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30 November 2001

Text: Conference Chairs' Statement on Afghanistan Reconstruction

(Says people from all sectors should be involved) (1880)
Reconstruction in Afghanistan should focus on the core
responsibilities of a new government, including building good economic
institutions, say the chairs of a conference in Islamabad sponsored by
the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program and the Asian
Development Bank. The conference ended November 29.
The meeting's co-chairs said that Afghans from all sectors --
including women -- should be involved in reconstruction planning. The
three-day conference drew 350 participants, including a large and
diverse number of Afghans and representatives of nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs). The co-chairs are David Lockwood of the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP), Mieko Nishimizu of the World Bank
and Yoshihoro Iwasaki of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The co-chairs warned against implementing "quick fixes," setting
"inappropriate and costly precedents" or devising complex and
competing programs.
"There is a unified and enormous will among the people to build a
nation that encompasses all people, women and men, both inside and
outside Afghanistan, and from all ethnic backgrounds," they said.
They said security, particularly de-mining, is essential for
reconstruction. They also said that agriculture development will be
important and that viable alternatives to poppy production must be
found.
They said reconstruction should focus on strengthening existing
community-based programs in education, health, water and sanitation
and infrastructure. They also said that securing conditions for the
return of refugees and internally displaced persons and fostering
opportunities for their viable livelihoods will be essential.
The co-chairs said their advice mirrored that of a U.S.-Japan
conference held November 20.
Following is the text of the co-chairs concluding remarks as published
by the World Bank:
(being text)
Conference on Preparing for Afghanistan's Reconstruction
27-29 November, 2001
Co-Chairs' Concluding Remarks
Ladies and Gentlemen
We are coming to the end of this three day Conference on Preparing for
Afghanistan's Reconstruction held in Islamabad, and convened jointly
by the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the
Asian Development Bank. We have been impressed and gratified by the
large number of participants who came here over the last three days to
exchange ideas about Afghanistan's reconstruction. Over 350 people
came and actively participated, including a large number of Afghans of
diverse backgrounds and NGOs working in Afghanistan. The agenda for
the conference has been rich and very full and the discussion has been
intense and spirited. In our concluding remarks we will not be able to
do justice to the richness and detail of these discussions but instead
will reflect on some of the key messages we heard that will help guide
us in the months ahead as we continue preparing for Afghanistan's
reconstruction. However, the full detail of all the group discussions
and plenary presentations as well as the additional papers prepared
for this conference, will be collated over the next few days and made
available to the wider community.
In the context of Afghanistan's rapidly unfolding political situation
the importance of this meeting for the future of Afghanistan is clear.
The work we have undertaken over the last three days is a critical
part of a broader process of re-building Afghanistan's shattered
country and institutions. That process of reconstruction requires
first and foremost knowledge and information. It also requires
political leadership and cooperation and it requires funding. We came
here over the last three days to discuss the first of these three
items -- that of knowledge and information. The conference provided an
opportunity to harvest ideas and knowledge among Afghan participants
and the aid community with operational experience in Afghanistan,
supplemented by knowledge from the wider development community with
its global experience of post-conflict work.
A number of guiding principles emerged early in our discussions that
will remain with us as we move forward together. First and foremost,
we must continue to listen deeply to Afghans. We must ensure that the
people of Afghanistan are in the driver's seat for reconstruction and
development of their country, and we must all try to look at the
future of Afghanistan through the eyes of Afghans.
The political, humanitarian and social situation and challenges we
face as we anticipate moving into reconstruction will need to provide
an early context for our efforts. The political discussions taking
place in Germany are a cause for optimism. The humanitarian situation
remains serious for millions of Afghans and the costs of not
supporting the humanitarian program are high. There is a need to
ensure that there are sufficient resources for the humanitarian
response so that it lays the foundation upon which a strong nation can
be built. In the fragile political and social environment of
Afghanistan, there will be a need for a process of reconciliation and
for the international community to listen to Afghans.
Like most post conflict situations, Afghanistan presents its own
unique environment and set of challenges. Nevertheless, previous
experiences do provide some lessons, particularly for the early design
and overall management of reconstruction efforts.
