Afghanistan has signed a near-identical MoU with three institutions in India - Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) for collaboration to promote the cause of local government. The Independent Directorate for Local Governance (IDLG) of Afghanistan and the three organisations will address the needs of local government practitioners through three broad core functions : serving as a clearing house for information and resources on the practice of local governance, providing policy and programme assistance and encouraging practitioners to develop an interest and expertise in local governance.