Provincial Reconstruction Team Helmand

Provincial Reconstruction Team Helmand

Insignia of PRT Helmand
Role Reconstruction/Area Security

The Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was established in September 2004. It was led by the US until 1 May 2006, when this responsibility was handed to the UK. HPRT ceased operations in LashKar Gah on 27 December 2013. With a core team of over 100 civilian and military staff it was once one of the largest PRTs in Afghanistan.[1]

Purpose

The PRT worked to deliver a provincial stabilisation and development plan that had been agreed between the Government of Afghanistan and international partners. The plan coordinated the efforts of 9 themes, or strands: Governance and Politics; Rule of Law; Counter-Narcotics; Population Engagement; Health; Education; Agriculture; Infrastructure and Private Sector Development. To deliver this Helmand PRT worked with the Government of Afghanistan, ISAF, and the ANSF.

The PRT has achieved its aim of building a strong platform for future governance and development in Helmand. HPRT will close before the end of 2014 in line with the timetable for PRT closures throughout Afghanistan set by President Karzai. HPRT’s focus has moved from stabilisation to transition. By the time of closure its work streams will be Afghan led. This is being achieved through the delivery of a single Helmand Plan that has been agreed between the Government of Afghanistan and its international partners.

Location

The Helmand PRT was headquartered in the province's capital, Lashkar Gah. It operated district field offices on military bases in Gereshk, Garmsir, Sangin, Nad-e Ali, Now Zad, Marjah, Khan-e shin and Musa Qalah. These offices are now closed.

Structure and Staffing

The Helmand PRT was part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and was located within Regional Command Southwest. HPRT was funded by the UK, USA, Danish and Estonian Governments. UK, US and Danish District Stabilisation Teams were located in 11 of Helmand’s 14 Districts. A Stabilisation Team typically comprised: civilian stabilisation advisers (STABADs); civilian specialists (e.g. in agriculture); a political adviser; and working with a UK Military Stabilisation Support Team (MSST), a US Civil Affairs Team or a Danish CIMIC (Civil Military Cooperation) Support Team. The teams brought together people with a range of backgrounds including development, politics, engineering and project management. Afghan members of the team played a vital role, bringing local knowledge and relationships. The Stabilisation Teams worked alongside the District Regimental Battle Group or Battalion Headquarters to coordinate civil and military activity.

The PRT combined the UK's Department for International Development, USAID and the Danish Governments development agency (DANIDA) to provide £6m support to this initiative.[2]

Governance

In 2006, there were no effective mechanisms in place for Helmandis to hold the Afghan Government to account for the provision of local services. Ministries in Kabul delivered only a narrow range of services, with provincial directorates unable to access funds through Ministries in Kabul. Civil servants were confined to Lashkar Gah. District Governors were present in only four districts. Women in Helmand did not have any kind of political representation.

There are now 11 District Governors installed in Nawa, Nad Ali, Gereshk, Sangin, Musa Qala, Garmsir, Naw Zad, Khaneshin, Marjeh, Dishu and Kajaki (with a Mayor in place in Lashkar Gah).

With PRT support, eight District Community Councils have been established in Helmand to empower local representatives to determine the direction of development and security in their district. More than 40,000 Helmandis have voted in District Community Council elections since 2009.

Infrastructure

PRT investment in Helmand’s neglected infrastructure network has improved links between economic centres, connected communities, and increased the Afghan Government’s reach across the province. The PRT has:

Helmandis’ perception of improvements to road security, road conditions and access to water have grown year-on-year since 2010;

Growth and Livelihoods

Helmand’s economy is overwhelmingly agricultural, so PRT activities have centred on the value chains that make up around 90% of Helmand’s economic activity: wheat, meat, fruits and vegetables, and cotton.

By 2014 the PRT will have:

Health

The PRT has worked closely with the Afghan Government to expand access to healthcare across Helmand. Almost 80% of the population now has access to healthcare within 10 km of their home.

The PRT has:

Education

The PRT has worked closely with the Afghan Government to increase access to primary and secondary education for girls and boys through a robust outreach campaign. Helmandi people’s satisfaction with education services has increased year-on-year since 2010.

The PRT has:

Justice

In 2006 Helmand had no effective formal justice system. The PRT has facilitated the Afghan Government’s delivery of a sustainable, transparent, accessible and accountable statutory justice system to a critical mass of Helmand’s population. Access to statutory justice in Helmand is now greater than it has ever been.

Policing

Through its mentoring and training, the joint Afghan/coalition policing effort has been instrumental in prompting improvements in professionalism and public perception of the police in Helmand. Increasingly the police are the main body responsible for providing security directly to the population, creating the space within which the justice sector can grow and connecting the Government to the people. The PRT has invested heavily in police infrastructure, by the time of PRT closure this will include:

Sustainability

The PRT is focused on consolidating the gains made since 2006. As the PRT draws down the international community’s support will increasingly be delivered from Kabul, connecting to Helmand through Afghan government ministries. The key to ensuring that services provided by the government, such as education and health, will continue to improve in Helmand beyond 2014 is strengthening the relationship between the mother ministries in Kabul and their line departments in the province. The achievements in Helmand in sub-national governance are influencing the Afghan Government’s approach toward this issue. HPRT and DFID Afghanistan are working with donors and officials to ensure the lessons learned through delivering governance in Helmand are considered by Kabul policy makers at a national level. The gains made in Helmand’s delivery of the rule of law will be sustained through ensuring that the Afghan legal officials, who the PRT have trained, are capable and confident in passing on their skills. The PRT has backed a visible international development presence in the province, helping the Provincial Governor to encourage UN agencies to support progress in Helmand.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dahl Thruelson (2008). "Counter Insurgency and a Comprehensive Approach: Helmand Province, Afghanistan" (PDF). Small Wars Journal.
  2. ↑ UK DFID Press Release. "Helmand Governor turns opium poppy fields into food zones". Retrieved 2008-12-15.
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