unitar fellowship for afghanistan brochure unitar... · afghanistan is finally emerging from...

Since 2003, the premier international training programme on post-conflict reconstruction for the best and the brightest Afghan public officials and civil society leaders.

UNITAR FELLOWSHIP FOR

AFGHANISTANBuilding Capacity for a Brighter Future

UNITAR HIROSHIMA OFFICEPost-Conflict Reconstruction Programme 2011

Afghanistan Civil Service Institute

Table of ConTenTs

Message from UNITAR’s Executive Director

Message from the Afghanistan Civil Service Commission Chairman

Fellowship Background

Achievements 2003 - 2010

Content, Workshops & Web Seminars

Methodology, Partners & Target Audience

Example of a Fellowship Cycle

Fellowship Cycle Structure and Flow

The Future: 2011 and Beyond

Post-Conflict Reconstruction & Capacity Building

A Sustainable Approach: ACTRA

Hiroshima Message for Peace

Fellowship Terms of Reference

Application Form

Letter of Nomination Form & Letter of Agreement

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Cover photo credit: UN Photo/WFP

Fellowship for Afghanistan www.unitar.org

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UNITAR PosT-CoNflICT ReCoNsTRUCTIoN PRogRAmme

messAge fRom UNITAR’s exeCUTIve dIReCToR

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), was chartered by the General Assembly with a mission to deliver innovative training to sustain human development. Since its inception in 1965, UNITAR has built sustainable partnerships acquiring unique expertise and accumulating experience and knowledge to fulfil this mandate. These accomplishments have enabled our organization to make concrete contributions to developing the capacities of tens of thousands of people around the world. Afghanistan is one of the best examples of the application of such training with a special focus on post-conflict reconstruction.

The UNITAR Fellowship for Afghanistan was launched in November 2003 as a result of discussions among many like-minded people in and around UNITAR, seeking to contribute, to Afghanistan’s recovery. These people shared a conviction that the ‘traditional’ approach to capacity building was not adequate and that a longer-term, personalized and flexible programme was necessary. I can say without hesitation that the Fellowship remains committed to these core principles, even as its structure and methodology have evolved significantly to better address the needs of its participants.

Now, at the beginning of the eighth cycle of the UNITAR Fellowship for Afghanistan, it is with a sense of reaffirmation of the Fellowship’s contribution that I am proud to announce the continuation of this exciting new phase of strengthened partnerships and the expansion of the programme’s impact as launched last year. The Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC) of Afghanistan, UNITAR’s main partner in the country, has demonstrated its faith and confidence in the initiative by announcing an annual contribution of twenty-five additional fellowships to the programme, thereby doubling its size for the period 2010 to 2012. I am convinced that UNITAR with the support of its partners around the world will continue to meet the needs of the Afghan professional community and live up to the faith placed in it by its Afghan partners.

It has been inspiring to see the strength and dedication of all those involved with the Fellowship - the Fellows, Coaches, Mentors, our partner institutions, and also the UNITAR staff at our Hiroshima Office. They have given reality to UNITAR’s vision and Afghanistan’s aspirations and therefore deserve my deepest gratitude and I wish them the best for this new phase as well.

Dr. Carlos LopesUnited Nations Assistant Secretary General, andExecutive Director, UNITAR

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messAge fRom THe IARCsC CHAIRmAN INdePeNdeNT AdmINIsTRATIve RefoRm

ANd CIvIl seRvICe CommIssIoN (IARCsC), AfgHANIsTAN

Afghanistan is finally emerging from decades of war and destruction. Though not out of the woods yet, the world is focused on our country, and for the Afghan people this is an opportunity to ensure that Afghanistan has the capacity to stand on its own feet and build a future for its people.

Since 2003, among our many partners and friends, UNITAR has been a strategic ally who, from the beginning has focused on the real transfer of capacities, driven by both the beneficiaries and Afghanistan’s needs. The UNITAR Fellowship for Afghanistan was created as a unique capacity building initiative to train the best and the brightest Afghan public officials, and to empower them as agents of change to lead the transformation of our nation. The Fellowship’s community of Alumni has now become a strong core of trained professionals with skill sets for project management, change management and human resource development. They are fast becoming a resource for IARCSC and other government and international agencies in Afghanistan, one which we would like to expand and grow.

