Information on USAID's Stability in Key Areas Program - Southern Region, Afghanistan
Abstract
From September 2003 through December 2015, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) spent more than $2.3 billion on stabilization activities and programs in Afghanistan. The programs were intended to solidify the U.S. military's gains in insecure areas by working with and supporting at-risk populations, extending the Afghan government's reach to unstable areas, providing job opportunities, building trust between citizens and their government, and encouraging local populations to take an active role in their development. One of these programs was the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA)-South program, which was intended to be a way to assist district and provincial level Afghan government officials in southern Afghanistan implement community-based projects to support institutions, processes, and projects that help foster stable political economic, and social development. Unlike other stabilization programs which focused on building the capacity of local communities to resist the influence of the Taliban, SIKA-South focused specifically on strengthening the capacity of district and provincial governments to target aspects of local instability. Between April 2012 and July 2015, SIKA South supported provincial and district government bodies with goals of implementing Afghan-led community based projects, and helping to build trust and legitimacy in local governments to deliver basic services and increase local economic capacity. SIGAR has previously examined various aspects of the SIKA programs and found that they faced many challenges. For example, we reported in July 2013 that SIKA programs had not met their essential objectives because USAID had not awarded grants on a timely basis or established a formal working agreement with the Afghan government for project implementation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1138825
Entities
People
- John Sopko
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction