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Afghanistan set to take centrestage

It is expected that over 16 bilateral donors, in addition to the national financial institution and United Nations agencies, will attend the donor meeting on Sunday. The meeting will give renewed attention to the urgency of delivering the reconstruction programme and accelerating its implementation.

The concerns regarding the intensifying opium drug trade and approaches to tackle this complex problem are expected to be raised. Delegates are also likely to discuss security in some areas of the country and the impact on reconstruction.

"There has been a tremendous amount of work going on in Afghanistan over the past year in the preparation of multiple programmes and projects," said World Bank Country Director, Alastair Mckechnie.

"The challenge for every one involved in helping Afghanistan now will be to translate this effort into very visible results on the ground. Implementation requires capacity and security which are significant obstacles in Afghanistan. But effective implementation also requires a real commitment among donors to deepen cooperation and collaboration and to focus on achieving impacts that improve the life of Afghans by supporting their reconstruction programme. That is what the meeting this Sunday, with Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani in the chair, will be seeking."

The World Bank is engaged in Afghanistan in a number of sectors including public administration, community development, infrastructure, transport, education, health and advisory services. Of $100 million in grant financing committed in FY02 (financial year 2002) about $35 million has been disbursed so far. A further $21.5 million was committed in FY03 and about $300 million is planned for next year.

The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund plays a critical role in funding the recurrent costs of the government. The fund is increasing its financing of investment projects.

On Monday, September 22, the World Bank will host a ministerial-level regional trade meeting attended by neighbours with which Afghanistan does significant trade including Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting will focus on enhancing trade flow through improved transport links and border regulation and will also address regional trade in power and energy. Supporting donors including the European Comission, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Asian Development Bank and the UN agencies.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Minister of Commerce, Said Mustafa Kazemi, will address a meeting on Tuesday to be hosted by the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank. At the meeting, 25 companies interested in investing in Afghanistan will be present.

The World Bank has eight projects in Afghanistan ranging from power station and road rehabilitation to countrywide village-level support. The bank's community development programme has been designed to support the government's National Solidarity programme to reach the lives of many Afghans. So far, 947 villages in over 20 provinces in Afghanistan have been reached by the project which aims to help the villages to plan their development needs with the support of the NGOs and government funding. Physical work begins this month in the villages but the security issue is a concern.

Other projects included the fixing of 4,000km of roads in 30 provinces in labour intensive public works schemes which have created 2.7 million labour days of employment.

By winter, a pilot programme will rehabilitate 16 schools in Bamiyan and Logar provinces. In all, 32 provinces, education offices have received transport and communications equipment. "The reconstruction of Afghanistan is the rebuilding of a state that was broken by war, not just the repair of damaged infrastructure," said Mr Mckechnie.

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