5 August 2009 - Outgoing provincial council members in Nangarhar province have a piece of advice for new council members who will be elected in the 20 August elections: engage more with the media.

During a half-day workshop organised by the Eastern Regional office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the outgoing council members said active engagement with the media helps them highlight their good work, which otherwise goes unnoticed.

Provincial council member, Tahir Zaher, said the media could be used as one of the best tools of communication with the people.

His advice for an active media engagement was strongly endorsed by nine other council members who participated in the workshop.

Out of fifteen council members of the largest province in the region, 10 of them (including two women) participated in the UNAMA-organized event, in the middle of the election season.

“This is a strong indication of how they view UNAMA because they are also busy with the election season and some are even standing in the polls,” said Nicholas Hercules, a Governance Officer with UNAMA.

Mr Hercules said the workshop was a part of UNAMA’s support to the council’s institutional growth.

During the workshop, council members produced a handover note, which will be shared with the new provincial council that will be elected in the elections.

Their other advice for the incoming council is: unity among the members, clear understanding of individual responsibilities and effective coordination.

“We should take one united stand while tackling problems,” they said.

Each of the 10 members took time to review their work over the past four years, they discussed what worked, what didn’t, achievements and problems and advice for the new council.

They cited resolution of land disputes, implementation of the rule of law, the counter-narcotics drive and contributions to the DIAG (Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups) programme, among others, as achievements.

Lack of funding, they said, was the major hindrance to implementation of various development projects.

By Tilak Pokharel, UNAMA