UNITAR Afghanistan Fellowship Programme 2016 Cycle Commences

27 November 2016, Kabul, Afghanistan - The 13th annual cycle of the UNITAR Afghanistan Fellowship Programme - Inspiring Transformation launched today in Kabul, Afghanistan with the start of Workshop I. Held at the Ministry of Finance Academy, the 2016 Cycle was opened by Mr. Ahmad Masoud Tokhi, General Director of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission; Dr. Osman Osmani, Director of the Afghan Civil Service Institute; and Mr. Musa Kawami, Director of Human Resources, Ministry of Finance, who attended on behalf of Mr. Mohammad Qahir Haidari, Deputy Minister Administration, Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan.

UNITAR Afghanistan Fellowship Programme 2016 Workshop I Implemented by the UNITAR Hiroshima Office, the Fellowship underwent a strategic review in 2016, and based on feedback from stakeholders and alumni in Afghanistan, has seen a number of improvements made to the programme, including the addition of new topics such as Good Governance, and deeper examinations of key concepts. The 2016 Cycle, held between November 2016 and April 2017, features 29 Fellows selected from government entities, the private sector and NGO's in Afghanistan, including, alphabetically, the:

Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)
French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC)
Grand Technology Resources
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Higher Education
National Procurement Office

UNITAR Afghanistan Fellowship Programme 2016 Workshop I Workshop I, held between 27 November and 1 December in Kabul, introduces the Fellows to the key characteristics of Good Governance and approaches to improve communication skills, before delving into a deep examination of the types and processes of Organizational Needs Assessments (ONA). The ONA equips Fellows with the skills and knowledge to be able to indigenously identify need in their organization and forms the basis of the first assignment.

The Resource Persons for Workshop I include, in order of delivery:

Ahmad Masoud Tokhi, General Director, Civil Service Commission
Imtiaz Sharifi, Post Clearance Audit Specialist, Ministry of Finance
Humaira Khan Kamal, Senior Advisor, UNITAR
Berin McKenzie, Specialist, UNITAR
Nigel Gan, Training Officer, UNITAR
Musa Kamawi, Human Resources Director, Ministry of Finance

The UNITAR Hiroshima Office would like to thank all its partners, in particular, the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission, the Afghan Civil Service Institute (ACSI), the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan, the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima City, Microsoft Corporation, and the University of Texas at Austin. We would also like to thank the many individuals, in Afghanistan and around the world, who support the Fellowship, in their roles as Resource Persons, Mentors, Afghan Resource Persons and Coaches. The 2016 Cycle welcomes 15 Mentors from the private and public sectors in Afghanistan, Canada, Chile, India, Japan, Singapore, and the United States of America.

Workshop I continues until 1 December.

UNITAR Afghanistan Fellowship Programme 2016 Workshop I

Unitar Around the World