International community renews commitments at 2020 Afghanistan Conference
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 10:47, November 25, 2020
The international donor community and a number of regional countries and international organizations on Tuesday pledged financial and political support to the peace and development of Afghanistan at the 2020 Afghanistan Conference in Geneva.
Co-hosted by the United Nations and governments of Afghanistan and Finland, the conference was the last pledging conference of the Transformation Decade (2015-2024).
The main conference took place on Tuesday, with side events discussing key challenges and accomplishments for Afghanistan being held the day before.
Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan, told a press conference Tuesday that a stable Afghanistan will bring benefits for not only the country but also the entire region.
"Today, I believe, is a good day for Afghanistan and for the people of Afghanistan," she said, adding that the conference is also an expression of the importance of multilateralism.
"Even during these challenging times of COVID, we all come together because we are all connected," she noted.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed Tuesday's conference by video message, urging redoubling of efforts towards an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, in order to save lives and prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
"The United Nations stands with the people of Afghanistan on the path toward peace, development and self-reliance," Guterres said.
According to Pekka Haavisto, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, a total of 66 governments and more than 30 international organizations participated in Tuesday's conference.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani highlighted at the conference that the main priority of the Afghan people is a demand for peace.
"Today, we the Afghan people, government, and international community, share a vision of a sovereign unified democratic Afghanistan in peace with itself, the region and the world, capable of preserving and expanding the gains of the past two decades," he said.
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