INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON ASSISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN TO CONVENE IN TURMENISTAN, 21 - 22 JANUARY
Press Release
AFG/72
IHA/616
INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON ASSISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN TO CONVENE IN TURMENISTAN, 21 - 22 JANUARY
19970120 NEW YORK, 20 January (Department of Humanitarian Affairs) -- More than 200 representatives from governments, the United Nations system, and non- governmental organizations will gather in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, from 21 to 22 January, to seek agreement on an aid strategy for Afghanistan, a country that has been devastated by nearly two decades of conflict.The Forum, co-sponsored by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will focus on the international community's future role in assisting Afghanistan. The meeting is expected to rally international support for a strategy that links urgently required humanitarian assistance with development and peacemaking efforts. Most importantly, the strategy will reinforce the efforts of the Afghans themselves to achieve peace and stability in their country. The President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat A. Niyazov, will deliver a welcoming address to participants. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi, will make the opening keynote speech and will chair the proceedings. He will also deliver a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
On Sunday, 19 January, Mr. Akashi carried out a field mission to Afghanistan. He was accompanied by a number of ambassadors of countries providing aid to Afghanistan, as well as directors of United Nations agencies involved in assisting the country.
During a meeting with the Taliban Governor of Jalalabad, Abdul Kadir, the Under-Secretary-General reaffirmed the United Nations' commitment to continue to support the most vulnerable groups and asked the local authorities to facilitate the work of international relief and development organizations. He stressed that human rights -- in particular the rights of women and girls -- should be fully respected in accordance with Afghanistan's international obligations under United Nations agreements.
In Mazar-i-Sharif, at a meeting with General Abdul Rashid Dostam, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Defence of Afghanistan, Mr. Akashi focused on the need to restore peace and stability throughout Afghanistan, to ensure a durable solution to the humanitarian crisis. Mr. Akashi expressed grave concern over additional suffering inflicted on the Afghan population by the recent bombing of residential areas of Kabul, as well as the latest outbreak
- 2 - Press Release AFG/72 IHA/616 20 January 1997
of conflict to the north of Kabul. He pointed out the need for all Afghan parties to fully respect internationally recognized humanitarian principles. The Under-Secretary-General asked General Dostam to always bear in mind the need to avoid casualties among the civilian population.
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world today. It is ranked at 170 of the 174 countries listed in the United Nations Index of Human Development, and last on the list of 135 countries in the UNDP Gender Development Index. The recent intensification of the civil conflict has only exacerbated the difficult living conditions of an already impoverished population.
After 17 years of strife, destruction and displacement, there is no end in sight to the misery of the Afghan people. The United Nations and its partners in the international community have provided hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian assistance to victims of war and displacement inside Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries. While many life-saving activities have been carried out and many rehabilitation efforts initiated, the volatility of the situation has so far precluded any durable reconstruction.
* *** *