USAID/AFGHANISTAN LARA: WORK PLAN–BASE PERIOD (16 MONTHS)

The project is implemented by Tetra Tech ARD, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project's primary objective is to strengthen the capacity of the Afghan government to manage and administer land, particularly in the areas of land registration, dispute resolution, and urban planning. Component 1 of the project focuses on assisting ARAZI, the Afghan government agency responsible for managing government-owned agricultural lands, to identify, manage, lease, and obtain revenue from Afghan government lands. Technical assistance will be provided to ARAZI on its organization and operation, as well as support for conducting diagnostics to evaluate existing and proposed legal frameworks for real estate and drafting changes to real estate legislation as needed. Component 2 of the project aims to build the capacity of private sector service providers to provide land-related services to the Afghan private and public sectors. Institutional support and strengthening of capacity will be provided in areas such as organization, financial management, procurement, contracting, and reporting. Technical support and capacity building will also be provided in technical services. Component 3 of the project supports MUDA, AGCHO, IDLG, and municipalities with informal settlements upgrading, formalization, mapping, and urban land use planning. Three municipalities outside Kabul will be selected to expand institutional support for land management services. Urban planning technical assistance will be provided in areas such as urban policy development, plan development and planning processes, land use regulations, planning for informal settlements upgrading, urban/settlement information systems, planning law, and legislative reforms. Component 4 of the project aims to strengthen land tenure security by supporting the Supreme Court and communities with rights formalization and informal dispute resolution. The project will evaluate the land registration system, design improvements, build capacity, and speed automation of land records. Inheritance laws will be evaluated and reformed to support women's access to land. Support will also be provided for land dispute resolution focusing on community and customary dispute resolution processes and institutions. Cross-cutting components of the project include gender and communications. The project will ensure that gender equity issues are applied across all components, and coordinate communications and PIA strategies across all components. Monitoring and evaluation will be conducted to assess the project's progress and impact. Collaboration with counterparts and other donors will also be facilitated to ensure the project's success. The project will be implemented over a 16-month period, from April 2011 to July 2012. The project's personnel and management structure will be established to ensure effective implementation. A security plan will also be developed to ensure the safety of project staff and stakeholders. The project's performance will be monitored and evaluated using a performance monitoring plan (PMP). The PMP will track the project's progress against established indicators and targets. The project's results will be presented and reviewed regularly to ensure that the project is on track to meet its objectives.