Chairman's Summary of the Afghanistan support group's annual meeting in Oslo on 17-18 December 2002

The Afghanistan Support Group (ASG) held its annual meeting in Oslo on 17-18 December 2002, under the chairmanship of Norway. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Afghanistan Transitional Administration (ATA), Afghanistan’s neighboring states and other interested states, the United Nations and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), a number of UN organizations and other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

The focus of the meeting was on the short and longer term needs in Afghanistan that require the support of the international community. The ATA presented progress to date on translating the vision outlined in President Karzai’s Tokyo speech and the National Development Framework into a draft National Development Budget and six National Priority Projects, and offered recommendations on how the international community could best support the ATA’s national reconstruction efforts. The meeting also took stock of the results so far of the Immediate and Transitional Assistance Program (ITAP). The Transitional Assistance Program for Afghanistan 2003 was presented, and the future organization of international support efforts was discussed. The overriding issue in the discussions was the urgent necessity of promoting lasting peace, security and democratic values in the whole of Afghanistan.

The participants welcomed the renewed commitments made at the Petersberg meeting on 2 December 2002 to continuing support for the one-year-old Bonn Agreement. Security, although improved during the past year, remains a serious concern, especially outside the capital. The creation of an Afghan National Army and Police Force must be given high priority, and the international community must accelerate its contributions to the necessary capacity building. A strong welcome was given to the decree signed by President Karzai on 1 December 2002 setting out the principles governing the establishment of the new Afghan National Army and the demobilization of former combatants.

Participants also welcomed the agreement at the Petersberg meeting on the importance of establishing clear benchmarks and timelines to ensure the full and timely implementation of the Bonn Agreement. In particular, they stressed the urgency of early preparations for the national elections in order to meet the 2004 deadline prescribed by the Bonn Agreement. They additionally noted the emphasis on the need to design the programs and assistance of the international community so as to strengthen the ATA’s ownership of the reconstruction and development process, and warmly welcomed the contributions made by members of the international community to enable Afghanistan to clear its arrears to the international financial institutions. Full clearance of these arrears will pave the way for significant levels of concessional lending.

The need for national reconciliation and the establishment of the rule of law and for an effective central government in control of its entire territory was underlined. The international community must provide appropriate forms of support to ensure full Afghan ownership of this process. The participants welcomed the ATA’s announcement that it was preparing a program of action with concrete performance indicators across the administrative, financial, judicial security and socio-economic domains to be presented to the international community in Kabul in March 2003.

At the same time, participants noted the positive impact on the reconstruction agenda of regional stability, and looked forward to the planned meeting in Kabul of representatives of the ATA and neighboring States to adopt a declaration of good neighborly relations affirming Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, encouraging regional cooperation and prescribing non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, as well as expressing commitment to participating in the process of rebuilding Afghanistan.

While the participants commended the ATA on the fact that some improvements had been made in the human rights situation, welcoming in particular the establishment of the national independent Human Rights Commission, there was general agreement that sustained efforts must be made to support the work of the Commission, and to enhance respect for human rights in general and the rights of women, children and minorities in particular. The crucial importance of integrating women and gender issues into Afghanistan’s reconstruction and peace-building processes was underscored.

The participants strongly endorsed the ATA’s commitment to transparency, efficiency and accountability, and welcomed the important steps that had been taken in this regard to ensure proper utilization of the resources made available to it and to create a climate conducive to economic growth and prosperity. The meeting welcomed the ATA’s determination to strengthen transparency and accountability.

The participants agreed that the illicit production and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan remains a serious obstacle to the country’s stability and reconstruction, and affirmed their commitment to continuing efforts to eliminate opium poppy cultivation by the provision of alternative livelihoods as well as law enforcement.

Although significant progress has been made in bringing tangible benefits to Afghans across the country, many parts of Afghanistan are still in the midst of a serious humanitarian emergency. In light of this, the meeting strongly supported the ATA’s commitment to developing a social policy oriented toward the elimination of poverty.

As the comprehensive framework for the programming and coordination of UN assistance activities, the ITAP has helped to develop a more coherent and effective assistance approach. In this respect, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to speeding the transition to a program-oriented approach.

Stocktaking showed that most of the pledges for 2002 made at the Tokyo Conference last January have been disbursed. There was no doubt among the participants that this had contributed substantially to positive developments in Afghanistan. However, there was also agreement that Afghanistan’s needs substantially exceeded the resources made available.

The Transitional Assistance Program for Afghanistan 2003 (TAPA) was also launched at the meeting. The participants were pleased that the ATA and the UN had worked together to arrive at a program that reflects Afghan priorities and seeks to respond to the underlying causes of humanitarian needs. The TAPA's strategic goals and priorities were in general shared by the participants. The UN was also commended on its commitment to a transition to government leadership of the recovery and reconstruction process, as expressed through the programs of the National Development Framework and the budget process. The donors will look to these programs as they make their decisions on upcoming contributions.

Once again, the donors expressed their determination to continue to provide a high level of assistance to Afghanistan, with an emphasis on immediate humanitarian needs and physical, social and institutional development and reconstruction to build Afghan capacity to assure economic and social recovery. The importance of a seamless transition and complementarity between humanitarian assistance and reconstruction was underscored.

In particular, the participants emphasized that no effort should be spared to ensure the sustainability of returns by meeting the immediate and longer-term needs of the most vulnerable returning refugees and internally displaced persons as well as those of the communities of return. The continued positive contributions made by neighboring states for the protection of Afghan refugees are still needed and are highly appreciated. Participants recognized the need for the international community to continue to support neighboring states in this role.

The time has come for the ATA to take the full lead in the recovery and reconstruction effort. This will also have implications on the way the international support efforts are organized. The meeting paid tribute to the important contribution to coordination and resource mobilization by the Afghanistan Support Group since its establishment in 1997. The role of the ASG will be taken on by a Consultative Group structure that will include donor coordination with the Afghan government and promote government-led resource mobilization. The ATA convened the first meeting for this purpose in Kabul last month, with a view to organizing the first full Consultative Group meeting in mid-March 2003. Local consultative groups will be established within the 12 programs of the National Development Framework and will start their work as soon as possible. A proposal by the ATA to include in the Consultative Group structure a sub-committee and a working group on monitoring and evaluation was welcomed.

The participants commended the ATA on establishing a Consultative Group structure, and agreed that it will be necessary to focus donor attention and to mobilize resources as required for continued humanitarian needs. Humanitarian assistance will be delivered in accordance with internationally recognized humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law. The humanitarian situation should be closely monitored, especially to ensure that food and shelter needs are met. Japan has agreed to serve as the "convenor" of an informal donor network for humanitarian assistance until the Consultative Group structure has become fully operative and includes a donor-led advisory group on humanitarian affairs. The meeting welcomed the decision to establish this group. Once constituted, the advisory group will meet in Kabul on a regular basis to ensure continued coordination of humanitarian assistance.