The London Conference on Afghanistan

28 January 2010 The Government of the Islamic Republic   of    Afghanistan   and   the international community met on 28, January 2010 in London to renew their mutual commitment towards helping Afghanistan emerge  as   a secure, prosperous,   and   democratic   nation.    This    Conference represented a decisive step towards greater  Afghan   leadership    to secure,  stabilize  and  develop    Afghanistan.     The     international community underlined its support for the Government  of  Afghanistan and its security, development and governance. In this Conference, President Hamid Karzai built on commitments set out in his inauguration speech, which  articulated clear priorities for stabilizing and developing Afghanistan. The international  community   pledged   to   maintain  its   long-term commitment to Afghanistan.  The international community re-affirmed its  support  for   the   relevant   UN   Security   Council   Resolutions upholding the security, stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and   in particular the role of the UN itself in achieving this goal.

Conference Participants emphasized that the Afghan Government and the international community are entering into a new phase on the way to full Afghan ownership.

This conference took place in a time that under the heavily indebted poor countries initiative - the World Bank, the IMF and Afghanistan's major creditors, few days before the conference have agreed to provide up to $1.6 billion in debt relief from major creditors, taking total debt relief to $11 billion.

In  this   conference   more   than   70   countries   and   international organizations present agreed with the GoA:

·   To develop a plan  for  phased  transition  to  Afghan  security  lead province by province to begin provided conditions are met,by late 2010/early 2011.

·   Targets for significant increases in the Afghan Army and  Police Force supported by the international community: 171,000   Afghan Army and 134,000 Afghan Police by the end of 2011, taking  total security force numbers to over 300,000.

·   Confirmation of a significant increase   in   international   forces   to support the training of Afghan forces. In total, the US have  increased levels by 30,000 and the  rest  of  the  international  community     by 9,000, including the German contribution taking total  force  levels  to around 135,000.

·    Measures to tackle corruption, including the establishment of an independent Office of High Oversight and an independent Monitoring and Evaluation Mission.

·   Better coordinated development assistance to be increasingly channeled through the GoA, supported by reforms to structures and budgets.

·   A civilian surge to match the military surge, including new civilian leadership of the international community’s programs, with the appointment of Mark Sed will, previously British Ambassador to Afghanistan, as NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative, a new UN representative plus more civilians on the ground to support governance and economic development.

·   Enhanced sub-national government to improve delivery of basic services to all Afghans.

·   Support for the GoA’s national Peace and Reintegration Programme, including financial support for a Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund, to offer economic alternatives to those who renounce violence, cut links to terrorism and agree to work within the democratic process.

·   Support for increased regional co-operation to combat terrorism, violent extremism and the drugs trade, to increase trade and cultural exchange and to create conducive conditions for the return of Afghan refugees.

  At the end of this conference a 34 articles communiqué was issued which mainly focuses on security, governance and development and Regional cooperation/international architecture.