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Stepping International Coordination of Afghanistan Reconstruction
Germany is using its European Union and G8 presidencies in 2007 to firmly reinforce the international community’s commitment to the comprehensive reconstruction of Afghanistan. It is devoting particular attention to stepping up coordination of reconstruction efforts, and especially to intensifying their civilian components and their impact throughout the country. On Monday, January 29, at a meeting between the European Union Troika and Afghanistan at the Federal Foreign Office, the EU presented its commitment to Afghanistan, by which the European Commission will invest a further 600 million euros over the next four years for judicial reform, agricultural development and health care. Coordination Conference in Berlin On January 30 and 31, 25 international delegations, including one from Afghanistan, met in Berlin for a high-level coordination conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan—the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board. Germany organized the conference in its capacity as President of the G8 in 2007. At the London Conference (January 31 to February 1, 2006) the JCMB, as the central coordination committee for Afghan reconstruction, was charged with coordinating the measures agreed on by the Afghan Government and its partners in the international community for the next five years. The Afghan Government and the United Nations are co-chairs of the JCMB. One year after the London conference, this meeting provided the first opportunity to take political stock. Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Spanta opened the conference. Tom Koenigs, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Afghanistan, attended the conference, as well as several members of the Afghan cabinet. Steinmeier stressed that Afghanistan can continue to count on the staunch support of the international community. He also said that the German G8 Presidency wanted to initiate a political exchange of ideas on how the international commitment can be steered even better and in a more targeted fashion in future. Steinmeier highlighted three keys to success that Germany believes are particularly important: 1. Continued security sector reform so that the Afghan state is increasingly in a position to guarantee its own security; 2. Better coordination of military action with civilian reconstruction measures; 3. Promotion of the fundamental principle of Afghan ownership. Foreign Minister Spanta called upon the international community to strengthen and involve Afghan institutions in their efforts in such a way that they will increasingly be able to serve the needs of the Afghan people on their own. Moreover, he urged everyone not to forget the major progress that has undoubtedly been made during the last few years despite all the problems. The political directors emphasized that although the JCMB has proven its worth as the central coordination committee, it should be further strengthened. The prime task now was to win the hearts of the Afghan population. On the second day of the conference, the members of the JCMB continued their coordination work in Berlin in the Kabul format. January 31, 2007 Links
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