Afghanistan: Eshteghal Zaiee - Karmondena (EZ-Kar) Project

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The development objective of Eshteghal Zaiee - Karmondena (EZ-Kar) Project for Afghanistan is to strengthen the enabling environment for economic opportunities in cities where there is a high influx of displaced people. This project has five components. 1) The first component, Regional and National Integration of Displaced Persons, aims to support Afghan refugees in Pakistan and their voluntary repatriation. 2) The second component, Short-term Employment Opportunities, Reforms, and Market Enabling Infrastructure Under Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), aims to increase economic opportunities in cities that fall under IDLG’s mandate and that face a high influx of displaced people. It has the following subcomponents: (i) Short-Term Employment Opportunities; (ii) Market enabling infrastructure; (iii) Support for Municipal Level Regulatory and Process Reforms; and (iv) Component 2 Management. 3) The third component, Prioritized Urban Investments in Four Provincial Capital Cities, aims to leverage the Cities Investment Program (CIP) platform within IDLG to strengthen the municipalities’ public financial management (PFM) systems and invest in priority investments that enable local economic development and business growth. It has the following subcomponents: (i) Prioritized Urban Investments; and (ii) Project management. 4) The fourth component, Market Enabling Infrastructure and Reforms for Kabul Municipality, aims to address the challenges faced by Kabul’s private sector in accessing economic opportunities. Kabul’s private sector is dominated by a very large number of small and micro enterprises (SMEs) located throughout the city. It has the following subcomponents: (i) Regulatory and process reforms; (ii) Prioritized Urban Investments; and (iii) Component 4 Management. 5) The fifth component, Red Carpet and Program Coordination, finances the efforts of Ministry of Economy (MoEC) in (a) supporting national level regulatory reforms, and (b) program coordination to oversee the implementation of EZ-Kar. It has the following subcomponents: (i) National level regulatory reforms; and (ii) Program Coordination.