Afghanistan – Poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) annual progress report and joint IDA-IMF staff advisory note

This World Bank Joint Staff Advisory Note (JSAN) reviews the first annual report on the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The ANDS, which covers the five-year period from 2008 to 2013, is organized around three pillars:

• security;
• governance, rule of law and human rights;
• economic and social development.

The annual progress report (APR) notes the constraints imposed by Afghanistan’s challenging security and political environment. The report recognizes that increasing security concerns, capacity constraints and governance limitations hamper the implementation of much-needed reforms, notably effective and accountable operations in some parts of the country, and hinder sustained economic development and poverty reduction. Progress in these areas is urgently needed to solidify support for the government and begin the transition to a modern state.