IOM's Support to Provincial Governance (SPG) programme has awarded
a EUR 219,463 grant to an initiative designed to strengthen the
rule of law in the northeastern provinces of Kunduz, Takhar and
Badakhshan. The initiative is co-funded by the European Union and
the Government of Germany.

"The justice system in these three provinces is still fragile
and there has been little support for the judicial sector since
2001," says Enira Krdzalic, IOM's Officer in Charge. "This
initiative will enable legal institutions to contribute towards
peace and stability, an essential cornerstone towards Afghanistan's
sustainable development." 

Through the project, German-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams
(PRT), in conjunction with their implementing partner, the Max
Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
(MPIL), will provide training to more than 225 Afghan legal
professionals, including judges, prosecutors and attorneys, on key
legal issues including fair trials and family law. As part of the
initiative, preliminary provincial assessments have been conducted
in coordination with relevant governmental and non-governmental
partners. They underline the need to provide an overview of
existing laws, as well as training on key human rights issues.

The European Commission (EC) funds the overall SPG programme,
which aims to help the Government of Afghanistan strengthen the
capacity of provincial governance institutions, provincial councils
and rule of law institutions such as the police and judiciary
bodies to better administer service delivery.  

IOM administers the programme by facilitating the project
implementation cycles from information sharing, needs assessment,
applications review, contracting and funds disbursement through
monitoring. All approved projects are implemented in support of the
Afghanistan National Development Strategy
(ANDS).    

For further information, please contact:

Enira Krdzalic

IOM Kabul

Tel: + 93 (0) 700 275 910

E-mail: "mailto:ekrdzalic@iom.int">ekrdzalic@iom.int

or

Katsui Kaya

Tel: +93 (0) 700 185 961

E-mail: "mailto:kkaya@iom.int">kkaya@iom.int