Over time, the programme has been recognized for its distinctive methodology and unique study-trips to Abu

Dhabi, Dubai and Japan. This strategic alliance between IARCSC and UNITAR has thus far benefited more than two hundred Afghan government officials, academics and practitioners. I am fully convinced that the Fellowship provided more than just knowledge and skills – Fellows also carry with them the universal peace message of Hiroshima, and the certainty that one day their country will rise from the ashes just as Hiroshima did.

IARCSC, on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan, is proud of its association with this initiative and its partnership with UNITAR. Therefore as of this year we are happy to expand our annual contribution providing more scholarships for the programme, to ensure a wider and more lasting impact. We look forward to greater success for the Fellowship and its graduates over the years to come, to allow our government to meet its capacity-building goals for its people. Afghanistan has great potential and we are preparing the leaders of the future.

Dr. Ahmad MushahidChairman,Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission,Islamic Republic of Afghanistan


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The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Fellowship for Afghanistan was launched in 2003 as an annual seven-month long programme that aims at building capacity and enhancing the leadership, management and professional skills of a core group of senior government officials, academics and practitioners from Afghanistan. UNITAR’s regional office for Asia and the Pacific is located in Hiroshima, Japan, a community that has empowered UNITAR with knowledge and skills on post-conflict reconstruction. Sharing Hiroshima’s lessons following the Second World War, the Fellowship addresses important themes including: Strategic Planning, Organisational Development and Change; Project Design and Management; Human Resource Development and Accounting and Budgeting.

In 2010, the Fellowship Cycle included three international workshop sessions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Hiroshima itself and two local workshops undertaken in Kabul, in addition to six web-based seminars. Participants, known as Fellows, were also connected to a worldwide mentors’ network via audio and video. In addition, upon successful completion of the programme Fellows were awarded graduate level credits by a leading university in the United States of America.

Since the Fellowship’s inception the financial support of Hiroshima Prefecture has been essential, as has been that of Hiroshima City. As a more recent development, in partnership with the Afghan Civil Service Institute, and through the financial contribution from the Civil Service Commission and the US AID, the number of Fellowships in the UNITAR Hiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan Cycle has been expanded by an additional 25 slots for members of the Civil Service as of 2010.

long-term objectives

To support an Afghan cadre in the application of increased knowledge, to transform their ministries and their public sector as a whole;

To build a committed and highly capable Fellowship community in Afghanistan which can serve as a resource for planning and implementing capacity-building and training activities at the local and national levels.

fellowsHIP BACkgRoUNd


1 Transfer of Capacities1.1 afghan Resource Persons and lectures (faculty-in-training) Since the launch of this module five resource persons from Afghanistan developed and conducted training sessions during the five workshops, six Web-seminars and the audio-web conferences.

1.2.establishment of alumni association aCTRaThe Afghan Consultancy, Training and Research Association (ACTRA), an association of Afghan professionals trained by UNITAR (a general membership of 100 plus Alumni, led by a board of seven members), was established in March 2008.

1.3. expanded role of afghan CoachesThere have been six to seven Afghan Coaches each year since 2005, and up to ten coaches in 2010 (a total of 40 Coaches to-date)

Coaches are Afghan Mentors for their assigned group Coaches are co-managers of the programme with UNITAR, involved in the selection process, conduct and facilitation of Fellowship Orientation sessions, and input into the design and conduct of the Fellowship.

2. Team Projects Team projects have been an immediate and practically valuable output of each Cycle, as they are directly related to the Fellows’ workplaces and based on organizational needs assessments conducted by the Fellows themselves. Six to ten team projects each year, targeting organizations in various sectors such as health, finance, education, infrastructure etc. are designed, and many times implemented.