We need to avoid quick fixes and the tendency to set up inappropriate
and costly precedents that would be difficult to fix later on --
however expedient they may seem. Putting in place good economic
policies and building sound economic institutions at the outset is
important, including a central monetary authority, a fiscal system and
a functional financial and payment system. In early reconstruction
efforts, we should also avoid laying the basis for a bloated federal
bureaucracy and focus first on the core responsibilities of an Afghan
government. In turn, the international response must ensure that aid
does not become part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
In this context, we should work to avoid overly complex and competing
aid management and funding arrangements, which will be difficult for
Afghans and their government to manage. Lessons for us in this context
are: to give early attention to building a reasonably comprehensive
and realistic Afghan government budget, even if rudimentary at first,
to anchor the reconstruction effort; the need for an agency of the
Afghan government responsible for managing international assistance;
and the need for a unified aid coordination mechanism, that would
enhance coordination and accountability of international assistance
and reduce complexity for Afghans.
The core work of the conference to identify the priority needs and
likely challenges and opportunities for Afghanistan's reconstruction
was undertaken in small working groups, focusing on the first day on
Immediate Post Crisis Recovery and Reconstruction issues and on the
second day on Social Development and Rebuilding Infrastructure. Groups
were asked to draw on the collective experience of members in building
a better, and more concrete, understanding of Afghanistan's
requirements and priorities for reconstruction and development, and
options for how to move ahead.
The group discussions were challenging and dynamic, with much rich and
useful information and recommendations that will provide an excellent
foundation for further work. Key strategic messages emerged from the
group discussions, as follows:
-- Capacity, optimism and energy exist among the people of Afghanistan
despite the years of war and deprivation. There is a unified and
enormous will among the people to build a nation that encompasses all
people, women and men, both inside and outside Afghanistan, and from
all ethnic backgrounds.
-- In everything we do, we must build on this capacity -- utilize it
and strengthen it, and optimise productive employment opportunities
for Afghan citizens. Specific interventions should build initially on
existing experience and capacities in Afghanistan. Reconstruction and
development across all sectors must be accompanied by an equal
emphasis on capacity building and local ownership.
-- Local communities in Afghanistan have built up many survival
skills, coping strategies, strengths and practices over the years that
are available, and must be utilized in the short term and scaled up
over time -- including a vibrant private sector spirit, community
driven efforts, NGO experience in service delivery and traditional
institutions for guiding resource allocation decisions.
-- This private sector spirit and capacity must be at the centre of
Afghanistan's development strategy, and evident in reconstruction
efforts from the beginning, including in the delivery of both
infrastructure and social services;
-- With these strengths in Afghanistan's society, and the limited
experiences with extensive government structures, Afghans have an
opportunity now to build a nation that is based on strong civil
society and communities, good governance, transparency and open and
positive relations between local communities and government.
-- Fragmented sector and sub-sector programming should be avoided. A
coordinated and holistic approach must be taken, from the point of
view of the people and their community, in all sectors ranging from
roading, agriculture and rural development, as well as health,
education and water and sanitation.
-- Women, as well as men, must be fully engaged in reconstruction
planning and development, with the family at the centre of our
attentions.
In this concluding statement we will not go through all of the
findings of our group discussions but want to reflect only on a few
that are likely to require our immediate attention as we move forward
with further planning in the next few months. These messages were as
follows:
First, security is essential for the reconstruction effort --
encompassing political stability, law and order, legal and financial.
In particular, de-mining will be an important immediate priority.
Afghanistan already has the world's largest de-mining program, run
largely by Afghans, but for reconstruction and resettlement to take
place there will be a need for further scaling up of this effort
focusing on the most efficient de-mining techniques and further
education efforts.
Second, agriculture is clearly going to be at the core of any survival
and livelihood strategy for most of the population. It has
demonstrated resilience and entrepreneurship and can be improved
radically. It is imperative for restoring livelihoods and we need to
work to find viable alternatives to poppy production;
Third, in most sectors, including education, health, water and
sanitation, but also in infrastructure, attention must be focused in
the first instance on building on the existing community based
programs which have been running effectively for many years, despite
limited resources, while retaining and strengthening the central role
of Government as regulator and adviser;
Fourth, harnessing assistance to foster the "conditions" for
demobilization or IDP [internally displaced persons]/refugee return --
including creating the opportunities for viable livelihoods and
productivity -- will be essential rather than forced efforts or
consumption packages alone.
In addition, the small groups almost universally voiced the need to
continue and broaden consultations with and among the people of
Afghanistan, on many of the issues discussed throughout the conference
as a means of building consensus, as well as a need for further work
and information gathering, including a systematic assessment of
Afghanistan's post-conflict reconstruction requirements. This advice
mirrors the request made by the donor community at the meeting
co-hosted by Japan and the USA on November 20th. Building on the
excellent discussions and knowledge-building that has occurred at the
conference, UNDP, the World Bank and ADB will work together and in
consultation with Afghans and the assistance community to prepare a
preliminary assessment of reconstruction requirements by mid January.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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