Major donor conference ends in Kabul

A major conference of international aid donors to Afghanistan, aimed at streamlining the distribution of billions of dollars in pledges and assistance to reconstruct the country, has ended in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The three-day conference, has proven a major boost to the Afghan government's confidence in tackling some of the issues at hand. "We feel that we have been trying to prove ourselves and the IG (International Group) meeting was very motivating, as it showed that donors have a lot of confidence in what we are doing," aid coordination officer for the Afghan Assistance Coordination Authority in Kabul, Najeeb Azizi told IRIN on Tuesday. "The Afghan government has the capacity to identify a specific vision in the development of Afghanistan," he maintained. At the opening session of the conference on Saturday, chaired by the Afghan Finance Ministry, with participants from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, international aid agencies and the UN, Afghan leaders expressed concern over the distribution of money and placed importance on the involvement of more Afghans. "The government does not want to control the agencies. We just want to make sure there is follow-up and no duplication," Azizi said. His comments follow widespread criticism from senior government officials, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai, that much of the assistance to the country was being used to pay expensive NGO overheads - an accusation refuted by many. "We don't know where this information has come from but we are non-profit making organizations and we have to keep our costs down," Lisa Laumann, field office director for Afghan programmes for Save the Children USA, told IRIN in Kabul. Acknowledging the government's concern for greater accountability she said the meeting also gave NGO representatives the opportunity to express their feelings on the reconstruction process. "We respect the Afghan government as the driving force in Afghan development," she said. According to deputy head of mission for the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul, Stig Traavik, the meeting went well and demonstrated a good show of commitment from the government, showing that they were working towards a comprehensive plan on reconstruction. "The Afghans emphasized the need for quality and speed and we have taken this on board," he told IRIN. Norway, which also holds the current presidency of the Afghan Support Group (ASG), has pledged US $40 million for the fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), which represents international and national NGOs working in the battered nation released a statement at the meeting calling for greater security. "We implore the UN and member governments to adopt a viable plan for ensuring adequate security in Afghanistan, and to provide the necessary financial and logistical support without further delay," the statement said. The document also urged major donors to make firm commitments to increase funding over the next five years in order to deliver at least US $10 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and called for donors to place more urgency on capacity building of the Afghan government. "Transferring more control over resources and decisions to them is critical to any such efforts," it said. Afghan officials presented a draft development budget during the conference, placing high importance on six out of 12 priority areas, including education, health, road and dam construction. With a total pledge of US $5.6 billion over a five-year period from donors at the Tokyo conference earlier this year, one billon has been dispersed so far, Azizi explained, saying that the government had received US $100,000 of this figure. "We want donors to allocate the pledged amount of money in accordance with the 12 priority areas," he maintained. Responding to this, Traavik said most donors were on the right track in delivering money. "It is clear that donors have to deliver on the Tokyo promise and we have done just that by handing over 80 percent of our pledge". Regarding the future role of the ASG, the Norwegian diplomat said it would change, noting the ASG had played an important role since it had been set up, but there would not be a need for it next year. "We are thinking of creating a 'friends of Afghanistan'group," he explained.