Norway is hosting the annual meeting of the Afghanistan Support Group (ASG), which is being held in Oslo on 17-18 December. The co-ordination of donor countries’ support to Afghanistan will be discussed at the meeting, and one of the main topics will be the establishment of a simpler and better structure under Afghan leadership.

The meeting will be opened by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen. Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Mohammed Haneef Atmar, Minister of Women’s Affairs Habiba Sarabi and other members of the Afghanistan Transitional Administration will also be attending the meeting, together with SRSG Lakhdar Brahimi, High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers and Executive Director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy.

The members of the ASG are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, the UK, the USA, the EU and Norway.

Norway has held the chair of the ASG in 2002 and in this capacity has worked for a simpler system for co-ordinating donors’ efforts. We have supported more extensive and coherent UN-led efforts and have promoted Afghan ownership of the political process and of the reconstruction efforts. Norway has also emphasised the importance of promoting women’s and children’s rights and has supported the work of the newly established commissions for human rights and judiciary reform.

The Afghan authorities will present their National Development Budget and what they consider to be the country’s main needs at the meeting. The UN will launch the Transitional Assistance Programme for Afghanistan for 2003.

Norway has allocated a total of NOK 350 million in development assistance to Afghanistan in 2002.