One example of projects successfully implemented in the past is the publishing of the updated and expanded Ariana Encyclopedia due to efforts of UNITAR Fellow, Professor Hafizullah Haddad, the Chairman of the Afghan Academy of Sciences Economics Department. Another example is the enlisting of the Kabul Polytechnic Institute (KPU) to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-Open Courseware Consortium, an initiative providing free access to extensive training materials and curriculums of courses taught at the MIT, the initiator of the consortium, and to other universities from around the world.

3. alumni transferring skills to Workplace Colleagues

4. fellows’ Career DevelopmentMultiple Fellows have been promoted, or have been awarded more responsibility since the completion of their training. Many have gone on for further international training on scholarships.

The Fellowship is particularly happy with its record with the prestigious international scholarships -- In the 2009 Cycle, 24 graduates, and in 2010 52 graduates of the Fellowship were awarded three graduate level academic credits from the University of Texas at Austin. Many Fellows have also credited their Fellowship training for their promotions.

ACHIevemeNTs2003 - 2010

17%15%13%13%9%

8%4%3%3%3% 2% 2% 2% 2%

2%

2% 2%

Ministry of Finance AISA Afghan BankCivil Service CommissionMinistry of Higher EducationMinistry of Public HealthMinistry of Rural Rehabilitation & Development (MRRD)Ministry of AgricultureMinistry of EconomyMinistry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of JusticeMinistry of PlanningMinistry of Reconstruction Ministry of Public WorksMinistry of Women AffairsMinistry of Water, Irrigation, and EnvironmentNational EnvironmentalProtection AgencyMinistry of EducationMiscellaneous

70333332332927

2010200920082007200620052003 / 2004

UnITaR fellowship for afghanistan

Fellows, Coaches and ARPs per Year

2003 to 2010 Cycles


Public Sector Organizations Covered

Alumni from 2003 to 2010 Cycles

2003/04 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

100%

50%

0%


Gender Distribution per Year

2003 to 2010 Cycles

Male

Female

» »


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Three international and two local workshops are held during each Fellowship Cycle, alternating with other training activities including six on-line web-seminars which are offered as part of a module on Human Resource Development and Management. The substantive topics are determined by the needs of the Fellows, but in general cover the following themes;

Organisational Development and Change »Tools for Maximization of Organizational Performance »Project Design and Proposal Writing »Project Management and Reporting »Accounting and Budgeting »Leading and Mentoring Teams »Communication Skills »Strategic Planning »Social Capital »

Mentors and Coaches Each Mentor/Coach team commits to oversee at least one group of five Fellows for the duration of the Fellowship. Mentors are experts, practitioners, or academics in a variety of disciplines who are based in different countries. They assist Fellows in meeting their professional goals, offer feedback on work submitted and give specific advice where needed. Coaches are selected from the most capable graduates and constitute the Fellowship’s mentoring arm in Afghanistan.

Coaching for Coaches To guide and support the Coaches in fulfilling their roles, a training module on Coaching for Coaches is offered. The careful selection of committed and competent alumni as Coaches and providing them with the appropriate training to serve in this role plays a key part in ensuring the success of the Fellowship programme.

Team Projects Based on their professional backgrounds, Fellows are divided into groups and required to identify a suitable team project that will constitute the basis of their work during the course of the Fellowship Cycle. The projects are related to the Fellows’ own work and departments, and focus on organizational development and change through training and capacity-building.

academic accreditation Since 2006 the University of Texas at Austin (UTA) has awarded three graduate academic credits for Fellows who meet the requirements. UNITAR places great importance on the accreditation of the Fellowship a tool in motivating Fellows to pursue higher academic degrees.

Module for afghan faculty The Fellowship community of Alumni and Faculty recognized the need and urgency to further transfer training capacities to Afghan colleagues, and to expand the roles of its Alumni network. To achieve this, selected Afghan Alumni from previous Cycles are invited to participate in the Fellowship as apprentice faculty. This is a structured module of the programme and each year a minimum of three to five Alumni undergo this process it for the duration of the Cycle.

