Immediate and Transitional Assistance Programme for the Afghan People 2002

PREFACE

This Immediate and Transitional Assistance Programme for the Afghan People 2002 (ITAP) has been prepared by the United Nations (UN) Country Team for Afghanistan, supported by their headquarters through a newly constituted Joint Working Group of members of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) and the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), in consultation with members and standing invitees of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). It draws on the outcome of a range of discussions and consultations among the international community, Afghan and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Watching Brief Meeting held in Islamabad from 27-29 November and the Round Table on Women's Leadership in Afghanistan held in Brussels from 10-11 December.

It is important to note that this process has been fast-tracked in order to present the ITAP in the margins of the Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo. Thus, unfortunately, consultations with partners are incomplete, and the 2002 ITAP is very much a work in progress, and further projects will be added as they are developed through this consultation process.

The financial requirements outlined in this document are cost estimates based on (1) programmes and project documents developed through a series of consultations with UN agencies, as well as cost estimates from NGOs currently working in Afghanistan, and (2) elements from the Preliminary Needs Assessment (carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the UNDG, which require immediate action. Project proposals for immediate funding are now being submitted to the Afghanistan Information Management Service (AIMs), and will be available on the AIMs website (www.hic.org.pk) in February. The projects will be located on the website's Activities Tracking Information Management System (ATIMS), allowing users to access complete records of project submissions and to generate summary financial tables. In mid February a joint appeal will be issued, with updated financial requirements reflecting the projects on the ATIMs. ATIMs will be updated as donor contributions are received.

To the extent possible, senior officials of the Interim Authority of Afghanistan have been briefed on the contents of this document and consulted on the strategies presented in it. The Interim Authority's initial indications as to priorities and needs have been included. As the Interim Authority consolidates its presence in ministries and municipalities, further consultations will be held to ensure full Afghan ownership and leadership in the process of recovery.

A timely and generous response by the international donor community is of the utmost importance to ensure that the humanitarian needs are met in the short term and that the process of rebuilding Afghanistan's shattered infrastructure and economy can begin and be underpinned by the provision of a basic social safety net.