Evaluating Aid Effectiveness in Afghanistan

 

British aid agencies commissioned a snapshot of UK aid effectiveness in Afghanistan in advance of the 10-year anniversary of the military intervention that followed the 9/11 attacks. Over 100 people - including male and female business owners, NGO and government workers - were either interviewed or invited to participate in small workshops during August-September 2011 to gauge the way Afghans currently think and feel about the past, present and future prospects in their country, and about the specific contribution of UK aid to Afghanistan.

 

At the time of the assessment, huge sums of aid money had been channelled into Afghanistan – more than £38.52 billion since 2001. As the country's second largest bilateral donor, the UK provided more than GBP710 million in the four years to 2015 and has a significant role in shaping the future of millions of Afghan men, women and children. Yet despite a decade of substantial international intervention and investment, Afghanistan remains one of the world’s poorest countries with some of the worst development indicators on the planet. Government institutions remain weak and more than 90% of public spending relies on foreign aid.

 

Our report acted as a channel for feedback from Afghans on how effective they believe this aid to be, and what needs to change to make it more effective. This is a critical issue not only for Afghans themselves, but also for the governments and taxpayers of donor countries, including those of the UK, to ensure that the aid achieves an optimal return on investment towards building a more stable, just, prosperous and ultimately self-reliant country. The team leader presented the findings in UK Parliament on 20 March 2012.

 

We remain committed to ensuring ‘Value for Money’ on behalf of the intended end-recipients and taxpayers in the donor country.