Introduction
The project aims to empower the Afghan populace across several tiers and address the need for Information Communication Technologies (ICT) knowledge workers, and to increase the ability of Afghans working with the government. In addition, it aims to address the needs of the general populace to acquire basic skills training in ICT to enhance the ownership of projects undertaken by the foreign donor organizations

Situation analysis
Afghanistan has a tremendous task to undertake in the next few years to ensure its sustainability and its participation on a regional and global platform. The repercussions of poverty, insufficient infrastructure and lack of income generating opportunities and "courtesy participation" in the decision making process of the interim government will only lead to a longer period of donor assistance and duplication of initiatives as the amount of pledges and initiatives increase from day to day without much input on involving a larger number of the population.

One of the key initiatives proposed is to ensure the Afghan population and especially, civil servants are able to work in tandem with the work undertaken by the international organizations. The project aims to provide technical skills and capacity building with the primary objective of developing and preparing human capacities to handle and facilitate the needs of the interim government. It will also provide income-generating opportunities via the proposed implementation/roll-out model, i.e. direct involvement of Afghan nationals at all stages of planning, design, and implementation, while ensuring the policy and institutional frameworks are comprehensively in place. n in these critical times of reconstruction and development operations.

There is a severe lack of capable and ICT literate civil servants who are able to assist and monitor the rebuilding initiatives currently being undertaken by scores of international donor organizations and governments. The ability to participate and provide input as well as manage the necessary groundwork and field reports are crucial to ensure that hand-over projects can be streamlined and incorporated by all current and future donor organizations, be they at the national, state or district level. All project documents should consider that eventually a timeline has to be put into place for the actual participation of these civil servants to integrate and operate the proposed systems and services. What is ultimately crucial, is to provide these civil servants at the bare minimum with knowledge of word processing, Internet and email skills. In brief, capacity building in ICT will assist to ensure a smooth transition of operations, including aid co-ordination, project management, and management of donor funds.

Women have suffered almost total exclusion from formal education in the years leading to 2001. This encompasses exclusion of women from the work place and public life. Strategies proposed need to bridge social, cultural and ethnic sensitivities. This chasm requires strategic educational approaches that understand the psyche, values, roles, and traditions while addressing the universal need of education facilities for Afghan women. The actual success of this group of beneficiaries will accelerate community-based models of education with knowledge and skills to improve their lives and encourage participation in the development of Afghanistan. Women need access to basic services and new forms of economic opportunity to re-enter the public and work place.

It is estimated that over five million uprooted Afghans in Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and Australia, Western Europe, and North America can play a pivotal role in rebuilding Afghanistan. They include doctors, lawyers, teachers and ICT specialists. UNDP intends to work together with other international organisations with similar ideas, with close collaboration with the AACA to identify suitable candidates for the project.

Strategy
The overall strategy of the project is to empower the Afghan populace across several tiers and addressing the need of skilled Information Communication Technologies (ICT) knowledge workers, to increase the ability of Afghans to work with the transitional government. In addition, it aims to address the needs of the general populace to acquire basic skills training in ICT to enhance the ownership of projects undertaken by the foreign donor organizations.

Therefore, the priorities set out by this project are as follows:

• Facilitating ICT skills training for the working staff with a special focus on civil servants.
• Facilitating ICT skills training for Afghan youth.
• Providing opportunities for the Afghan women to be the recipient of modern education.
• Providing income-generating opportunities for the Afghan Diaspora to return with manageable financial investments through creative partnerships programme.

The training will target Afghan government officials, women, Afghan Diaspora and the population at large via the creation of 5 ICT Training Centers and providing specific ICT skills for the local needs to support the work of the Government and provide income generating opportunities for Afghan entrepreneurs.

Initially 5 Pilot ICT Training Centres, i.e. 3 centres in Kabul and 1 each in Mazar-e- Sharif and Kandahar, will be funded by the European Union's Rapid Reaction Mechanism Fund.

All centres will be operated by Afghan nationals. To the extent possible, the Public Centres will be established in collaboration with Afghan businessmen, whether in the country or presently operating out of Iran, Pakistan, or other neighboring countries. Local NGOs, community organizations and professional associations will also be approached to determine their interest.

One center each for women and civil servants will be established in partnership with Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Afghanistan Aid Coordination Authority (AACA) respectively.

Simultaneous to the start up activities, consultations will be held with the government counterparts to:
(i) Define criteria for selection of trainees and selection of private sector partners. The criteria will be developed based on the principles of equity of access, sustainability of impact, and gender balance;
(ii) Agree on a plan for the full transfer of technical knowledge and other inputs to the established training centres. This would include defining roles, responsibilities, inputs and contribution of all partners, and putting in place mechanisms to ensure that the training centres are technically and financially sustainable.

Management Arrangements A Core Programme/ Project Support Team will provide overall planning, management co-ordination, administration, logistics, monitoring, and supervision for the project. This team will consist of a National Project Co-ordinator (NPC), who will be assisted by one International Project Advisor (IPA).

The NPC will also serve as the principle counterpart to the International Project Advisor and will be expected to take charge of the entire program at the end of the Project Advisor's term. The NPC will also be assisted by a small team of specialists. The core program team will be further backed up by UNDP- Kabul.

Priority is given to developing systematic implementation frameworks, which include monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Close co-ordination will be undertaken with the government to avoid duplication while strengthening the administration's co-ordination capacities. Efforts will also be undertaken to ensure the participation of the ICT Training Centres to cater to as wide a pool of beneficiaries as possible.

The Project Management Team will also monitor and provide the essential support throughout the 6-month period to ensure the successful and transparent management of the ICT Training Centres.

In addition, an assessment session will be held bi-monthly to review the educational developments, constraints and needs of the ICT Training Centres. Participation will include Centre Operators, trainers, students and representatives from the identified partners.

The International Project Advisor and National Project Co-ordinator will report to UNDP Afghanistan on the overall progress and substantive issues of the project. The management of the project will work in close collaboration with UNDP to ensure the timely and successful project delivery of the proposed outcomes and impact. UNDP Afghanistan will also provide oversight and project management and monitoring throughout the six month period.

The International Project Advisor and National Project Co-ordinator will share progress and technical issues with a joint steering committee of the identified partners for guidance and advice.

For more information, please contact:

Phet Sayo
Programme Specialist Capacity Building
Asia Pacific Development Information Programme
Wisma UN, Block C, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara,
Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights,
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2091-5172
Fax: +603 2093-9740
Email: phet@apdip.net