Citizens' Charter National Priority Program
Introduction
The Citizens’ Charter National Priority Program (CCNPP) was officially launched by the President of Afghanistan, Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, in September 2016, immediately after the preliminary design and planning was completed. The CCNPP is one of the key national priority programs of the National Unity Government (NUG) aiming to reduce poverty, improve socio-economic conditions for communities and check out-migration of young people. Spread over ten-years, and divided into 3 phases, the Citizens’ Charter is a contract between the Government and its citizens over a basic set of Minimum Service Standards (MSS) that will be provided by the Government to all communities in the country. The CCNPP MSS are shared across multiple line ministries in an excellent new initiative of creating synergies and cross-collaboration in service delivery across sectors.
Vision
A strong, vibrant, and self-reliant nation where all citizens can live healthy and prosperous lives.
Mission
To ensure basic services across the country through a joint commitment of the people and the government.
Objectives
The Citizens’ Charter aims to build united villages, neighborhoods, cities, improve the relationship between the Government and its people and reduce poverty by providing basic services. By channeling resources and support, the Government will ensure the means to develop villages and cities as the CDCs will lead the development process and make sure that all men, women, and children are included in development initiatives and activities. Communities will participate in planning building/rehabilitating the projects, monitoring progress and the Government’s provision of the minimum services.
The Government and Citizens’ Commitment:
Afghanistan’s people are the nation’s greatest asset and the Government’s partner in development. The Government will provide the resources, support, advice, and CDCs and Cluster CDCs have the responsibility to be fair and make sure that poor women, men and children benefit from government schemes, programs, and services, just as the women, men and children from families that are better off do.The services that the Government will provide are to fulfill the Afghan people’s rights to have a minimum of services so that they can live healthier lives, have the means to fulfill their potential, and raise educated children who will build a better future. CDCs and their sub-committees are central to the management, fair allocation, and use of external funds, but they also have the responsibility to find ways to apply internal resources for development. They should create the environment where people who live in a village work together and consider what resources, skills, talents they have and how they can better use these so that poor families can earn more income. CDCs’ Community Development Plans and the needs and priorities that communities identify will feed back into national plans and budget allocation.
Roles and Responsibilities of Line Ministries:
Services Delivery – Minimum Services Standards/Menu.The Government will ensure the following in rural areas: Universal access to clean drinking water (One water point per 25 households, providing 25 liters of water per person per day).
Rural Infrastructure: Communities will have at least one of the following services:
• Basic road access: within two kilometers walking distance from nearest accessible rural road
(accessible areas only).
• Small-scale irrigation infrastructure: This includes: intakes (for secondary/tertiary canals); water
divider; water control gates; siphon; water reservoir up to 10,000 M3 capacity; rehabilitation or construction of small irrigation canal; protection wall; gabion wall; aqueducts; super passage.
• Basic electricity: 100 watt per household through solar, micro hydro, biogas or wind (only in areas that cannot be reached by the grid).
- Quality education in government schools as part of Ministry of Education’s existing education standards: Students will have 24 hours per week of education in grade 1-3, 30 hours of education in grade 4-6 and 36 hours of education in grade 7-12.
- Delivery of basic package of health services, as part of the Ministry of Public Health’s existing health package: Health facilities will comply with required opening hours (8am to 4pm), required staffing requirements, and provide mandated services.
- Comprehensive Health Centre: Antenatal, delivery, postpartum and newborn care, routine
- immunization, nutrition interventions.
- Health Post: Awareness on malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections, referral to health
- facilities and health education.
- Health Sub-Centre: Treatment of pneumonia,
- diarrhea, and malaria, antenatal care, family
- planning, tuberculosis case detection and referral and immunization services.
- Basic Health Centre: Outpatient care, immunizations and maternal and newborn care, nutrition interventions.
- The Government will ensure the following
- in urban areas:
- Urban communities (Under one CDC) can choose one or more services from the list below:
- Street upgrading and drainage
- Solid waste management
- Provision of potable water
- Household numbering
- Provision of potable water network
- Park/recreation area/playground for children and women
- Livelihood projects for women
- Roles and Responsibilities of Community Development Councils
Principles: The Citizens’ Charter and the work of Government (at all levels), the elected bodies (CDCs, CCDCs, and DCCs); the Facilitating Partners will be guided by the following principles:
• CDCs and Cluster CDCs will guide and oversee development in their communities, and account for the allocation and use of all external resources to the people whom they represent and the government and donors.
• CDCs must establish mechanisms and plans to maintain public infrastructure.
• Equitable and fair resources allocation and services delivery must be ensured and elite capture (locating resources or allocating funds for the benefit of a few) must be avoided.
• Social responsibility and integrity will be rewarded while fraud and misuse of funds must be avoided
considering that it can lead to losing funding from
Government.
• Development processes in communities will be
participatory, inclusive, learning and action-oriented, transparent, and accountable.
• Poor men and women must be included in local bodies and activities (CCDCs/ sub-committees;
planning, implementation, monitoring).
• Community diversity and unity are central to the work.
• Community Development Plans (CDPs) must take into accounts the needs and problems of women, as well as marginalized and vulnerable groups.
• CDCs and their communities will ensure the security of development and humanitarian workers.
• CDCs will engage those who cause insecurity in discussions, encourage them to support development activities, and stop creating insecurity.
• Contribute to the eradication of poppy cultivation in
village and support the fight against opium cultivation, raise awareness of communities, mainly farmers, to not cultivate opium and find alternatives.
• Support and stand in Solidarity with the Government.