29 November 2001

Long-Term Recovery of Afghanistan Must Begin Soon

Washington -- A food emergency still threatens millions of people in Afghanistan as winter cold becomes more extreme. Access to medical care and clean water is limited. But even with immediate survival so tenuous for millions of people, the international humanitarian effort must also start focusing on ways to put Afghanis back to work, according to Nancy Lindborg, the executive vice-president for Mercy Corps International.

Lindborg was in Afghanistan surveying the relief activities of her nongovernmental (NGO) humanitarian organization from November 10-22, and gave a Washington press briefing on the trip November 29.

"I talked to so many (Afghani) people and everybody said, 'Just let me get back to work,'" Lindborg relayed to reporters.

Afghanistan has a predominantly agrarian economy, but it has crumbled under years of war and drought. Lundborg said the international community must help Afghanis rebuild their agriculture infrastructure, including irrigation systems, wells and roads to market.

Mercy Corps is involved in some programs along this line already, Lindborg said, using food-for-work or cash-for-work payment plans so that Afghani people play a contributing role in the reconstruction of their country.

"The problem is if you just go in and give handouts forever, you diminish local capacity. You diminish the ability of communities to take an active role in their recovery," Lindborg explained, drawing on Mercy Corps' more than 20 years experience in providing disaster assistance in 73 nations.

Lindborg said it's important for the international community to remain attuned to the priorities of the local people as the long-term recovery effort gets underway. Losing sight of that, she said, may impede Afghani progress toward self-sufficiency.

Citing what she said is a longstanding adage in the humanitarian community, Lindborg said, "It often takes as long to get out of a conflict as it takes to get into it." In Afghanistan, she said that could mean more than a 20-year recovery period.

"It's important to make sure that we don't have a large refugee population without appropriate assistance languishing in these areas for another 20 years where it becomes another breeding ground and recruiting ground for people who are hopeless, without a lot of future to look forward to," the Mercy Corps executive said.

Lindborg's emphasis on launching long-term recovery projects soon echoed concerns expressed by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew Natsios. In a November 20 briefing he said, "If you do not deal with the agriculture economy, you can't deal with the economy itself or with people's livelihoods." The USAID head also described programs his agency is pursuing to help restore the agricultural economy and food security.

Even though long-term projects are getting underway, with more in the planning phase, Lindborg emphasized that the current situation remains desperate in many parts of Afghanistan. Humanitarian efforts to provide food, water and medical care to people who need them are further thwarted by the lack of security in the area.

She said the security situation has not stabilized despite the Northern Alliance seizure of most of the country, describing a "fairly chaotic" situation and an atmosphere of "general lawlessness."

Like many NGOs, U.S.-based Mercy Corps has lost some property -- vehicles, computers and office equipment -- to bands of marauders, Lindborg said. None of the organization's employees were ever attacked, and no looting ever occurred at Mercy Corps operations in the north of the country. The Taliban took over Mercy Corps offices in Kandahar in mid-Ocotber, and the NGO has been unable to return.

Discussions are underway in the international community on how best to improve security. Despite the risks to relief workers and their efforts caused by lawlessness, Lindborg is cautious about the possible introduction of a multi-national security force. The Mercy Corps executive said it should avoid portraying "the image of an occupying force."