One of the major fallouts of the war is the erosion of community institutions. The conflict has increased the share number of people living in deprivation. It has also eroded the social safety net people used to rely on at times of crisis simply because there is nothing much left to share. On the other hand, at the time when Afghanistan used to be known as a failed state, it was the community spirit inherent in the Afghan society that became their ultimate rescuer. The UN-HABITAT community empowerment approach that emerged in the course of more than a decade of working with Afghan communities builds on this same spirit. Today the approach has become the cornerstone of the flagship National Solidarity Program of the Government.

Even during the difficult period of Taliban rule, the community development approach flourished in spite of tremendous odds. Thanks to the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN-HABITAT was able to replicate this approach in four of the largest cities and a few rural communities. Other donors such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the European Union-ECHO, The Netherlands, the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD), Japan, Switzerland, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), contributed to this endeavour to help establish systems of local governance in the country during troubled times. The approach hinges on the premise that reconstruction is both a physical rebuilding and a social rehabilitation process.

Community Forums

The institutional manifestation of this approach was the Community Forums that participating communities formed by the people themselves. In many ways, the Forums became the platforms for people to exercise the right to exercise positive governance at a time when there was no legitimate government. Community Forums are local institutions that are managed according to a set of agreed rules of conduct.

On the physical side, these Forums also managed both internal and external resources to meet their immediate needs, be they drinking water, primary schools, child and maternity care, or solid waste collection.

During the Taliban rule some 50 men’s and 50 women’s Community Forums were established in five cities and two rural towns. It was through these Forums that the largest share of resources from UN-HABITAT was managed and disbursed.

The Forums provided an appropriate avenue for women to play their role and meet their social requirements. They endured much risk in participating in the activities of the Forum because of various exclusionary edicts. In a few cases, some of the Forum members became victims due to their association with the Forums. Those members who managed to escape to other cities, however, began the process of establishing new Forums. This way the concept of Community Forums began to spread its roots on Afghan soil.

With a legitimate government now in place, the role of these community Forums has become even more important. They represent a fundamental component of an effective system of urban governance that promotes participation, accountability and social inclusion – vital ingredients for nation-building in post-conflict societies. Today, they stand as independent non-governmental organisations and their work continues.
 
The UN Mission

Today, the United Nations, through its Special Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), is helping the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) under the leadership of President Hamid Karzai to bring about change on three fronts – human security, democratic rule of law as defined by the Bonn Agreement, and socio-economic development as defined by the National Development Framework.