Joint Training activities with the UnITaR alumni association The Afghan Consultancy, Training and Research Association (ACTRA), is an association of Afghan professionals trained by UNITAR, which was established in March 2008. It is driven by the commitment and aspirations of its members to serve as a think-tank of professionals from various fields, functioning as a network and support unit for training and research in Afghanistan. ACTRA began its activities by jointly organising and facilitating UNITAR training events in Kabul.

CoNTeNT, woRksHoPs & weB semINARs


MethodologyEvery year, the most able Fellows of each cycle are selected as Coaches for the next cycle, providing a source of continuity and strength for the Fellowship.

Curriculum Emphasis on Leadership and Mentoring: Endeavouring to widen the impact of the Fellowship,

UNITAR has placed special emphasis on methodology and skill development related to leadership and mentoring. The objective in this respect is to develop the capacity of each Fellow to be a leader and facilitator able to contribute to organizational and human resource development within his/her respective ministry or organization. It is also important to note that the Fellowship curriculum is “Learner-driven” and based on a “Tool Box” of Human Resources Management and organization development tools, selected and refined with each cycle.

The Fellowship undertakes a combination of different training methods with a series of skill-building activities, such as on-site workshops, study-trips, Mentor/Coach/Fellow communication, team projects and distance learning activities.

Partners and funding UNITAR has working relationships with the Hiroshima Prefecture, the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission of Afghanistan (IARCSC), the Afghan Civil Service Institute (ACSI), Hiroshima City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Afghanistan, Agha Khan Foundation Afghanistan, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) Afghanistan, the Singapore International Foundation, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Calgary, Hiroshima University, Microsoft Corporation USA, Tokyo Distance Learning Center Japan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and others. UNITAR works closely with the IARCSC in the implementation of the Fellowship. An official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in which both parties agreed to enhance and support the work of the other for the annual delivery of the Fellowship.

Target audience By working with senior Afghan government officials, academics and practitioners, the Fellowship targets some of the most influential participants in the reconstruction process and has to date developed a network of highly qualified professionals.

meTHodology, PARTNeRs & TARgeT AUdIeNCe


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Participants 55 Fellows (including at least six women) »

Government: 44 Afghan Civil Service Institute (12), »Ministry of Finance (6), »Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (5), »Da Afghanistan Bank (3) »Ministry of Public Health (3), »Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (2), »Ministry of Public Works (2), »Office of the President (2) »Council of the Ministers’ Secretariat (1) »Independent Directorate of Local Governance (1), »Independent Admin. Reform and Civil Service Commission (1), »Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1), »Ministry of Higher Education (1), »Ministry of Urban Development (1), »National Assembly of Afghanistan (1) »Office of Audit and Control (1) »Organization of Human Resource Development (1) »

academia: 3 nGos and International organizations: 8

Coaches, Mentors and International Resource Persons: 24 » Hiroshima University, Japan (2)» UNITAR Hiroshima Office, Japan (3)» University of Texas at Austin, USA (5)» University of Calgary, Canada (7)» Singapore International Foundation (4)» Lamb and Lamb Associates, USA (2)» Microsoft Corporation, USA (1)

afghan Resource Persons (Trainers-in-Training): 5

Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service »Commission, Afghanistan (1),

Ministry of Finance, Afghanistan (1) »United Nations Office for Project Services, Afghanistan (1) »The World Bank, Afghanistan (1) »CIDA, Afghanistan (1) »

activities Three international and two local workshops and three study trips to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Japan respectively:

1. Workshop I: Cycle Launch and Orientation(Kabul, May 2010)

2. International Workshop II - “Leadership and Organizational Development for Performance and Results” (Abu-Dhabi, July 2010)

3. International Workshop III - “Project Planning & Proposal Writing” (Dubai, July 2010)

4. International Workshop IV - “Leading Change inOrganizations – Change strategies and the project implementation process” (Hiroshima, November 2010)

5. Closing Workshop: Cycle After- Action-Review andLessons Learned (Kabul, February 2011)

additional activitiesSix Seminar Series on Human Resource Development and Management (HRD&HRM): I. “Introduction to human resources management and development” II. “Organizational Needs Assessment” III. “Tools for Performance Maximization”IV. “Result-Based Management”V. “ Developing Training as a Capacity Building Tool”VI. “Tools for Conflict Resolution ”

High-level Roundtable in Hiroshima on Post-conflict Reconstruction:Topic of 2010 roundtable was “Why is it important for Japan to continue to invest in Afghanistan’s reconstruction? – The anatomy of the Japanese policy for engagement”.

