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Home » Focus Areas » Effective advocacy, monitoring and partnerships » Activities » Urban Management Consultative Group Focal Point
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In March 2003, an Urban Management Consultative Group (UMCG) was established in order to further support the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan in national urban reconstruction and development, following more than two decades of conflict that had devastated Afghanistan's cities. |
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Partner: Government: Government of Afghanistan
International Organization: UN-HABITAT |
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Cost: US$175,770 |
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 Background
In March 2003, an Urban Management Consultative Group (UMCG) was established in order to further support the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan in national urban reconstruction and development, following more than two decades of conflict that had devastated Afghanistan's cities. The UMCG is chaired by the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUDH) and, on the request of the Government, supported by UN-HABITAT (as Focal Point). In February 2004, UN-HABITAT set up a dedicated UMCG Unit within the Ministry with national and international advisors, an organizational structure that replaced a secretariat system (also supported by UN-HABITAT) that had previously provided considerable support to the transitional government in defining its urban programme. The main objective of the UMCG Unit is to support the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in policy formulation, programme development, donor coordination, budget preparation, capacity-building and information-sharing.
Activities
Under the mandate of the UMCG, the Unit has undertaken a broad range of activities, including the organization of 12 UMCG plenary meetings with a number of smaller consultations, assistance to MUDH in developing an urban vision and agenda, providing a lead role in the design of the National Urban Programme and advising the Ministry on a number of policy and operational issues (including the preparation of budgets and on-going preparation of 15 city profiles). The Unit has also developed capacity of Ministry staff in understanding urban sector issues and programme/project development by conducting workshops, consultations, and on-the-job training, especially in the preparation of the National Urban Programme. Given the importance of urban land tenure and policy in post-conflict Afghanistan, a diagnostic study of land tenure-related issues was undertaken and a national workshop on urban land management was held in June 2004.
Results
Funding towards the urban sector in Afghanistan has been limited over the recent past. The UMCG Unit has helped to raise the profile of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, which has drawn attention to key urban issues and provided a greater momentum to activities within the Ministry and in the urban sector in general. As a result, a National Urban Programme was identified as one of the 12 National Priority Programmes in mid-2004. The programme is designed to attract coordinated donor funding and private investments in the urban sector. Other outcomes have been the generation of discussions on urban policy issues, urban budget preparation, studies for building knowledge and databases, the exchange of information amongst partners, and enhanced capacity within the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. |
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