Press Release

International Donors meet in Kabul

KABUL  | Monday, April 21, 2008

On April 21, international donors convened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul to discuss improvements in donor coordination and aid effectiveness.  This multinational Donor Coordination Forum was attended by over 50 representatives including high level officials of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and donor countries, and Kabul-based heads of development agencies. 

The goal of this meeting was to set the stage for the June 12, 2008 Paris Support Conference by examining donor coordination since 2002, discussing concrete proposals for better coordination, and reviewing best practices in support of Afghanistan’s priorities.  Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, opened the event, followed by remarks by Dr. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, Minister of Finance; Professor Ishaq Nadiri, Senior Economic Advisor to the President; and Minister Jelani Popal, Director General of the Independent Directorate for Local Governance. 

The forum is the centerpiece of a three-day visit in Afghanistan by this high level delegation.  In addition to the meeting, the delegates will visit numerous project sites within and outside of Kabul.  This is a valuable opportunity to see first-hand some examples of the work being done and to speak to the people who are directly affected by these programs. 

“One of the reasons we have come here today is to talk about what we can do to be more effective, better coordinated, and more supportive of Afghanistan’s development goals for the future.  Now is the right time to focus on making our aid more effective,” said Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development and Director of US Foreign Assistance.

Additional presenters at the conference included the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Christopher Alexander; Aly Mawjy of the Agha Khan Development Network; Marshall Elliott, Afghanistan Director of the British Department for International Development; and Mariam Sherman, World Bank Afghanistan Country Manager.