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IRD Releases Case Study on Community Stabilization Programs in Afghanistan
ARLINGTON, VA–May 5, 2014–International Relief and Development (IRD) today released “Empowering Citizens, Engaging Governments, Rebuilding Communities: Afghanistan,” the latest in the global development organization’s Case Studies in Community Stabilization series.
The booklet details IRD’s role in Afghanistan from 2006 to the present through the accounts of IRD’s donors, implementers, and Afghan citizens. The report reviews how IRD is helping Afghanistan with the challenges of building a stable, self-sufficient, and well-governed society. IRD works both to strengthen government capacity and to rebuild community resiliency and engagement with local and national leadership.
The study offers a new definition of stabilization, based on IRD’s work in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans. It also outlines results and outcomes in Afghanistan to date, lessons learned, and recommendations for future stabilization activities.
James Kunder, Former USAID Action Administrator and Assistant Administrator for Middle East Affairs and member of IRD’s advisory board, writes in the study’s afterword:
Stabilization is here to stay. Defined in this case study as ‘efforts to end social, economic and political upheaval, and to begin reconstruction, including efforts to develop or redevelop institutions that foster self-governance, social and economic development and security,’ stabilization will continue to be a growth industry.