Afghanistan in transition: putting children at the heart of development

This report assesses the record of the international community in its efforts to achieve development success in Afghanistan. The first section assesses the progress in the last 10 years through achievements made in key social sectors, such as health, education and child protection. The second section looks at the reasons for the slow progress, and argues that geographic inequity in donor funding, lack of adequate funds to basic services and misappropriation of aid has stunted progress. Finally, the third section looks at the transition period and makes recommendations regarding development and governance to both the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the international community. The report draws upon Save the Children’s 35-year experience in Afghanistan highlighting the interventions that work, showing that transformative cost-effective development is well within the GIRoA and the international community’s reach.