About the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team

The Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (HPRT) is a UK led, US & Danish multinational effort. We comprise around 160 staff based in Lashkar Gah and district centres across Helmand. Around 60% of staff are civilian, 20% are military and police and 20% Afghan. It is civilian led and one of the largest PRTs in Afghanistan. The HPRT Head of Mission is Catriona Laing.

The PRT co-ordinates international stabilisation and development work across Helmand, working with the Government of Afghanistan, the ISAF elements in the Province partnered with their ANSF counterparts – combined Force Helmand (UK, Denmark, Estonia), The Marine Expeditionary Force (US) – and international donors.

The PRT is working to achieve transition by end-2014 through the delivery of a single Helmand Plan that has been agreed between the Government of Afghanistan and its international partners. The plan coordinates the efforts of 9 themes or strands: Governance and Politics; Rule of Law; Counter-Narcotics; Population Engagement; Health; Education; Agriculture; Infrastructure and Private Sector Development. The PRT supports the Afghan government in delivering governance and improved development across the province.

Success in Helmand, where the insurgency and drugs trade interact to create particular challenges, is essential for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Why we do it It is vital that Afghanistan becomes a stable and secure state that is able to suppress violent extremism within its borders. We cannot allow Afghanistan to again become a safe haven for terrorists.  

The HPRT is headquartered in Lashkar Gah, with UK, US and Danish District Transition Teams in 10 of Helmand’s 14 Districts. A Transition Team typically consists of civilian transition advisers (TRANADs), civilian specialists (e.g. in agriculture), a political adviser and either a UK Military Stabilisation Support Team (MSST), a US Civil Affairs Team, or a Danish CIMIC (Civil Military Cooperation) Support Team.

The teams bring together people with a range of backgrounds including development, politics, engineering and project management. The Transition Teams work hand in hand with the District Regimental, Battle Group or Battalion HQs to co-ordinate civil and military activity.