[{"bbox": [143, 148, 1086, 243], "category": "Text", "text": "parallel EU incentive programmes on migration and the Attorney General (AAP 2017) which aim at tackling the challenges of returnee integration and corruption in a complementary manner."}, {"bbox": [143, 262, 726, 293], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 3.2 Complementarity, synergy and donor coordination"}, {"bbox": [143, 302, 1086, 533], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU participates actively in the 5+3 donor group (EU, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States plus Australia, Canada and the Nordics+) which steers the high level policy dialogue with the government and technical level coordination (inter-ministerial Development Councils and Executive Commitments). At sector level, the EU is an active development partner in its MIP-MTR focal sectors of (i) Peace, Stability and Democracy, (ii) Sustainable Growth and Jobs and (iii) Basic Social Services. On the basis of the EU Strategy 2017, EU activities are closely coordinated with EU Member State interventions."}, {"bbox": [143, 547, 1087, 978], "category": "Text", "text": "The main vehicles for policy dialogue between donors and the Afghan Government will remain these established mechanisms as well as the SBC Steering Group for eligibility criteria and operational monitoring. In addition, the Government has set up in late 2017 the PACT platform for the management of major budget support operations such as the ARTF Incentive Programme and the EU State Building Contracts in the Ministry of Finance - located with the Deputy Minister of Policy and the Deputy Minister of Finance - that coordinates budget support operations, ensures alignment and complementarity of indicators, and coordinates reporting and monitoring. The PACT platform together with the close collaboration established with the WB and the IMF are essential for the policy dialogue and monitoring of variable tranche indicators and eligibility criteria. Both World Bank and IMF are supportive of the SBC instrument and consider the PFM systems as providing sufficient guarantees. The existing level of coordination and dialogue is the very foundation for a successful budget support operation and the SBC remains aligned with existing policy dialogue mechanisms in coordination with partners."}, {"bbox": [143, 993, 1087, 1189], "category": "Text", "text": "To complement the SBC I in terms of alleviating fiduciary risk, the EU supports the implementation of the Government-owned PFM reform programme (Fiscal Performance Improvement Plan FPIP) through an ARTF cross-sector programme (AAP2017). The present action nonetheless foresees a complementary measure (technical assistance) to support reform implementation and the assessment of the variable tranche indicators, as well as support to the national statistics system to evaluate the medium-term results."}, {"bbox": [143, 1207, 397, 1236], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 3.3 Cross-cutting issues"}, {"bbox": [143, 1247, 1087, 1377], "category": "Text", "text": "EU interventions in all development sectors take into account the specific context of vulnerability in Afghanistan, marked by potential shocks and crises, reinforcing the humanitarian-development nexus and contributing to improved resilience of the Afghan society and communities, in particular the most vulnerable ones."}, {"bbox": [143, 1380, 1087, 1543], "category": "Text", "text": "Gender is a key priority of the EU and the wider international community in its policy dialogue and engagement with the Afghan Government. It is prominently included in the SMAF and the government's development strategy will be judged to a large degree on how it mainstreamed gender in government activities in addition to dedicated strategies such as the National Women Economic Empowerment Programme. The assessment of the SRBC II eligibility criteria will"}, {"bbox": [600, 1606, 636, 1629], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "[17]"}]