Distance learning: Regular e-mail communication with Mentors, video-conferences, and a minimum of twelve scheduled audio-web conferences and project-work sessions for each group.

Coaching for Coaches Module: 10 Coaches and 5 Afghan Resource Persons were trained through web conferences and on-site sessions.

exAmPle of A fellowsHIP CyCle: 2010


Workshop I -launch, orientation and assignment IThe Fellowship cycle is launched with a four-day orientation workshop managed primarily by the Coaches (the Fellowship’s mentoring arm in Afghanistan) and other Alumni facilitated by the Afghan Resource Persons (Faculty-in-training), and is supported by UNITAR and its representative in Kabul. The incoming Fellows are introduced to the Fellowship, its principles, requirements and culture, and in particular the roles of Coaches and Mentors. They are also briefed on their first assignment which is an individual assignment.

Workshops II and IIIAre held back to back at international venues in the region, and are an important milestone. After completing the individual assignment Fellows are ready to move on to the next phase of working as a team on a project. This is done through a series of teaching modules. Fellows are then given their second and third team assignments.

Where possible, workshops II and III are organized within the framework of a Study-trip to put the workshop content within the context of a productive and performing system of governance and economy.

Team Project Work (assignments II & III) and Web seminarsUpon return from the first two workshops, fellows begin work on the next two assignments related to the team project (a detailed plan for an organizational development or change project) with support from ARPs, Mentors and Coaches. Their work is further supported by the Afghan Resource Persons and the on-going web seminar series which offer training sessions on topics related to the team project assignments.

Workshop IV and studytrip to JapanThe training and project work culminates in the final meeting in Hiroshima. Fellows present their reports on team projects and receive extensive feedback. The workshop then focuses on the process of implementation of an organizational development or change project using the Fellows’ projects as case studies and the skills and tools required to lead change within an organization.

The Study-trip to Hiroshima addresses the leitmotif of the Fellowship which is lessons from Hiroshima’s post-conflict reconstruction – of its infrastructure, economy and spirit.

fellowsHIP CyCle sTRUCTURe ANd flow

Month 1

Workshop 1

Introduction to the Fellowship: Concepts of Coaching, Mentoring, e-learning,and learner-driven learning

additional tools: How to contract out roles between players in the Fellowship context: between the Coaches, Fellows and Mentors.Communication toolsfor Professionals: verbal and written

Month 2

Web-seminar 1

An introduction to human resources management and development.

Web-seminar 2

Organizational Needs Assessment

assignment 1

Conduct an Organization Needs Assessment within your organization(individual assignment

Month 4

Workshop 3

Project planning:Needs identification, identification of solution, scope, stakeholders, sponsors, methodology, resources, evaluation and monitoring, next steps

additional tools:Skills in proposal writing; fundraising; friendraisig

additional tools:Skills in coaching/facilitation, Individual workstyles; and team development

assignment 2

Team project: Development of a Change project conceptpaper/high level plan

Month 3

Workshop 2

Understandingleadership and organizational development as tools for maximizing performance within organizations. Understanding theperformance model, social capital, stakeholder analysis, problem mapping; change projects with transformational abilities; intro to result-based management

additional tools:Skills in coaching/facilitation, Individual workstyles; and team development

Month 5

Web-seminar 3

Tools for PerformanceMaximization: HR development, Performance appraisal, Coaching/giving feedback, Balanced scorecard, Benchmarking

Web-seminar 4

Result-based Management: detailed briefing and exercise

Month 6

Web-seminar 5

Training as a Capacity-building tool

Web seminar 6

Tools for Conflict Resolution – conflict mapping, ABC triangle, win-win solutions

assignment 3

Team Assignment – Develop a detailed project plan with fund-raising proposal if required

Month 7

Workshop 4

Leading project implementation

Leadership and Change in Organizations;

Understanding and managing the change processes;

additional tools:Evaluating team performance

Cycle After-Action Review and Lessons Learned Workshop

fellowship structure and Typical flow Chart*

* In-parallel to the Fellows’ on-going training, the Fellowship offers a Training of Trainers module for alumni from previous years who will become Coaches. In addition, a Trainers-in-Training module is offered for new Afghan Resource Persons (ARPs).

