Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

India, Afghanistan Sign Capacity Development MoU

India,  Afghanistan  Sign Capacity  Development MoU

NEW DEHLI - Afghanistan and India on Wednesday entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for implementation of a twinning arrangement for public sector capacity development in Afghanistan. The signing of the treaty follows the high profile visit of President Hamid Karzai last week, when the two nations forged a strategic partnership treaty on security and economic alliance besides signing deals on mineral exploration and development of hydrocarbons.

Under the new MoU, both countries will cooperate in the field of public sector capacity development in accordance with the applicable domestic law in force in the respective countries in which the activities are undertaken.

The MoU was signed by the Indian Labor & Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge with Afghan Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled Minister Amena Afzali.

Welcoming the Afghan delegation, Khage said India and Afghanistan shared warm and cordial relations based on historical and cultural links, spanning over centuries.

Referring to the recent visit of President Karzai, the minister said there were around 4000 Indians in Afghanistan engaged in rehabilitation of the country both through the projects of Indian government and private sector initiatives.

The VV Giri National Labor Institute (VVGNLI) in India has been organizing various training programs for Afghan officials.

Khage said areas for further technical cooperation between VVGNLI and Government of Afghanistan, there could be more programs similar to those being organized currently, which can be conducted for different groups of social partners besides capacity building for the labor administrators.

The programs can be developed and organized by the VVGNLI for Afghanistan labor administrators. These programs could focus on themes like industrial relations, social security, child labor and gender issues in labor market.

"Our institute could help the Afghan government in developing a Labor Institute in Afghanistan, which could provide technical expertise in designing research studies to be under taken in the areas of labor and employment there and could also organize courses on research methods in labor studies, Khage said.

"India can share the details of its various schemes in the area of skill development, health insurance, social Security, OSH etc," said Kharge.

As per the MoU, the cost to carry out the activities under this agreement shall be met out of National Institution Building Project (NIBP) (set up for Afghanistan capacity building) funds mobilized from different resources.

The scope of this twinning Agreement includes provision of advisory services for supporting policy and strategy development and systems improvement in accordance with identified needs of Afghanistan for assessments, capacity development, policy development and other advisory services, including services of technical experts for specific identified needs.