Assistance to Legislative Bodies of Afghanistan (ALBA) Quarterly Report: January to March 2016

(DAI). The project aims to support the development of the Afghan Parliament to enable it to operate as an independent and effective legislative, representative, and oversight body. The project's overarching Assistance Objective (AO) 1 for Democracy and Governance in Afghanistan is "Improved performance and accountability of governance." Five intermediate results (IRs) comprise this AO, with ALBA supporting the third IR, "Strengthened governance and service delivery at national and sub-national levels." ALBA's work under the project supports the development of the Afghan Parliament in four key areas: Legislative Support, Oversight, Outreach, and Institutional Development of the Parliament. The project's objectives are to strengthen legislative processes, improve oversight, increase outreach capacity, and increase institutional development of the Parliament. The project's activities are focused on supporting the commissions as a vehicle for many of ALBA's activities. During the 12th Quarter (Year 3, Quarter 4) of January-March 2016, ALBA supported both Houses in their legislative agendas and saw progress under all four of the project's objectives. Key legislation deliberated and passed or rejected during this quarter includes the Wolesi Jirga's rejection of the 1395 (2016) proposed National Annual Budget, proposed amendments to the Structure, Duties, and Powers of the IEC and IECC Law, and amendments to the Electoral Law. Under Objective One – Strengthened Legislative Processes, ALBA advised and briefed commissions on several key pieces of legislation and international treaties, including the Transit Duties Law, Income Tax Law, and Civil Service. Work continued on the draft Whistleblowers' Protection Law and the Legislative Team began assistance to the WJ Women's Affairs Commission as it drafts an Anti-Harassment Law. Under Objective Two – Improved Oversight, the ALBA Budget & Oversight team provided helpful clarification and expertise on the FY 1395 National Budget, which was brought to plenary and passed shortly before recess. During the recess period, the ALBA Oversight team worked on the next issue of the Budget & Oversight Bulletin, which will contain a wide range of topics of national interest. Under Objective Three – Increased Outreach, the ALBA Outreach Team supported commission oversight trips from both Houses to Herat, Farah, Nimroz, and Helmand provinces. The trips investigated several issues brought to the attention of Parliament and met with over 500 citizens at public meetings in Nimroz and Farah. Additionally, work began on preparations for an upcoming Youth Parliament and ALBA facilitated the Gender Network meeting organized by Afghan Women's Educational Center. Under Objective Four – Increased Institutional Development, the Afghanistan Parliamentary Institute (API) continued a full course schedule with a variety of courses ranging from International Organizations to the Legal System of Afghanistan. The API also had new electives giving greater focus to business management skills such as Monitoring & Evaluation and Audits, Budgeting Systems, and Records Management. The project's performance monitoring is ongoing, with regular reporting on progress towards the project's objectives and indicators. The project's activities are focused on supporting the development of the Afghan Parliament to enable it to operate as an independent and effective legislative, representative, and oversight body.