Representatives of 71 governments gathered in Tokyo over two days (July 7-8) have tied pledges of 16 billion dollars to progress made in the country’s economy and governance.
Representatives of 71 governments gathered in Tokyo over two days (July 7-8) have tied pledges of 16 billion dollars to progress made in the country’s economy and governance. The announcement has sparked both hope and anxiety at home.Kabul resident Habibullah fervently says, “Our request to the government is use the promised aid for providing the basic needs of the people including security, job opportunities and development.”
He urged Afghanistan’s benefactors to closely supervise the projects on the ground to ensure the aid is spent “properly”. “The international community should tell the government they will help only if the spending is transparent and proper.”
Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasool, addressing a press conference at the end of the conference in Tokyo, said the Afghan government was committed to combating administrative corruption and improving governance.
His cabinet colleague Minister of Finance Hazrat Omar Zakhelwalreminded reporters at the press conference that Afghanistan counted on donors to be committed to a stable and developed country. Participating donors at the Tokyo Conference have pledged four billion dollars every year over a four-year period. Aid makes up some 95 percent of the Afghanistan government’s budget each year.
President Hamid Karzai has time and again repeated his government’s commitment to fight corruption. In Tokyo the government presented a draft development plan with 22 articles that cover health, education, agriculture, security and public sector on the basis of which participating countries pledged conditional aid.
Meeting basic needs
Will the pledges of money contribute to improving people’s lives?
Most people who were interviewed were sceptical of the government’s ability to rein in corruption. For years Afghanistan has been one of the world’s most corrupt nations. In December 2011, it was together with Myanmar just a little less corrupt than Somalia which is at the top of the list drawn up by the global corruption watchdog, Transparency International.
Atefa Zafari, a graduate from the Soria High School in Kabul, believes, “The commitments and promises have been frequent, but they have not been acted upon. The existence of the hand of mafia in the corruption would be the main reason for the government’s inability to take firm action.”
Haroon who is also from the Afghan capital, cynically says: “The 16 milliard (billion) assistance will go into the pockets of a number of governmental authorities. Think about the last 10 years. Had the money been spent properly Kabul could have become as beautiful as Paris!”
Asked what he thought of the pledges made in Tokyo, Hayatullah, a daily wage worker, said: “We always hear about these aids but we never get to see any of it. People say 50 milliard dollars have been spent on Afghanistan but it hasn’t changed the general situation. I think now also the money will go in to the pockets of those who have already made plans to snatch them.”
The widespread pessimism has not dampened the government’s excitement over the promises made by international donors at Tokyo – there have been four major conferences on Afghanistan in the past year. The issue was on the agenda at the July 9 meeting in Kabul of the council of ministers.
Last chance
Ministers claim the pledges of financial aid – outside of military spending – were the result of a carefully executed strategy of the government. Marshal Faheem, first deputy of president,toldreporters at a press conference here, “Afghanistan has participated in Tokyo session with a specified plan and coordinated working programmes which made the donor countries focus on the infrastructural projects for Afghanistan.”
At the end of the Tokyo conference, President Karzai said his government would want the help and cooperation of the international community, as well as government departments and civil society to meet the new aid conditions which include cutting down on corruption and ensuring progress on economic and governance issues, as well as continued adherence to international norms on human and civil rights as currently enshrined in the Afghan constitution.
The Tokyo Mutual Accountablity Framework, an annex to the communiqué released following the two-day conference, signals a significant shift in aid policy. Donors have moved towards channeling at least half of aid monies to the Afghan government – a change of focus: building up the Afghan government and moving away from relying on private contractors. Aid will be spent on programmes identified as priority by the government.
What if the Afghan government does not measure up to the challenging job on hand?
Sayed Massod, an economics lecturer at Kabul University, describes the situation as a “last chance”.
“The Tokyo conference is the most important … It is the last chance for Afghanistan,” he says. “I hope that the assistance is spent on creating income, which can lead to savings that can be used for investment,” he says. Success will depend on the decisiveness of the government, he concludes.
