The European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, announced an EU contribution of €1.2 billion over four years (2021-2024) at the 2020 Afghanistan Conference on Tuesday 24 November.
This amount, which is subject to final approval of the Multiannual Financial Framework, is the same as was promised at the previous conference in 2016. This assistance will support the implementation of Afghanistan’s Second National Peace and Development Framework covering the 2021-2025 period (https://bit.ly/3kWrl3L ) and will also contribute to the fight against growing poverty in the country following the Covid-19 pandemic.
In total, the international community has pledged $3 billion (€2.5 billion) for 2021. With annual commitments that are expected to remain at the same level in each year, the total should be $12 billion dollars (just over €10 billion) over four years, said Finnish Minister for Cooperation Ville Skinnari.
Beyond the financial promise, the conference was an opportunity for the international community to reiterate its expectations of the country. In their speeches, both Ms Urpilainen and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, focused on the ceasefire.
“A ceasefire must not be the end of the peace process; a ceasefire must accompany the process from now on”, the High Representative stressed, saying that the ongoing peace process required more signs of trust and commitment to peace from the Taliban. “The violence must stop, not tomorrow, but now”, he insisted as the country experiences record levels of violence.
The High Representative also made a thinly veiled reference to the Americans, who announced a partial withdrawal of their troops, stressing that the international community’s security and military action in Afghanistan should be managed “wisely and with a long-term perspective”.
And while intra-Afghan negotiations are ongoing, Mr Borrell recalled that the outcome of the peace process should belong to the entire population and that, to have the necessary legitimacy, the process must be inclusive.
The head of EU diplomacy also recalled that aid, be it political or financial, is not unconditional. “We want to help build a sovereign, unified and democratic Afghanistan that is on the road to prosperity and self-sufficiency”, he said. To do so, the country’s future course must preserve the gains in democracy and human rights made since 2001, particularly with regard to the rights of women and children. “Any attempt to re-establish an Islamic emirate would have an impact on our political and financial commitment”, Borrell warned. He also called for progress on governance, including a more effective fight against corruption. “EU support will be maintained and reviewed in light of Afghanistan’s continued commitment to democracy, the Rule of law, human rights, and gender equality”, Ms Urpilainen added.
The international community as a whole has linked its support to progress in the country. In addition to a political declaration, an agreement on a ‘partnership framework’ with Afghanistan was reached at the conference. This agreement sets out the conditions for continued international support to the government. They include a commitment to democracy, to the principles of governance embodied in the Afghan constitution, to an Afghan-owned and -led peace process and sustainable peace, and to a secure and stable environment underpinning sustainable economic and human development.
See the statement: https://bit.ly/2HAH6Qe and the framework: https://bit.ly/2KqY9VN (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)