At the end of the Brussels conference on Afghanistan on Wednesday 5 October, the international community issued a statement in which it announced its intention to provide Afghanistan with $15.6 billion, or around €13.6 billion, over the period 2017-2020, to support the country's development priorities. This support is a shade lower than the period 2012-2016, when it stood at $4 billion a year.
For their part, the EU and the member states upped their support, which rises from €1 billion a year currently to €1.3 billion a year up to 2020. At the opening of the conference, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, explained that in 2017, the EU and its member states will be the largest donor of development aid to Afghanistan, that they would support international efforts and the reinforcement of local capacity with around €1.3 billion this year and that this effort would be maintained up to 2020. Germany announced that it would provide up to €1.7 billion to Afghanistan over the next four years, but added that the aid would be conditional on, amongst other things, progress on reforms, in particular the fight against corruption, and cooperation over migration issues. The United Kingdom pledged up to $1 billion for the forthcoming period.
However, as the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, pointed out, it is not just money, but political support as well. The hundred or so delegations attending the conference reiterated their support for Afghanistan. Whilst welcoming the progress the country has made since 2001, the delegations called upon it to continue its efforts, particularly in the fight against corruption and the fight against poverty, on migration issues, women's rights and strengthening the institutions. They also stressed that development and security went hand in hand (see Europe Diplomacy&Defence). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)