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PLANNING The Ministry of Planning is responsible for preparing and revising the development plans of the country and therefore has to collect data and formulate economic policy accordingly. The Department of Planning in the Ministry is co-ordinating the activities carried out by various Ministries. In the field of agriculture and irrigation the Department has collected the necessary data with the co-operation of the Ministry of Public Works and the Helmand and Arghandab Valleys Authority. In the fields of finance and banking, studies have been carried out in connection with the question of financing development projects and uniform charts prepared to determine the expenditure involved for each year of the Plan. As to the activities of various banks, new proposals have been made with a view to introducing new policies to boost their activities. The financial situation in general and the question of foreign exchange in particular, have been studied with relation to the economic development of the country. Useful reports have been obtained from the Ministry of Commerce, the Chambers of Commerce, the Law Courts for Commercial Disputes, and important trading companies. These reports throw light on Afghanistan's internal as well as her foreign trade. The Department's research on international economic conventions, international trade, commercial law, corporation by-laws, foreign investments and the tourist trade has been extensive and valuable. The research on the tourist trade, which is a recent development in Afghanistan, has been especially useful, and the Department has received many reports and suggestions from various tourist agencies. The Department has also made great progress in collecting data on transport and communications facilities, and in the field of mines and industries studies have been made on ways of encouraging foreign investment in order to develop certain natural resources. In the fields of social and cultural affairs the department has collected data on technical manpower and has assisted the community development project by suggesting effective ways of development. An example is the suggestion that co-educational schools should replace the boys' and girls' schools in small village communities. This has the effect of practically halving the number of teaching staff. The first such school was opened in Nooristan by the Community Development Project. The Department of Planning has helped the Kabul Municipality by suggesting better ways of improving the standard of hygiene in the city. It has also helped the Kabul Municipality by suggesting better ways of housing, water supply, and flood control. THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN CO-OPERATION Serving as a liaison between the Ministry of Planning and foreign agencies concerned with giving foreign aid and assistance, this Department is responsible for making arrangements for foreign experts to help on various projects, obtaining necessary equipment from abroad, and sending government officials abroad on fellowships to obtain further specialised training. The total amount of United Nations technical assistance to Afghanistan during the fourth year of the Plan ran into 660,778 dollars, of which 21,400 was spent on the purchase of equipment for various projects, the salaries of 64 experts and 11 scholarships. Besides this development assistance the United Nations helped Afghanistan through U.N.I.C.E.F. with the problems of maleria, typhus, and mother and child welfare. In accordance with a special agreement the United Nations Special Fund has agreed to allocate $1,257,400 to surveying land and water resources in Afghanistan. This was 8