KABUL - Taking a labour based approach to the projects it helps manage for donors and the Afghan Government, UNOPS will help its partners create 20,000 thousand jobs for the poor in Afghanistan in 2010.

Dari - Pashto

Ask Afghans what they see as the biggest challenge facing Afghanistan right now and the lack of sustainable livelihoods comes at the top of the list. In a country where 42% is estimated to live in poverty this comes as no surprise.

Without income generating activities, the 39% of Afghan households which go hungry everyday are incapable of improving their situation and building stronger communities, more resistant to economic ups and downs. As a result, creating sustainable livelihoods and employment for the poor is one of the key priorities of both the Afghan Government and the international donor community.

Since 2002, UNOPS and its partners together with the Afghan Government have already helped create more than 12 million labor days through the National Rural Access Program (NRAP) alone generating vital income for families throughout all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

During 2010, UNOPS will continue to work with the international donor community and the Afghan Government on development projects which generate employment. As a result, close to 20,000 households and their members will be provided with income generating activities this year helping at least 80,000 people to better lives.

In Saripul and Samangan provinces alone, UNOPS will support the Swedish Agency for International Development Assistance (SIDA) generate an estimated 250,000 labor days on the continued rehabilitation of roads.

UNOPS will also continue to provide valuable support to the implementation of the Government of Afghanistan’s nationwide road rehabilitation program the National Rural Access Program (NRAP) funded by the World Bank and the Trust Fund for Afghanistan. As a result, 2010 will see the generation of an impressive five million labor days for local Afghans all over the country.

Several other employment generating infrastructure projects will be carried out in 2010. In Kandahar, UNOPS will work with the Japanese Government; in Bamyan UNOPS will continue to work with the Italian Government; and in Faryab UNOPS will work on road construction with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Creating employment for the Afghan people is a high priority for the international community. Thus, in projects where UNOPS is involved we aim to take a labor based approach where the ratio between heavy machinery and workers provides high levels of employment generation for the local communities while ensuring a high quality of delivered outputs.