KABUL. AFGHANISTAN- Tuesday, February 13, 2007, Mr. James Kunder, Acting Deputy Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), presented two 86 volume hard bound sets of all the Official Gazettes of the Government of Afghanistan dating back to 1964 to the National Assembly Library.  Decades of war left libraries and government institutions lacking a comprehensive compilation of the laws of Afghanistan. This collection of Afghan legal documents was published by the Ministry of Justice with support from USAID.

 

“I believe this reference set which contains all enacted laws, regulations, decrees, and other important legal documents of the country will be useful to the work of the National Assembly as it reviews and amends Presidential decrees and begins to write its own legislation,” says Mr. Kunder.

 

Since its inauguration in December 2005, USAID has provided technical assistance and training to members of the National Assembly and their staff.  USAID also provided computers, furniture, books and technical assistance to help establish the National Assembly library.  Its ongoing programs include technical support to key committees and assistance to create a new Parliamentary Institute at Kabul University.

 

This event comes at the end of Mr. Kunder’s four day visit to Afghanistan. During his visit he had the opportunity to view many USAID supported programs in democracy and governance, economic growth, alternative livelihoods, infrastructure and power.