Billions of dollars for Afghanistan
06 July, 2012
TOKYO: Donor nations are set to pledge billions of dollars in development aid for Afghanistan, Japan's media reported on Thursday. A one-day conference in Tokyo planned for the weekend will bring together UN chief Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and senior officials from about 70 countries as well as international organisations. The participants will commit to ensuring the sustainable development of Afghanistan during the so-called transformation decade of 2015-2024, Japan's Kyodo News said on Thursday, citing unnamed diplomats. A fundraising campaign was expected to raise $US15 billion ($A14.64 billion), which was more than initially hoped, Kyodo said, citing one of the diplomats involved in preparing for the meeting on Sunday. In exchange for the development aid, Afghanistan will promise to eradicate corruption, improve its legal system, strengthen its finances and carry out a range of other reforms, Kyodo said. The reciprocal commitments will be mapped out in a document to be released at the conference along with the "Tokyo Declaration", Kyodo said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said this week his country needed a combined $S3.9 billion from the international community every year from 2015, following the pullout of NATO forces. End.
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