Participation in Practice in Community-Driven Development Projects in Afghanistan: A Case Study of Herat City

Poverty, lack of volunteering culture, and low level of literacy are some of the problems that challenge the true engagement of local communities in decision-making processes in developing countries. For effective engagement of communities in local projects, the World Bank has initiated the community-driven development (CDD) approach in Afghanistan. One of the CDD's programs was the Citizens Charter National Priority Program (CNPP) that reached the end of its first phase in 2020. Throughout the program, the World Bank has provided the basic services to urban and rural communities across Afghanistan. This research tends to assess to what extent people participated in the community-driven development projects in Afghanistan with special focus on Herat city, a city located in western Afghanistan. Applying a qualitative research approach, we conducted 61 semi-structured in-depth interviews with community development experts, urban managers, and members of community development councils in Herat city. Although citizens have participated in some aspects of the program, e.g., elections, establishment of community development councils (CDCs), prioritization, and implementation of infrastructure projects, this research has questioned the sustainability of CNPP. Despite the effectiveness of the program-economically speaking-CNPP has failed to truly engage women and underserved communities in decision-making process. Added to this, the program has been considered unsuccessful in empowering local communities and in institutionalizing the concept of "citizen participation." Moreover, it was also revealed that CCNPP prioritizes service delivery over social issues (e.g., empowerment, active participation of the citizens, institutionalization of CDCs, sustainable and continuous performance of CDCs, and public awareness). For sustainable operation of CDCs, the Afghan government should recognize CDCs as integral parts of the Afghan political system.