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Navigating Conflict and Compromise
Navigating Conflict and Compromise: The Role of NGOs’ National Workers in the Implementation of Community-Driven Development and National Solidarity Programme through foreign aid in Afghanistan (2001–2021, and post-Taliban return)
Abstract:
This presentation examines the lived experiences of Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) national workers, primarily focusing on the National Solidarity Programme (NSP)—Afghanistan's flagship Community-Driven Development (CDD) initiative (2002–2016)—while also drawing on broader development interventions (2001–2021 and post-Taliban return). Grounded in extensive qualitative interviews (approx. 50), with a diverse group of stakeholders, including Afghan men and women, former government officials, and international advisors, the research asks: How do these workers interpret, comply with, or contest the technical rationalities and intervention tools of externally-driven development projects? A central contribution of this study is its foregrounding of the local concept of "jor aamad"—a local term for pragmatic compromise and reluctant acquiescence. The thesis argues that engaging in jor aamad was not merely a technical workaround but critical survival strategies for NGOs’ Afghan workers. The research contributes to broader scholarly and policy approaches to development in conflict-affected settings, challenging prevailing assumptions about depoliticised and participatory development, demonstrating how standardised models were fundamentally challenged by the specificities of the Afghan context.
Bio:
Naimat Zafary in his final year of PhD in International Development at University of Sussex. He gained his master’s degree in governance, development and public policy at the University of Sussex on the prestigious Chevening scholarship 2021-22. The scholarship provides funding for Naimat to pursue his studies in the UK and offers a unique opportunity to network with other future leaders in the field of international development.
Prior to his studies in the UK, Naimat worked as National Human Development Report – Pitfalls and Promise- Coordinator since 2016. Mr. Zafary has more than 11 years of professional experiences in Coordination, Programming, and Communications of various development programs funded by various donors, UN agencies, government and coordinating complex programs with diverse stakeholders involved in Sustainable Development of Afghanistan. Naimat is committed to helping improve the situation in his country in any way he can. His experiences as an Afghan scholar and refugee give him a unique perspective on the challenges facing his country and the world, and he is poised to make a significant contribution in the field of international development in the years to come.