Sweden contributes to international development funds in countries including Afghanistan, Sudan, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. The Paris Declaration, which donor and receiver countries agreed on in 2005, emphasizes that development aid is more effective if the donor countries co-operate around one large common effort instead of running their own projects and programmes.
Common funds are particularly important in countries that are in conflict or where a conflict has recently ended, says Sara Gustafsson, who is responsible for aid at the Swedish embassy in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul.
“The state apparatus is often very weak in these countries, and the state has next to no income,” she says. “For society to start functioning again with medical care, schools, administration and so on, funds have to be available for the state budget. A development fund with several donors can contribute to this.”
Sweden is one of more than 20 countries in Afghanistan helping to contribute to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) , which supports the development of poor villages. The aim of the work is also to improve local democracy. With funding through ARTF, projects are being implemented in about 22,000 villages throughout Afghanistan. The work is managed by the World Bank together with the Afghanistan Government.
Gustafsson says that, through the fund, Sweden is helping to support several different peace and development efforts in Afghanistan.
“For example, we’re contributing to salaries for teachers and other government employees,” she says. “For society to develop here, there has to be a functioning state apparatus with competent staff. And there must be money available to pay people’s salaries.”
Some of the Swedish support to ARTF is specifically earmarked for the National Solidarity Programme, which is designed to develop rural areas and to improve local democracy. Villagers who participate in the programme make joint decisions on what should be done to improve their village, whether it involves building a school or a better road, investing in irrigation or something else.
The villagers also appoint a local committee that leads the improvement work, and therefore has a direct influence on the use of resources and the design of aid efforts.
Focus on equality
Sweden’s efforts in Afghanistan have a particular focus on gender equality. The situation of women and girls is very difficult, Gustafsson says.
“We prioritize equality,” she says. “It’s an extremely important issue both for development and peace in Afghanistan. The development fund in Afghanistan was formed in 2002, and the efforts that have been made have clearly had positive results. But violence and uncertainty complicate the work.
“There are areas where you can’t implement any programmes because the risks are too great. In some areas, you can work only through local non-governmental organizations that are well established among the villagers.”
Corruption is a reality in many poor countries. This is sometimes the result of misgovernment, a lack of democratic traditions or an absence of institutions to examine how public funds are being used. There is also a risk of development aid being subject to corruption, even though donor countries and organizations appoint independent auditors to follow up on how money is being used. In countries such as Afghanistan, the possibility of carrying out inspections is also affected by the security situation.
“For example, it can be dangerous to send auditors to some areas,” Gustafsson says. “In those cases, you have to try other ways of finding out if the work is meeting the targets. One of them is to inform villagers or others who the efforts are aimed at about the programme’s budget and purpose so they can protest if the money ends up in the wrong pockets.
Gustafsson is a lawyer specializing in international law and human rights, and has previously worked in the field in Laos and Kenya.
“Afghanistan is a very interesting but complex environment,” she says. “Everything here is affected by the security situation, including our daily lives. Meetings are sometimes cancelled because a bomb has exploded nearby and you can’t get through. But we’re also seeing good results, such as the number of children in schools having increased sixfold, and access to health care has also improved considerably. It makes the job worthwhile.”
