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This article is written by the Honourable Dr A. Abdullah,
Foreign Affairs Minister of Afghanistan. It was published
in The Washington Post on Tuesday, October 29, 2002;
Page A21
Almost
a year has elapsed since the notorious Taliban-al Qaeda
terrorist apparatus collapsed in Afghanistan under the
weight of Afghan-U.S. offensives. Last December an Afghan
peace accord was signed under international supervision
in Germany, and an interim administration was formed by
Hamid Karzai. These historic post-Sept. 11 developments
catapulted a failed state on the brink of disaster back
to modern times. We now have to make up for the past two
decades of invasion, resistance and conflict, which shattered
the economy and stifled development.
But
10 months later we have reached a critical point. Are
we on the right course toward recovery and reconstruction?
Above all, what do we -- donors as well as Afghans --
need to do now to ensure success?
Undoubtedly
Afghanistan and the region were saved from catastrophe,
Afghans were freed from the oppressive grip of the terrorists,
a popular and concerned government found legitimacy, life
started to return to normal for millions of Afghans, and
an international effort to help them rebuild their war-ravaged
nation got underway after the January 2001 Tokyo conference
for reconstruction.
In
Tokyo, donors pledged about $5 billion toward reconstruction
efforts until 2006. Unfortunately, as U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan pointed out, the figure should have been twice
as high. At least $10 billion is needed for reconstruction
work in the next five years.
In
four other post-conflict cases -- Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo
and East Timor -- donors spent an average of $250 per
capita per year in aid. In Afghanistan, only $75 per capita
has been pledged for this year, sliding down to $42 per
capita for the next five years. Why such a discrepancy?
Over a period of 23 years, the core of the country's infrastructure
-- roads, dams, hospitals, schools, airports, irrigation
and water-supply systems -- has been destroyed. We also
possess one of the largest deposits of explosive mines
and unexploded ordnance in the world.
Furthermore,
most of the money allocated for 2002 has so far been spent
on humanitarian needs, mainly to address the urgent problems
of some 2 million refugees and almost 1 million internally
displaced people returning home. Afghans should not be
forced to choose between reconstruction and emergency
relief aid. A civil servant's average monthly salary in
Afghanistan is about $40. The average cost of renting
a house in Kabul is close to 10 times that amount. We
need to address the problem of living standards, but we
cannot bring change without funds.
It
is only logical that without adequate security, reconstruction
and investment will stall, encouraging the illicit narcotics
and arms sectors to flourish again. The Afghan government,
including prominent regional leaders, recently articulated
a defense and security program that involves the formation
of a national army and police, along with the demobilizing
and reintegrating of more than 600,000 armed men across
the country. Now is the time for our interested international
partners to help the Afghan central authorities put the
plan into action.
A
gathering of donor countries and organizations called
the Implementation Group met in Kabul this month to discuss
Afghanistan's development budget and financial means of
supporting reconstruction projects. President Karzai spoke
of the need to shift from treating the symptoms to treating
the causes of poverty, from quick impact to lasting results.
He outlined six national priority programs that are ready
for immediate financing: roads and airports, water security
and power generation, urban and rural development, government
building and capacity development, education and health
care. Donors endorsed and welcomed the priorities set
by Afghans.
The
Afghan people hope not to become victims of neglect and
policy shortsightedness again. They are weighing and matching
words with deeds. They hope for a future that does not
depend on foreign aid and loans. The actions and decisions
taken today can guarantee a better future for a nation
that has sacrificed tremendously for more than two decades.
It is incumbent upon all of us to turn Afghanistan into
a successful model of our joint global campaign against
terrorism and extremism.
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