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Capacity building for local authorities and non-governmental organisations, health care, education and agricultural efficiency are among Lithuania’s priority areas for financing reconstruction efforts in Ghor province this year.

On 3 April in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis acquainted himself with results of newly implemented projects of development cooperation and with current activities. He also met with members of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

In 2012, Lithuania, in cooperation with the central government of Afghanistan, Japan and the U.S., intends to complete the construction of a child day care centre in Chaghcharan. A set of vocational training centres are also constructed on its territory.

Last year, Lithuania financed the cost of pavement of the first few kilometres of streets inside Chaghcharan. This year, Japan and the central government of Afghanistan will also contribute to the street paving.

The building of the hospital in the capital of Ghor province is currently reconstructed. Lithuania, Greece and Japan have contributed to the reconstruction works, which are to be completed by 2014.

“Having launched large scale projects and made a relatively humble financial contribution, Lithuania managed to rally support of Afghanistan’s authorities and other donor countries for the implementation of these projects,” Ažubalis said at the meeting with the PRT members.

This year, six projects funded under Lithuania’s Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme are also implemented in the spheres of agricultural development, engineering services and archaeology, capacity-building for authorities and non-governmental organisations, and the veterinary control in Afghanistan. In 2012, Lithuania intends to allocate a total of 1 million Litas for the implementation of development cooperation projects in Afghanistan. 

From 2006 to 2011, Lithuania allocated a total of 15.37 million Litas for the implementation of 169 projects in the province of Ghor under Lithuania’s Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among Lithuania’s priority areas there were: social protection and sustainable development (83 projects), good governance and the rule of law (29 projects), and education (27 projects).

From Chaghcharan Ažubalis sets out to Kabul and will participate in the conference on the development of Ghor. The conference will evaluate results of donor activities in Ghor, future obligations and will discuss the opportunities for improving cooperation and coordination of activities, priorities, future plans for Lithuania’s participation in the reconstruction of the province after the completion of the process of transfer of responsibility for the province to the Afghan authorities.