日本アフガンNGOネットワーク
Japan Afghan NGO Network
JANN Afghanistan Briefing Pack
Section 4. Useful points for Japanese NGOs
4.1 Japanese aid to Afghanistan
For Japanese government policy towards Afghanistan, see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage
For NGO activities, please download this PDF file
Box 4: NGO Legislation and NGO Code of Conduct
Since 2002 there have been two initiatives underway to clarify what is, and what is not, a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation (NGO), and to strengthen the accountability and transparency of NGO activities in Afghanistan.
The first is NGO legislation that is designed to: determine what an NGO is; determine permissible activities of NGOs; determine criteria for establishment and internal governance of NGOs; clarify reporting requirements for NGOs; enable profit-making bodies currently registered as NGOs to establish themselves as businesses; and enhance transparency and accountability of NGOs. The NGO law was passed in June 2005.
The second is an Afghanistan-specific NGO Code of Conduct, designed by the NGO community itself as a self-governing mechanism to ensure commitment to transparency, accountability and professional standards from all signatories. The four major NGO coordination bodies in Afghanistan − Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), Afghan NGOs Coordinating Body (ANCB), Southern and Western Afghanistan and Balochistan Association for Coordination (SWABAC) and Afghanistan Women's Network (AWN) − jointly drafted the text of the code. The NGO community publicly launched the Afghanistan NGO Code of Conduct on 30 May 2005. In order to be a signatory to the Code of Conduct, NGOs are required to submit several documents to prove their NGO status, including legal registration documentation, coordination body membership, financial records and other organisational documentation. At the time of writing, 86 NGOs had begun the application process, which is being administered by the Code of Conduct Secretariat at ACBAR
(AREU A-Z Guide Aug. 2005)
4.2 Practical Issues
(JCCP - Yutaka Hayashi)
4.2.1 Immigration
The safest way is to arrive by airplane. Entry by road is not very advisable considering the security situation. In particular if you use a white Land Cruiser you will be easily marked out as a target by insurgents.
It seems to be safer to change planes in Dubai than in Islamabad, although there are certain to be differences of opinion about this issue amongst different NGOs. It is crucial to establish a clear consensus within each organisation.
4.2.2 Visas
The cost of applying for an Afghan visa in Japan is relatively high − at 3,750 Yen for a 15 day visa (the shortest possible visa). In the case of a long stay, it is possible to apply for a visa extension after entering the country (the cost of this visa is cheaper than one obtained in Japan) . 2 photos and a supporting letter are required. In JCCP's experience, it is possible to obtain a visa within one week.
4.2.3 Insurance
For Japanese citizens, it is advisable to obtain insurance from a Japanese insurance company. At the time when you draw up the contract it is vital to agree with the insurance company the particular details relating to a conflict situation. At present there is not adequate information relating to insurance for Afghan locally employed staff.
4.2.4 Food
Afghan food is rather oily, and so it does not agree well with Japanese people in general. For Japanese people it is very common to suffer stomach upsets from particularly oily Afghan food. Meanwhile the tap water regularly carries harmful bacteria and so it is necessary to buy treated water for drinking. In summer when the temperature reaches up to 40 degrees, it is easy to suffer from dehydration and so it is important to drink enough water.
In Kabul city there are outbreaks of cholera, and so it is best to avoid eating out as far as possible, and to make a rule of heating all food very thoroughly. It is necessary to drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of water every 24 hours.
Regarding products from the south of Afghanistan, there are concerns of contamination with depleted uranium, and so it is advisable to avoid these products. You should consult a doctor if you have repeated headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite or other such symptoms.
4.2.5 Health
Maintaining a healthy state of mind is a very important element of maintaining overall health and resilience. It is important to take regular R&R so as to keep the mind refreshed.
It is easy to become unhealthy by eating food to which you are not accustomed, or very oily Afghan food. Hence it is a good idea to do as much exercise as possible. Also, because Afghanistan is overall fairly high above sea level, for people brought up in Japan it is common to suffer from headaches and lethargy when they first arrive. It is necessary to acclimatise the body to levels of around 2000 metres above sea level.
Taking leave roughly every three months helps to maintain overall health and also increases productivity. The medical section of the Japanese Embassy recommends taking leave once every 2-3 months.
4.2.6 Security
- Landmines exist across the country and so it is necessary to be extremely cautious when visiting unknown areas. Moving by foot should be avoided at all costs.
- In cases where there is no choice other than to walk, it is advisable to follow existing footprints.
- Old military vehicles or equipment are highly dangerous and must not be touched.
• If you discover animal corpses and dead patches of grass in a particular area, then take special care because these may be signs that chemical weapons have been used in that place.
• The risk of attack or kidnapping has become greater in the run up to the elections on September 18 th , 2005. The security situation is difficult to predict. When leaving the office, it is necessary to take adequate communications equipment (radio, mobile phone, satellite phone) and food and water, and to announce what time you expect to return.
• When travelling in a vehicle, make sure to lock the doors and try not to open the windows. If you are stopped at a check-point which does not usually exist, try to show your ID without opening the window. It is important to make contingency plans for what to do in the case that your vehicle is attacked.
• Be particularly careful when travelling at night.
4.2.7 Contingency planning for emergencies
It is necessary for each organisation to lay out clear criteria and a clear evacuation plan for what to do in case of emergency. Registered NGOs that usually keep their distance from one other ought to cooperate as much as possible in cases of emergency. If a large scale military conflict breaks out, several hours before it erupts, satellite phones and mobile phones will become unusable because of the disturbance. It is also likely that wireless internet will suffer the same problem. Hence it is very important to make contingency plans for communications. (During riots, mobile phone companies become prime targets for attack, and so it is dangerous to become over-dependent on mobile phones)
4.3 Resources and further reading
(Christian Dennys and Chihiro Imai)
General / Travel writing
Danziger, N (1987) Danziger's Travels ; Beyond Forbidden Frontiers
Elliot, J (2000) An unexpected light
Fergusson, J (2004) Kandahar Cockney: A Tale of Two Worlds
Kremmer , C (2002) The Carpet Wars
Newby, E (1960s) A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (Picador Books)
Stewart , R (2004) The Places in Between
Zoya, with john Follian and Rita Crisofari (2002) Zoya's Story; An Afghan woman's struggle for Freedom
Politics/History
Adamec, L (1997) Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Md &London
Donini, Niland and Wermester (2003) Nation-building Unraveled: Aid, Peace and Justice in Afghanistan
Dorronosoro, G (2005) Revolution Unending, Afghanistan: 1979 to the present
Dupree, L (1974 & 1998) Afghanistan
Edwards, D (2002) Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad
Goodson, L (2001) Afghanistan's Endless War―State Failure, Regional Politics, and the Rise of the Taliban University of Washington Press
Johnson, C and Leslie, J (2004) Afghanistan: The Mirage of Peace
Mistra, A (2004) Afghanistan Polity
Maley, W (2002) Afghanistan Wars Palgrave Macmillan
Rashid, A (2001) Taliban: The story of Afghan Warlords
Roy, O (1990) Islam and Resistance in Afghanistan
Rubin, B (2002) The Fragmentation of Afghanistan
Scarecrow Press (1996) Historical Dictionaries of Wars, Revolution and Civil Unrest, No.1 The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lahham, Md & London
<previous>