Afghanistan Parliamentary Assistance Program (APAP) Final Report

The program aimed to support the USAID/Afghanistan's Intermediate Result of Strengthened governance and service delivery at national and sub-national levels. APAP provided technical assistance and training to MPs, parliamentary staff, leadership office, and the National Assembly Commissions to strengthen legislative capacities, oversight, abilities, and constituency representation. APAP promoted the Intermediate Result through technical assistance and training, focusing on four key objectives: strengthening the legislative process, enhancing oversight capacity, increasing outreach capacity, and strengthening institutional capacity. The program also facilitated a meeting between the CSO-Parliamentary workgroup and the NA to discuss CSO access and accreditation to Parliament and the expanding the list of CSOs under the MOU. A significant development in which APAP was directly involved was the increased push for a standalone Public Accounts Commission in the Wolesi Jirga. Since 2009, SUNY/CID had been promoting the development of a Public Accounts commission. In May 2012, APAP worked with the Budget Commission chair to form the Public Accounts Subcommittee, which immediately began to prove its value by reviewing the 1390 Qatia Report, questioning ministry officials, and making recommendations to the Budget and Finance Commission. In February 2013, members of the subcommittee traveled to Australia Parliament as part of a World Bank-funded study tour arranged and organized by APAP. The delegation met with the Australian budgetary and audit institutions and the related parliamentary committees to learn and discuss their oversight processes. As a result of this study tour, the delegation from Parliament renewed their goal of establishing a dedicated oversight commission or a public accounts commission within the Wolesi Jirga. An independent evaluation of the APAP project noted the project's impact on the budget process, stating that "APAP played a significant role in making parliament more effective in engaging with the budget process." The evaluation highlighted the importance of APAP's technical assistance and training in strengthening the legislative process and enhancing oversight capacity. The MOU signed between the National Assembly and a representative group of Afghan CSOs in May 2012 marked a significant milestone in the development of the NA of Afghanistan. The MOU allowed Parliament to draw upon the subject matter expertise offered by CSOs to support its legislative, oversight, and representation roles. However, translating the MOU into practice remained challenging, and working out the details of CSO access and accreditation to Parliament remained incomplete at the time the contract ended. APAP's efforts to promote the development of a Public Accounts commission and its support for the formation of the Public Accounts Subcommittee demonstrated the program's commitment to strengthening the legislative process and enhancing oversight capacity in the National Assembly. The program's impact on the budget process and its contribution to the development of a more effective and transparent parliament were significant, and its legacy continues to shape the legislative process in Afghanistan.