Jebrail, Herat, 25th April 2018. One of the particularities of UN-Habitat´s work in the field is assisting local communities to identify and prioritise local infrastructure projects in an inclusive manner as well as involving female participation in urban affairs. Through the Afghanistan Urban Peacebuilding Programme (AUPP), the residents of Jebrail, in the periphery of Herat, decided to prioritise the investment on street concreting, drainage systems and the construction of a kindergarten.

Mohammad Ibrahim Salihi, Head of CDC 130

The cost of these constructions were not only from the donors’ funds, but the community members covered a large part: “Thanks to the support of UN-Habitat in the establishment of the Community Development Councils, our community members agreed on covering 70 per cent of the total budget and therefore making true our dream”, Mohd. Ibrahim Salihi said.

AUPP facilitated the ownership, independence, and solidarity of the communities, not merely produced infrastructure with the people in need. This programme is being generously supported by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the government of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

For more information, please contact UN-Habitat’s Head of Communications in Afghanistan, Mr. Koussay Boulaich,

Koussay.boulaich@un.org