United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan
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I
UNITED NATIONS STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR AFGHANISTAN
3. United Nations Support to the 2030 Agenda and SDGs
3.1
From Common Country Analysis to Strategic Priorities
In 2021, the UN in Afghanistan embarked on the development of a new Common Country Analysis
(CCA) as its independent, collective, and forward-looking assessment of the situation in the country
through the framework of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Published in August 2021, the CCA was to
provide the analytical foundation upon which the UN would develop a new multi-year integrated
strategic planning framework to replace the outgoing 'One UN for Afghanistan 2018-2021' as the basis
of future partnership and engagement with the then-Government and people of Afghanistan.
However, just a few weeks later, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was ousted
by the Taliban, becoming the de facto authorities in the country and rendering much of the just-
completed CCA out of date.
In response to the significant changes in the country, the UN developed the one-year 'Transitional
Engagement Framework' to guide its collective work over the course of 2022 pending the
development of a longer-term UN Strategic Framework, which would necessitate a comprehensive
update of the CCA to reflect the new reality and dynamics in the country. This update process was
undertaken over the second half of 2022 with contributions from UN entities working across the triple
nexus in Afghanistan and extensive consultations with international and national partners and
stakeholders.
In the absence of a national development planning framework against which to align or a nationally
led aid coordination architecture through which to coordinate non-humanitarian support,
international partners, through the multi-stakeholder Afghanistan Coordination Group (ACG) (see Box
3 below), highlighted the need for a collaborative approach towards supporting basic human needs,
economic recovery, social cohesion, and human rights in the country. As such, ACG partners agreed
to develop the 'ACG Framework for International Partner Support in Afghanistan' to articulate a shared
set of priorities and outcomes which all partners would adopt and align their support.
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The prioritization process was significantly informed by extensive consultations within the ACG and
with various national stakeholders across the country. Over the course of October and November
2022, the UN held in-person consultations in 11 Afghan provinces Badakhshan, Balkh, Bamyan,
Fayrab, Ghor, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Kapisa, Paktika (Giyan) and Maimana (Faryab) — with a
total of 519 individuals participating. To the extent possible, the consultations sought to reflect a
broad spectrum of Afghan society, including those most vulnerable and marginalized. Undertaken in
Dari or Pashto, the consultations engaged 186 women, 109 community leaders and elders, 100
representatives of ethnic minorities, 74 civil society representatives, 78 private sector representatives,
51 youth, 26 representatives from academia, 14 farmers, 13 journalists, five persons living with
disabilities, and 83 representatives from the de facto authorities. 19
19 See Annex III for further information on stakeholder consultations.View entire presentation