OVERVIEW

After 40 years of conflict and corruption in Afghanistan, no task is more important than rebuilding the trust between the people and the government. The Citizens’ Charter is a promise of partnership between the Government of Afghanistan and its citizens.

The goal of the Citizens’ Charter is to reduce poverty and deepen the relationship between citizens and the Government of Afghanistan by improving the delivery of core infrastructure and social service to all communities across Afghanistan through Community Development Councils.

The Citizens’ Charter builds on lessons learned from the National Solidarity Program, which delivered over $2 billion in rural infrastructure, of which 40 percent came through community-level in-kind or cash contributions, in 90 percent of communities across the country. Donors channel their financial contribution to implementation of the Citizens’ Charter through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

The Citizens’ Charter is an inter-ministerial effort by the Government of Afghanistan to make service delivery more effective and citizen-centric. Through this program, all Afghans are entitled to a basic package of services; which includes universal access to clean drinking water, quality education in government schools, delivery of the basic package of health services, and small-scale rural and urban infrastructure.

ACTIVITIES

• Urban Services: Provides access to urban infrastructure (potable water, street upgrading and drainage, lighting, installation of parks, solid waste management, and livelihood projects for women
• Rural Services: Provides access to clean drinking water and access to infrastructure (road access, electricity, or small-scale irrigation)
• Ministry of Public Health Services: Provides basic health services and registered pharmacies
• Ministry of Education Services: Provides students in government schools with 24-36 hours of education per week

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Reached nearly 12,213 urban and rural communities in 34 provinces
• Disbursed more than $160 million in community grants
• Launched over 8,526 projects selected by Community Development Councils
• Increased women’s participation in decision-making process (49 percent of 200,000 elected Community Development Council members and 50 percent of Community Development Council officers are women)