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Based on the success and visibility of its Fellowship for Afghanistan, UNITAR and the Afghan Civil Service Commission decided to double the size of the programme and offered 50 instead of 25 scholarships per year. In addition, an MoU was signed in 2010 which created the Afghan Gender Advancement and Capacity Building Programme consists of the Gender Equality Fellowship and the Annual Study-trip to Japan, one that goes beyond the Fellowship and includes the implementation of a residential programme at the Civil Service Institute in Kabul, utilizing UNITAR’s vast network of Afghan alumni and international trainers.

The timing is auspicious as Afghanistan and its allies have refocused their efforts from a military-centered approach to a nation-building strategy that encompasses among its main objectives the strengthening of government institutions and the improvement of government-delivered services. The Afghan administration believes that capacity building is the main strategy to achieve both objectives.

In that light both the United States and Japan have committed new resources that are to be invested beyond the rebuilding of infrastructure and institutions. With this renewed focus on education and training, the national government strategy has strengthened the Civil Service Commission as the main platform to achieve these objectives. The United States Agency for International Development and various Japanese government entities are significantly increasing their financial support of the Civil Service Commission as part of a new agreement recently signed in 2010 to train 12,000 civil servants in the next three years. UNITAR is already committed to support the expansion of the Civil Service Commission outreach.

THe fUTURe:2011 ANd BeyoNd


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“ We are confident that thousands of beneficiaries of these efforts will have a crucial role in bringing to fruition the dream of a peaceful, prosperous and integrated community in Afghanistan and the region. “

Alex Mejia, Head, UNITAR Hiroshima Office

The United Nations Organization believes that training and capacity-building has a fundamental role to play in post-conflict reconstruction, one which will always yield sustainable results. What could be more powerful than equipping people to be masters of their own reconstruction? With its institutional mandate of training UNITAR can play a valuable role in this field.

History has shown that effective post-conflict reconstruction differs from country to country, while there are also some lessons that have been learned which are common to all post-conflict situations. In developing the programme for Afghanistan, UNITAR has stayed cognizant of these truths. The Fellowship is a learner-driven programme, shaped and evolved by the in-programme feedback of the Fellows, and direct intellectual as well as procedural contributions of its alumni. UNITAR has also applied one of the key lessons learned from all post-conflict situations, that reconstruction is not achieved over-night. Sustained efforts over a period of time will have a greater impact. The Fellowship at a small scale has kept that central to its approach of staying with the Fellows through the larger part of each year, followed over the next few year by continued engagement and training at varying levels with the different members of the Alumni community.

UNITAR is proud to acknowledge that the one most tangible product of the Fellowship is this growing mass of like-minded, closely-connected and trained professionals who can be a core of strength in the Afghan reconstruction effort.

UNITAR hopes to apply the lessons learned and some of the methodology developed in Afghanistan to other post-conflict countries as well, with the understanding that the lessons and methodology will only be successful if adapted to each situation.

PosT-CoNflICT ReCoNsTRUCTIoN ANd CAPACITy-BUIldINg

“ Experts have alluded to the role of education as a pre-requisite for socio-economic stabilization, hope and opportunity because through education people can imagine what they can reconstruct.”

David Eaton, University of Texas, Fellowship International Resource Person


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The Fellowship main long-term objective is to build a committed and highly capable Fellowship community in Afghanistan which can serve as a resource for planning and implementing capacity-building and training activities at the local and national levels.

