Expanded UN role in Afstan/Rules for ISAF

Just in case some people don't think the UN has a major role on the ground:

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan will soon have its budget doubled and staff numbers increased to more than 2,000 from 1,500, the U.N.'s special envoy said Wednesday.

The extra money and staff reflects a growing international focus on Afghanistan where seven years after U.S. and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban, the militants are gaining ground and violence has reached its worst levels since 2001.

U.N, Special Envoy Kai Eide said following a U.N. meeting in New York Tuesday, his budget would soon be doubled from $80 million a year.

He called for more transparency among donor countries about how much direct aid they contribute to Afghanistan, saying they needed to take responsibility for their projects and not leave it to the U.N..

Afghanistan needed an "international coordination center" with a representative from each major donor country [emphasis added], he said.

As well as the full gamut of U.N. agencies, more than 100 non-governmental organizations are active in Afghanistan, often implementing projects funded by donor countries. Poor coordination between them has plagued development efforts.

"There is not a lack of projects, but there is a lack of focus," Eide said.

MILITARY AGREEMENT

Eide said he wanted to see an agreement between Western military forces and the Afghan government, which is soon due for renewal, codify procedures for military searches of civilian homes so they are only conducted by the Afghan military.

Eide said the renewed agreement should include "issues having to do with detention, with house searches, and also with regard to the use of air power" but the details of the renewal will be the responsibility of the Afghan government.

NATO forces in October revised their procedures for launching air strikes and said all house searches would be led by Afghan troops unless there was a clear danger coming from the building...