Provincial government, PRT host CERP budget workshop

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan –  The Kunar provincial government and the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team hosted a Commander’s Emergency Response Program budget workshop for line directors and district government leaders in the provincial capital, Jan. 27.

Kunar provincial governor, Fazlullah Wahidi, requested the workshop to teach the provincial and district government officials about CERP and how it will be used as a development budget to provide essential improvements throughout the province on priorities the government officials decide are important.

Every Kunar district sub-governor, provincial government line director and district development assembly member attended the training, along with their Coalition forces battlespace owner counterparts, who provided mentorship on the CERP budget process.

“Today’s meeting is to teach you about capacity building using new steps in a transparent manner because you work for your people,” Wahidi said in his opening remarks. “I asked (the PRT) for a workshop so you can sit and discuss among yourselves to learn how to do this. It is important you know this for the reconstruction and security in the districts.”

Wahidi spoke at length during his remarks about stamping out corruption and holding everyone accountable. He stressed that any corruption would be dealt with swiftly.

“It is against our religion and our culture, and it’s a crime to be corrupt. Robbery and corruption are not allowed and will be punished by the law,” Wahidi said. “The people and the international community will be watching us, and it will be unforgivable to be caught being corrupt.”

According to U.S. Navy Cmdr. Leonard Remias, PRT commander, the goal of the workshop was to ensure all the participants walked away with an understanding of what the CERP budget process was, how it could be used, and how the money was divided.

“We want to ensure everyone from the provincial government down to the district and village-level understands what the process is because everyone has a role and function in making this work,” Remias said. “We brought the commanders and civilian interagency team members here to discuss this process. You have all the experts in the room to answer your questions and help solve problems.”

Remias reinforced that the CERP budget process was the right way to get projects approved and funded while providing transparency from the bottom to the top.

After the opening remarks, the government officials broke into groups along district lines to discuss among themselves the CERP budget process. The PRT members and battlespace commanders worked with the individual groups to resolve issues and shed light on the CERP process.

In the end, the attendees walked away with an understanding of what the CERP budget process was and how they were to implement it to improve Kunar. 

According to U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jay Burgess, PRT lead engineer, the workshop was a success.

“It went pretty well. The complex part is that every district in Kunar isn’t at the same stage, and the districts are done a little different than the provincial-level,” Burgess said. “So, it was good for everybody to sit together and hear the different ways that things are done and explain why it is different in Dangam, than it is in Khas Kunar, than it is in Manogai. Everyone had an opportunity to listen and learn, and it was worth having everyone sit down and brainstorm and to hear why things are the way they are.”

Burgess said the workshop gave the participants an understanding of how CERP allows them to prioritize the needs of the villages through the districts up to the province to show the Government of Afghanistan is responsive to the needs of people living in Kunar. 

“They learned that whatever their needs are, they have a voice and a process to get money prioritized for it,” Burgess said. “Whether it is a school or a clinic or a retaining wall, we showed them there is a process to go through their GIRoA officials to talk about it, understand the need, and then have the need met.”

Burgess said the CERP budget increases the government’s capacity to govern while promoting civil infrastructure improvements in Kunar in a way that puts an Afghan face in the lead.

“The real change is that before most of the villager came to the PRT or a Coalition forces unit to address their needs,” Burgess said. “Now, this mechanism filters requests through the government lens. Instead of us prioritizing their needs, they do it. They execute CERP in accordance with the law, and we provide mentorship to them.”