ABSTRACT
As the introduction to this chapter has made clear, local participation seems to enhance the effectiveness of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) activities in Afghanistan. This chapter explores the theme of local participation and more specifically it investigates the challenges PRTs may encounter while adopting a local participatory approach in Afghanistan. To this end the chapter first presents two examples of activities by the Dutch PRT in Baghlan province in which increased local participation could have led to significantly better outcomes. Section subsequently addresses seven challenges in applying a local participatory approach by PRTs in Afghanistan. To identify these challenges people have based ourselves on a literature review, field research conducted by the first author and are leaning heavily on the personal experience of both Afghan authors, being key officials within the Afghan National Coordinating Bureau (ANCB). Next section draws conclusions and offers some recommendations.
