Integrity Watch Afghanistan said in a new study of community engagement in the mining sector that the role of local communities in mining areas is very weak and the government has not institutionalized public engagement through any long-term strategy.

Integrity Watch said the report provides a working basis for civil society organizations willing to develop a community monitoring project in the mining sector and states that there is vast potential in engaging communities in the mining sector including prevention of illegal mining, increasing government revenues and contributing to stability and security at the local level.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Sayed Ikram Afzali, Executive Director of Integrity Watch, said: “The government has taken some steps to engage the public in the extractive sector. However, these efforts have been sporadic, have not been informed by Afghan and global experiences and have therefore not been effective during the past ten years.” 

He said that early this month the cabinet decided governors need to collect information from local communities about mining sites. 

Afzali said this was a welcome step by the government but the process of collecting information needs to be systematic and well planned. 

“Our experiences of Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) in other sectors prove that public engagement can improve accountability and build trust between the government and the citizens. 

“The Afghan government can build trust and provide people with a constant channel of communication by engaging communities in the monitoring of mining operations throughout the mining cycle from exploration to extraction.”

Meanwhile, Charlotte Boyer, the author of the report, said: “This report outlines the dos and do-nots of engaging people in the extractive sector and this could be used by civil society, government and the private sector to understand people’s views and design their engagement mechanisms with the communities around the mining sites.” 

The report notes a number of recommendations that could be taken into consideration when engaging people in the mining sector. 

The report also suggests a methodology developed by Integrity Watch be used whereby communities are mobilized and trained, and a literate and honest member of the community is elected to monitor the mining site. Information can then be shared on progress and challenges and issues can be identified and addressed with the mining company and local government.  

But torn by four decades of war, Afghanistan is believed to be sitting on one of the richest troves of minerals in the world. The value of these resources has been roughly estimated between $1 trillion and $3 trillion.

Afghanistan has vast reserves of gold, platinum, silver, copper, iron, chromite, lithium, uranium, and aluminum as well as high-quality emeralds, rubies, sapphires, turquoise, and lapis lazuli as well as natural gas and petroleum.

Earlier this year, the Diplomat reported that the one thing that could possibly shift Afghanistan from being a foreign aid-dependent country to an economically stable one is the proper exploitation of its mineral wealth. 

The Diplomat reported that if robust policies coupled with a comprehensive, realistic and long-term strategic approach is adopted and if exploited effectively, mining could prove to be the best substitute for foreign aid and decrease the country’s dependence on donor countries and foreign support. 

These resources, if properly managed, provide an opportunity for Afghanistan to write its own story of economic success, the article stated.