Recommendation I: Make emergency poverty relief a top priority

Poverty is the primary enemy of Afghanistan’s reconstruction, and must be defeated. As a beneficiary of international aid, Afghanistan receives the lowest amount of reconstruction financing compared to all other post-conflict nations, signifying a failure to recognize that Afghanistan is among the poorest of the poor nations. The response to emergency crises like starvation is not only a humanitarian necessity – it represents an essential part of any stabilization effort.

Building on experiences in other countries such as Brazil, and Afghan Family/Community Fund whereby positive action for the Afghan public (such as sending their children to school) would be rewarded with mutual investment on the part of the Afghan Government support by the United States. Certainly, an Afghan Family/Community Fund could be a crucial instrument to increase investment in the supply-side of public services to cope with increased service utilization, such as hospitals and schools; training of teachers and doctors; and stimulating local food and produce markets.

Recommendation II: US Military delivers Aid & Security Action Plan (ASAP)

The United States should develop an Aid & Security Action Plan (ASAP) for Afghanistan, focusing on targeted humanitarian aid and enhanced medical treatment capacity through mobile field hospitals. Food aid and medical aid will directly improve the relationships with the Afghan people in those areas where US troops are based, having an indirect impact on the success of the stabilization mission. Where there are no local or international aid organisations present, US soldiers should be involved in the actual delivery of humanitarian aid.

Recommendation III: Rebuild existing hospitals and build new hospitals, and implement outreach and training programmes to foster sustainable improvements in health

The United States should rebuild and re-furbish existing hospitals in the areas where it is based. Moreover, the US should immediately fund and provide the engineering and construction expertise to build new hospitals in Afghanistan. To positively impact on Afghans’ perceptions, these hospitals must be built to American standards, the same standards as the hospitals provided for NATO military troops. Building new hospitals will also provide Afghans with much-needed employment.

Next to increasing the capacity of Afghanistan in terms of medical treatment, medical doctors should be provided with continuing medical education by their military counterparts to manage the trauma of war, and outreach programs for the malnourished, children under five, pregnant women and the elderly must be developed and implemented. Meanwhile, comprehensive surveillance of health indicators such as disease incidence and prevalence must begin immediately. This surveillance must include those living in refugee camps and remote villages. The information gained should be used to guide the response of the international community.