Kabul City Initiative (KCI) Monthly Report: October 2011

The program's goal is to increase the capacity of city officials, improve the delivery of municipal services, and increase municipal capacity to generate revenue and account for expenditures and revenue. KCI's capacity building efforts focus on training and procedures. The Future Leaders Internship Program was officially inaugurated by the Mayor in October 2011, with 50 interns trained in municipal management, basic business functions, and English language skills. The program includes a 72-hour English language course and a public speaking course, with students video-taped delivering presentations at the beginning and end of the program. In addition to training, KCI has also focused on drafting internal policy documents for the Kabul Municipality. During the month of October, both Dari and English versions of 36 internal policy documents were drafted and are now under review by the KM team. These policies cover a range of topics, including IT, administration, human resources, revenue, sanitation, greenery, streets, cultural affairs, public information, urban planning, and more. The drafted policies include the ICT Equipment Use Policy, ICT Internet Use Policy, Social Media Policy, Printer Use Policy, Email Policy, Mobile Phone Use Policy, Password Policy, Fuel Reduction Policy, Green House Gas Policy, Municipal Asset Policy, Municipal Building Use Policy, Anti-Corruption Policy, Business License Policy, Cash Management Policy, International Donor Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy, Human Resource Policy, Municipal Employee Training Policy, Employee Gift Policy, Employee Health & Wellness Policy, Safi Collection & Payment Policy, Recycling Policy, Urban Forestry & Maintenance Policy, Snow Removal Policy, Street Banner Policy, Street Sign Policy, Sanitation Policy, International Zoo Standards Policy, Public Participation Policy, Media Policy, Land Use Policy, Construction Permit Policy, Wireless Security Policy, Blogging Policy, Workplace Violence Policy, and Park Management Policy. Once the Administrative Policy Manual is completed and adopted, the next step will be to assist KM in drafting standard operating procedures to correspond to the new policies and reference the associated laws. KCI has also produced promotional materials, including brochures, posters, and flyers, to support the program's public outreach efforts. In terms of achievements, KCI has completed seven service delivery projects in October and has 46 more ongoing. Seven districts have been fully renovated with new wiring, renovations, and digitization equipment installed. The contract for the construction of the Taimani Park project in District 4 has been awarded. Future Leaders and ICDL Trainings have been formally kicked off by the Mayor. The original seven Working Groups have been reduced to four. The first ever Women Council elections have been held in Kabul Municipality. Two Women's Business Development campaigns have been held. The translation of the review of the Public Finance and Expenditure Management Law (PFEML) has been completed. Overall, KCI's efforts are focused on building the capacity of the Kabul Municipality and improving the delivery of municipal services to citizens in Kabul. The program's achievements demonstrate progress towards its goals, and its ongoing efforts will continue to support the development of effective, responsive, transparent, and accountable municipal governance in Kabul.