Statement by Australia
International Support Conference for Afghanistan
12 June, 2008, Paris
Australia is pleased to participate in today’s important Conference, a meeting of nation states and international organisations that will send a positive message, underlining the international community’s reinvigorated long term commitment to Afghanistan.
We hope it will set the way forward for the international community’s efforts to help build a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghan nation state.
The meeting takes place during a critical period for Afghanistan.
Under the Afghanistan Compact, we have seen significant progress in many areas:
(i) improvements in security;
(ii) a
functioning national assembly representative of and
representing the interests of the Afghan people;
(iii) the
establishment of a national budget process and justice and
human rights institutions;
(iv) growth in economic activity in
many provinces; and
(v) substantially better access to health
and education for Afghan families.
We should not lose sight of these gains, nor underestimate the enormous obstacles that have been overcome to achieve that progress. We have a solid base to build on.
But we must also keep progress in perspective. The vast majority of the work is still to be done. It will be difficult and it will take time, in excess of the 5 year timeframe we are considering today.
It will take better targeting and coordination of resources, and increasing leadership and more effective ownership of efforts by Afghan authorities.
Most importantly, continued progress on development depends crucially on our collective ability to consolidate and expand security throughout all of Afghanistan.
The launch of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) is the necessary next step following on from the plan agreed at Bucharest in April this year. The closer alignment of military and civilian efforts is essential. The two must go hand in hand.
Australia strongly supports the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). It is comprehensive and ambitious, but soundly-based on the core tasks of security, governance and capacity building for state institutions. It sets the right course for Afghanistan to meet its Millennium Development Goals.
Its effective implementation will require rigorous priority setting and a strong commitment to implementation by the Afghan Government and its partners.
Australia has a long term commitment to Afghanistan’s development.
Since our pledge in London of 150 million Australian dollars, we have spent more than 200million dollars in agriculture and rural development, governance, education and health and humanitarian assistance.
Today Australia announces an additional 250 millionAustralian dollars over the next three years to support implementation of the National Development Strategy. This is the minimum Australian contribution over that period.
As well as complementing the over 1000 troops Australia has in Afghanistan, this $250 million is in addition to our substantial reconstruction commitment through the Australian Reconstruction Task Force in Oruzgan Province.
It includes new funding for building the capacity of the Afghan police and supporting the National Drug Control Strategy.
All of us have to ensure that development reaches the people of Afghanistan.
For Australia’s part, we will continue to ensure our assistance is in line with the priorities of the Afghanistan Compact and the National Development Strategy.
We strongly support the United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) and Ambassador Eide.
And we look to the Afghan Government – to you Mr President (Karzai) and also to Provincial Governors and local leaders – to provide strong leadership in addressing the key threats to success in Afghanistan including lack of peace and security caused by extremism through good governance, capacity building for state institutions and tackling the narcotics trade.
Without concerted Afghan Government effort to tackle these challenges, the National Development Strategy will not deliver basic services to the Afghan people.
Thank you.