One of the most tangible realizations of this objective is

the Afghan Consultancy, Training and Research Association (ACTRA), an association of Afghan professionals trained by UNITAR, which was established in March 2008 by the Fellowship’s alumni network. It is driven by the commitment and aspirations of its members to serve as a think-tank of professionals from various fields, functioning as a network and support unit for training and research in Afghanistan.

In 2008 ACTRA started its activities by jointly organizing and facilitating with UNITAR five web seminars on Human Resource Development and Management. All seminars were facilitated in Kabul by ACTRA members. These activities have been significantly expanded with the Association and UNITAR jointly organizing two new training workshops. The special elements of these two events are that the Fellowship’s Alumni Trainers-in-training - the Afghan Resource Persons (ARPs) conduct the events as lead resource persons, and the management of the events is led by the Alumni selected to be Coaches.

Despite the fact that the Association is still relatively unknown in Afghanistan, it has received some very encouraging offers to take on projects from international and government agencies. Members of ACTRA, selected as Coaches and ARPs are co-managing the Fellowship with UNITAR, directing the evolution of the programme and taking ownership of its achievements. The

network has also increasingly become a resource for its members with peer-to-peer guidance and sharing of experiences.

UNITAR strongly believes that as the ACTRA and its Training-of-Trainer modules realize their full potential, then only the Fellowship will have achieved actual transfer of capacities.

A sUsTAINABle APPRoACH: ACTRATRANsfeR of CAPACITIes ANd THe vIsIoN foR THe

AfgHAN AlUmNI CommUNITy


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08:15 am on August 6, 1945, stands as a defining instant in the course of human history. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima served to usher in a new global era and transformed the name of the city into one that evokes the strongest of human emotions. The city stands, now more than ever, testament to the futility of conflict, to mankind’s abilities and folly and to its capacity for destruction. Yet more importantly the city stands as an eternally resonant symbol of rebirth.

Rising from the ashes of atomic destruction, Hiroshima has stood fast to three guiding principles for recovery: to forgive but never to forget, to undergo a self-imposed transformation from a military city to one of peace and to constantly strive for a world free of atomic weapons. Hiroshima is a city cursed by a past of militarism and conflict and at the same time one blessed by a modern history of visionary citizens committed to the future.UNITAR, as the first and only UN presence in the city, recognizes the universality of the message conveyed by Hiroshima and the intricate but powerful symbolism behind its reconstruction. Beyond the hard infrastructure, beyond the public spaces blessed with vibrant greens in a city which was portended to be sterile for decades, beyond the energetic yet intimate neighbourhoods and districts is a community – one which holds as its very identity the eternally human message of hope.

It is this message that will perhaps be Hiroshima’s greatest legacy. The human form that the post-conflict reconstruction of the city has taken is a waypoint in the complex process of recovery that can, that must, be shared with the world.

It is within this context that UNITAR developed its Hiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan programme. The experiences of both Hiroshima and Afghanistan, while horrifyingly unique, share parallels in regards to both the immediate and long-term needs of a post-conflict society. It is envisaged that the comprehensive nature of Hiroshima’s physical and emotional reconstruction can serve as a touchstone for Afghanistan, now emerging from decades of conflict and tragedy, on its long road to national healing.

HIRosHImA messAge foR PeACe

Each year we select the brightest career government officials to learn the

state of the art on public administration as a means of empowering them to

conduct change in their organizations... For the last six years this programme

has been the core of our strategy to build capacity in our nation...”

The Honourable omar Zakhilwal Miniter of Finance, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Public servants are readjusting their mindsets and understanding that they

owe their positions to the citizens of Afghanistan. Therefore they are

taking action based on the needs of the people first and responsibly

serving them in a professional and honorable manner...”

H.e. eklil a. HakimiVice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

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United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) United Nations Mission, 5th floor, 5-44 Motomachi, Naka-ku Hiroshima 730-0011, Japan www.unitar.org/hiroshima

Please contact us: [email protected] Tel +81 (0) 82 511 2424 Fax +81 (0) 82 211 0511

Visit our website: http://www.unitar.org/hiroshima

unitar fellowship for afghanistan brochure unitar... · afghanistan is finally emerging from...

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