The Future of Governance in Afghanistan: A Roundtable Discussion with Jelani Popal
A public event sponsored by the Future of Afghanistan Project
Expanding the legitimacy, competence, and reach of government in Afghanistan is perhaps the central goal of Afghan and international efforts to stabilize the country. In 2007, President Karzai created the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) to spearhead this effort.
Jelani Popal, founding director of the IDLG, will discuss initiatives to increase the presence of the central government in the provinces, develop public services, and improve transparency and accountability at the provincial level. IDLG is currently focusing its efforts on eleven priority provinces in Afghanistan that are characterized by extreme poverty and lawlessness, and are therefore most threatened by the growing insurgency. IDLG also seeks to address the growing alienation between the government and citizens by expanding the decision-making power of local Afghans.
Mr. Popal was previously Deputy Minister of Finance, and is founder and former director of the Afghan Development Association, a leading Afghan NGO for over twenty years. Read a New York Times article on his efforts here.
Archived Audio
To listen to audio or to view video, please click on the links provided below. You also can right click on the links and choose "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File." This will save the file to your computer and then allow you to play it in your media player directly. More Audio Help.
- Listen to the audio from this event.
01:06:55 - 12.15MB
Speakers
- Jelani Popal
General Director of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance in Afghanistan - J Alexander Thier, Moderator
Senior Rule of Law Advisor, Rule of Law Program, U.S. Institute of Peace