As current and former local government practitioners, we have all faced our fair share of challenges.  For myself, these challenges were experienced during the first few years of my career at the City of Wyoming in Michigan.  Whether it be a broken water main on the town’s busiest street or a group of angry residents at a council meeting who believe the new development shouldn’t go in their backyards, we have all wrestled with tough issues that required much energy, critical thinking, and teamwork to manage effectively.

The same is true for our local government counterparts around the world, and here at ICMA we are working to assist our international partners with many of the same challenges we experience.  In Afghanistan, for example, ICMA is working with 12 local municipalities in the eastern region of the country through the Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations (RAMP UP RC-East).  ICMA has been engaged in the program for about 6 months now, and meaningful  progress is being made throughout the area.

What kind of issues do local managers face in Afghanistan, you might wonder?  Amidst the turmoil and strife this county experiences on a daily basis, the RAMP UP RC-East program seeks to address three main objectives:

1)      Improved public service delivery by municipal governments

2)      Expanded capacity of municipal governments to manage and deliver public services

3)      Increased social participation of Afghan youth in local community affairs

Sound familiar?  Have you dealt with similar issues as well?  In a place where ditch cleaning and basic wastewater treatment is being tackled for the first time in many cities, we find that some things still remain the same.  The need for local government excellence exists in Afghanistan, just as it does in Alabama, Alaska, and everywhere in between. 

Just this past December I joined ICMA to work on the RAMP UP program as an assistant program manager.  Often, as I work on these programs from the DC office, they do  seem half a world away.  However, thanks to my experiences at the City of Wyoming, despite the differences in language, culture, customs and even level of development, there are other times when I feel right at home with these foreign local governments.  

*Note: we have a lot of work ahead of us as we work on RAMP UP RC-East, and similar programs in other parts of the county.  Stay tuned for forthcoming updates and articles!