Over the last 20 years, valuable lessons have been learned on what works and what doesn’t in the UN’s assistance in Afghanistan. Neither a one-size-fits-all approach nor a fragmented sector-based approach to human basic needs has been effective. Instead, a more integrated approach is needed, one that accounts for the significant differences in needs between the provinces and regions of Afghanistan and yet also recognizes that humanitarian and basic human needs gains in one area are linked to and dependent on humanitarian and basic human needs gains in other areas.
The ABADEI Strategy has been designed as a response to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan upon a call of the UN Executive Committee Working Group for Afghanistan. It offers an integrated yet decentralized approach to programming for community resilience. It proposes an innovative, inclusive and highly flexible approach, that puts people first, targets the most vulnerable and meets specific local needs.
The ABADEI Strategy responds to citizens’ needs in the most cost-effective and efficient manner as possible. It articulates how a basic human needs approach can complement humanitarian efforts by helping households and communities cope better with the adverse effects of the current crisis. It is centered on addressing worsening poverty and vulnerability, supporting community resilience and social cohesion, and enabling the rehabilitation of small-scale community infrastructure for essential services and the protection of farm-based livelihoods (e.g., warehouses, village roads and bridges), while creating immediate sources of income through cash-for-work, cash-for markets to safeguard livelihoods that are under threat.
The ABADEI Strategy is grounded in partnerships without which implementation at the local level would not be possible. It capitalizes on the One-UN concept based on partnership with other UN agencies with comparative advantages in the key thematic areas of the Strategy. For this reason, the Fund was established to provide support to the population of Afghanistan.
The Fund will initially focus on four thematic areas:
- Provision of Essential Services
- Community-Based Livelihoods and Local Economic Activities
- Protecting Farm-based Livelihoods from Natural Disasters
- Community Resilience and Social Cohesion