Afghan government, international community enter into new phase on way to full Afghan ownership
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Participants of the Afghanistan conference in London on Thursday emphasized that the Afghan government and the international community are entering into a new phase on the way to full Afghan ownership.
According to a communique released after the meeting, the Afghan government and the international community renew their mutual commitment toward helping Afghanistan emerge as a secure, prosperous and democratic nation.
The communique said today's meeting represents a decisive step toward greater Afghan community to secure, stabilize and develop Afghanistan, and the international community underlined its support for the government and its security, development and governance.
Conference participants reaffirmed the goals of greater Afghan leadership, increased regional cooperation and more effective international partnership.
In the communique, the Afghan government made a commitment to continue the development of a National Security Strategy with the support of the international community and reinvigorate Afghan-led reintegration efforts by developing and implementing an effective, inclusive, transparent and sustainable national Peace and Reintegration Program, while the international community will establish a trust fund to finance the program.
In addition, the Afghan government also vowed to fight corruption and mount a concerted effort to tackle the key drivers of corruption, through the development of clear and objective benchmarks and implementation plans in advance of the Kabul conference.
The London conference will be followed by a conference in Kabul later this year, hosted by the Afghan government, where it intends to take forward its program with concrete plans for delivery for the Afghan people.
The conference was co-hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and United Nations Secretary- general Ban Ki-moon.
Representatives from over 70 countries and international organizations gathered here to fully align military and civilian resources behind an Afghan-led political strategy. The strategy will engage the Afghan people in defense of their country to divide the insurgency and build regional cooperation.
