritage

THE CHALLENGES OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT CRISIS:

1. High growth of Urbanization
2. Land security and management
3. Huge deficit of housing at national level
4. Acute shortage of technical human resources
5. Weak municipal revenue basis
6. Very slow growth of Urban infrastructure

THE AFGHAN URBAN DEVELOPMENT AS "OPPORTUNITIES"

As described above, the Urban Crisis pose a real challenge, however, it is very obvious that this CRISIS brings vast opportunities both at the national and international levels. We should all be prepared to make the best out of these opportunities. Major opportunities are:

1. Absorbing capacity for huge national and international investment
2. Cheap skilled and unskilled labor
3. Cheap local basic natural construction materials
4. Generation of job opportunity for millions

However, the biggest opportunity offered by the Afghan situation is the status of a clear example of deep POST CONFLICT COMMUNITY determined and busy to mitigate the effect of conflict both at local and international levels.