| Project Detail |
PROJECT INFORMATION
Since 2016, there have been a significant number of Afghan refugees returning to the country. The
number of internally displaced within Afghanistan due to conflicts, droughts and mounting insecurity has
also risen significantly. Together the returnees and IDPs have concentrated in some provinces and
especially in some cities. The high influx of displaced populations in some areas has also added to the
pressures on the host communities on limited resources, public infrastructure and economic and
employment opportunities. The Project Development Objective (PDO) of the EZ-Kar is to strengthen the
enabling environment for economic opportunities in cities where there is a high influx of displaced people.
The EZ-Kar duration is from 2019 to 2023 (5 years), and includes a coverage/ target area of Afghan
refugees in Pakistan, and the cities of Kabul City (Kabul Province), Jalalabad (Nangarhar), Kandahar City
(Kandahar Province), Herat City (Herat Province), Puli Khumri (Baghlan), Maimana (Faryab), Ferozkoh/
Chaghcheran (Ghor), Khost Matun (Khost province), Asadabad (Kunar), Kunduz City (Kunduz Province),
Mehtarlam (Laghman), Parun (Nuristan), and Taloqan (Takhar). The EZ-Kar essentially includes the
following core components:
Component #1: Regional and National Integration of Displaced Persons, to be implemented by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). It provides technical assistance, institutional support and training,
necessary equipment, and operational assistance to MoFA to: (a) enhance its capacity to provide
consular services (such as issuance of passports and verification of certificates); (b) develop and
implement a joint communication strategy for MoFA and MoRR to disseminate information to Afghan
refugees in Pakistan in order to facilitate their access to economic opportunities and social services
through information centers at MoFA missions in selected cities of Pakistan, in collaboration with MoRR;
and (c) support day-to-day implementation of this Component. Total budget = US$ 4.5 million.
Component #2: Short Term Employment Opportunities, Reforms and Market-Based Infrastructure, to be
implemented by the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), via its urban Citizens’ Charter
Afghanistan Project’s Project Implementation Unit (CCAP PIU). This component includes essentially a
labor intensive, cash-for-work program (Maintenance and Construction Cash Grants) that targets poor
households as beneficiaries, providing enough labor and payments to sustain the poor households
through one lean season. Around 1,100 urban communities will be targeted with these MCCG grants of US$ 27,000 each. This Component also includes the establishment of urban Gozar Assemblies (GAs)
and parallel Business Gozars (BGAs), each of which will receive a sum of US$ 200,000 for prioritized
market-based infrastructure development/support. This Component will cover 12 of the 13 prioritized
cities, except Kabul. Municipal-level regulatory reforms also fall under this Component. Total budget =
US$ 120.5 million.
Component #3: Prioritized Urban Investments in Four Provincial Capital Cities (PCCs), to be
implemented by the IDLG, via its City Investment Project’s Project Implementation Unit (CIP PIU). This
component will cover the cities of Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Khost Matun. Performance grant
allocations for prioritized urban investments will be awarded against achievement of specific performance
criteria in three cycles. Four participating PCCs will receive 5 percent of the formula-based allocation
investment financing amount following the submittal of a “Municipal Investment Platform” (Cycle-1). The
remaining financing for investments will be distributed in two subsequent budgetary cycles awarded
based on the level of compliance by the municipality with the public financial management triggers. Total
budget =US$ 25 million.
Component #4: Market Based Infrastructure and Regulatory Reforms, to be implemented by the Kabul
Municipality (KM) for within its own coverage area. The KM will develop and implement several regulatory
reforms with the immediate focus on simplification of construction permits. Other reforms relevant to
Doing Business (DB) indicators will also be supported. The KM will identify “Priority Project” investments
through consultations with businesses. The funding for these investments will be released in three
tranches and will be conditional on meeting the regulatory reform triggers for this component. Total
budget = US$ 40 million.
Component #5: Red Carpet and Program Coordination, to be implemented by the Ministry of Economy
(MoEc). The first of its sub-components seeks to move the government from providing “red tape”
(bureaucratic/difficult processes) to providing a “red carpet” (an investor friendly way of operating) through
the provision of technical and operational assistance to MoEC for supporting national regulatory reforms
and feasibility assessment of business service centers in selected cities. Its second sub-component
mandates MoEC as responsible for inter-ministerial coordination within GoIRA for overall management
and project oversight across the IAs, for all aspects of the EZ-Kar. Total budget = US$ 10 million |
