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Afghanistan

MUIDS

Position Paper
Alliance of NGOs for Afghanistan
The issue for Afghanistan is: Poverty
Afghanistan is a landlocked mountainous country with plains
in the north and south. It is located within South Asia and Central
Asia (Afghanistan, 2016). There are about 31.6 million peoples living
in Afghanistan and the life expectancy for Afghan men is 59 years
and 62 years for women. As the Alliance of NGOs, we are really
concerned about the living condition and poverty that is occurring in
Afghanistan. Poverty is widespread throughout rural and urban
areas. The International Fund for Agriculture Development or IFAD
(2012), a specialized agency of the United Nations, states that the
government estimates that 42% of the country's total population
lives below the national poverty line. Another 20% of the people live
just above that line and are highly vulnerable to the risk of falling
into poverty. Poverty is most severe in the Northeast, Central
Highlands and parts of the Southeast. The provinces of Daikundi,
Badakhstan, Zabul, and Paktika represent large pockets of poverty
(Rural Poverty Portal, 2012).
In addition, Afghanistan does not only suffer from poverty
alone, but half of the population still live with the lack of access to
resources, clean water, sanitation, food, electricity, and raw
materials. Life can be very difficult with the lack of basic needs that

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is necessary for human survival. Poverty can also be linked to many
problems, including education, job, unequal human rights, and war
issues.
The rate of uneducated peoples in Afghanistan is considerably
high. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2016), 61.8%
of the population is illiterate. Besides, there is only 52% of male and
24.2% of female citizens who are able to read and write. Education
in Afghanistan is supervised by the Ministry of Education and
Ministry of Higher Education in Kabul, the capital city in Afghanistan.
Infrastructure

is

one

of

the

big

challenges

to

education

development. In 2012, there were not enough schools. Around 4,500

schools are being built according to a recent government report.
40% of schools were conducted in permanent buildings. The rest
held classes in UNICEF shelters or were desert schools with
students and teachers gathering in the desert near a village
(Education in Afghanistan, 2016).
Moreover, based on Wikepedia (2016), Afghanistan is one of
the countries with the lowest wages. The monthly wages for workers
in Afghanistan is only 5,000 Afghani or about 2606 Baht Thai. People
who live in the rural areas tend to rely greatly on agriculture, which
is their main source of income, because it's the only job that they're
capable of doing. Almonds, pomegranates, pistachios, raisins, and
apricots are mostly grown here. Furthermore, human rights issue is
very severe in Afghanistan, especially in women. The research by
Global Rights Organization estimates that nine out of ten Afghan

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women face physical, sexual or psychological violence, or are forced
into marriage (Afghanistan: No country for Women, 2015). Besides,
there is only 8% of female population that received an income.
Additionally, Afghanistan has been dealing with so many
conflicts and wars throughout 2001 to 2013. For instance, the
Kandahar bombing on February 17, 2008, has killed more than 100
lives and it was the deadliest suicide bombing of the war. Dating
back to the 1996, the Taliban, groups that are formed during the war
against the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, have rules Afghanistan
until 2001. They managed to hold 90% of the countrys territory and
policies, including their treatment of women and support for
terrorists. The Taliban rule faced international disapproval for its
policies. Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates
recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan legitimate government. On
December 2001, the U.S. military and Afghani opposition forces
evicted the Taliban from power in response to the terrorist attack on
the US in September 11, 2001 (Laura, Borgna, & Beth, 2016). This
event had affected numerous of families in Afghanistan.
Our organization, the Alliance of NGOs and other non-profit
organizations, together with the Progress out of Poverty (PPI), Food
Pantries, Oxfam, Bread for the World, Philabundance, Borgen
Project, and many more, are aiming to assist every aspect of life
living in Afghanistan and we would like to offer some solutions to
help solve this issue.

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In order to reduce poverty, Afghanistan should focus more on
improving the education system, such as increasing the school
enrollment rates for both boys and girls. A better education will help
to promote higher incomes, better jobs and quality of life, more
chances of getting a job abroad, improve the country and society,
and increase a broader perspective and knowledge. Education is one
of the main keys to solve poverty. Afghanistan has a close relations
with a number of countries around the world, including Turkey,
United States, Japan, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Italy, India,
China, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and many more (Foreign
relations of Afghanistan, 2016). Since the fallen of the Taliban,
Denmark, Turkey, and India has been offering Afghanistan with
education, resources, and economic reconstruction. Germany can
also promote Afghans education by offering seats in schools and
college for foreign students. The other countries can help encourage
education by being a sponsor and donating money to school in rural
areas in Afghanistan. The Afghan's government can also take part in
reducing poverty in their country by reducing the gender gap they
have among men and women. Improving education, jobs, and
human rights is the main solution to solving poverty.

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References:
List of minimum wages by country. (2016, March 6). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country
Poverty Reduction in Afghanistan: Despite Economic Growth,
Widening Inequality. (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/publication/povertyreduction-in-afghanistan-despite-economic-growth-wideninginequality
Afghanistan. (2016, March 5). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan
List of countries by literacy rate. (2016, March 3). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate
Afghanistan. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.usaidlandtenure.net/sites/default/files/countryprofiles/full-reports/USAID_Land_Tenure_Afghanistan_Profile.pdf
Rural Poverty Portal. (2012). Retrieved from

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http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/afghanistan
Poverty in Afghanistan. (2015, March 21). Retrieved from
http://borgenproject.org/poverty-in-afghanistan/
Education in Afghanistan. (2016, February 19). Retrieved March 06,
2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Afghanistan#Challenges_t
o_education_development
Hayes, L., Brunner, B., & Rowen, B. (2016). Who Are the Taliban?
Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html
Foreign relations of Afghanistan. (2016, February 2). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Afghanistan