Afghanistan Policy Page

Major International Actors in Afghanistan

24 February 2010

A one-page brief from the Afghanistan Congressional Communications Hub on a major issue concerning U.S. policy and engagement in Afghanistan.

Take Aways

• Afghanistan has many different international actors with differing mandates, resources, and incentives.

• Coordination of international actors is critically important for successful counterinsurgency, stabilization, and development in Afghanistan.

• Many international actors have funding cycles that do not align with Afghan requirement cycles.

Major International Actors

United States Military: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

• Separate from the NATO-ISAF operations in Afghanistan, focused on counterterrorism operations, reports to Central Command (CENTCOM).

• OEF Leadership on the ground: General Stanley McChrystal, Commander US Forces, Afghanistan (approximately 22,000 troops)

• CENTCOM Leadership: General David Petraeus

NATO International Stabilization Assistance Force (ISAF)

• Mandated by the UN in 2001; NATO took command of ISAF in August 2003.

• ISAF Commander: General Stanley McChrystal

• 86,000 total NATO-ISAF forces as of 1 February 2010.

• Approximately 46,000 of the 68,000 U.S. forces currently in Afghanistan are under NATO-ISAF command; the reminding forces are under OEF.

NATO Civilian Representation – Mark Sedwill, the former UK Ambassador to Afghanistan, coordinates NATO development aid.

• Oversees Provincial Reconstruction Teams operated by NATO units.

United States Department of State

• Ambassador Richard Holbrooke ¬– Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, oversees regional coordination.

• Ambassador Karl Eikenberry – Ambassador to Afghanistan.

• Ambassador Francis Ricciardone – Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan.

• Assistant Ambassador Anthony Wayne – Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs

• USAID – Afghanistan Mission Director William Frej – Over $7.9 billion in assistance since 2002 from USAID

International Diplomatic Community

• European Union – Vygaudas Usackas (Lithuania) is the EU Ambassador to Afghanistan. The EU has donated over €1.4 billion since 2002 in humanitarian, development, and reconstruction aid.

• European Commission – The EC has worked with reintegration of refugees, as well as agriculture development project with an emphasis on alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers.

• United Kingdom – Sherard Cowper-Coles is the acting UK Ambassador to Afghanistan. The UK has committed over £1 billion since 2001, and it is the lead nation for counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan

• Italy – Charged with coordinating justice sector development and reform, has donated €473 million since 2001.

• Germany – Donated €144 million since 2001; currently focused on funding infrastructure development projects and governance support.

• Japan – Pledged $5 billion for development assistance, and $500 million for Taliban reintegration efforts.

Multilateral Organizations

UN Assistance Mission – Afghanistan (UNAMA) has the mandate to coordinate the international efforts in Afghanistan with NATO-ISAF.

• UN Leadership: Ambassador Staffan de Mistura (Sweden) will take over on 1 March 2010 from Ambassador Kai Eide (Norway)

• Approximately 6,000 UN employees in Afghanistan.

UN Agencies in Afghanistan:

• Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan

• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

• UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

• UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

• UN Development Programme

• UN Development Fund for Women

• UN Environment Programme

• UN Food and Agriculture Organization

• UN High Commissioner for Refugees

• UN Human Settlement Programme

• UN Industrial Development Organization

• UN Integrated Regional Information Network

• UN Population Fund

• UN Office for Project Services

• UN Office on Drugs and Crime

• UN World Food Programme

• UN World Health Organization

Other Multilateral Organizations in Afghanistan:

• World Bank – $707 million pledged since 2002.

• International Monetary Fund – Coordinated $1.6 billion in debt relief for 2010.

• Asian Development Bank – Over $1.8 billion in assistance since 2002.

• International Labour Organization –Several projects with Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

• International Red Crescent – Gave over 660,000 Afghans healthcare assistance in 2009.

Non-Governmental Organizations

There are hundreds of NGOs in Afghanistan, and many NGOs do not coordinate their activities with UNAMA, NATO-ISAF, or the relevant Government of Afghanistan ministry for their development projects.

Possible Questions

• Who amongst the international leadership is ultimately in charge of all the international military and development actions in Afghanistan?

• Are international actors effectively coordinated with each other? Do international actors ever work at cross-purposes?

• With whom does the Afghan government coordinate? Is the development aid fostering good governance?

Further Reading

ISAF

UNAMA

UNICEF

The Afghanistan Congressional Communications Hub serves Members and staff by providing relevant and accessible information on Afghanistan. It is non-partisan.

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