Launch of the Department
for International Development's Afghanistan country plan
DEPARTMENT FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT News Release issued by COI News
Distribution Service on 29 April 2009
The Department for
International Development's (DFID) Country Plan for
Afghanistan was launched today by Secretary of State Douglas Alexander.
The Plan sets out the framework for Britain's aid to the
country for the next four years with a pledge of over £127 million
a year in assistance between now and 2013, a total of £510 million.
That includes a commitment of £225 million to provide direct
support for the Government of Afghanistan's spending on basic
services, including education and health, and its plans for
investment to create much-needed jobs.
The plan also includes £30 million to help the Government provide
new opportunities in farming and business for people in rural
areas who may otherwise rely on the opium trade to make a living.
The UK is the second largest national provider of aid to Afghanistan.
DFID's support to Afghanistan forms part of the UK
Government's strategy for the region, set out by the Prime
Minister today. Our work to help Afghanistan function as a
responsible and accountable state will improve stability across
the region - which will help ensure security for the UK.
In Pakistan, we have already pledged to spend £665 million over
the same four-year period. That will help the government achieve
its vision of becoming a stable, economically and socially
developed country, and so will address challenges which affect the
whole region.
Douglas Alexander said:
"The last seven years has seen real progress towards the
goal of a prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan led by a government
that represents and delivers for all Afghans. The task now is to
build on the progress made in the last seven years, to enable
Afghans to secure and govern their country.
"Today I want to re-affirm our long-term commitment to help
the country's government and people by launching our
four-year country plan for Afghanistan with a promise to provide
£510 million in aid over this period.
"More than half of this money will be channelled through the
Government so that it can continue to grow in strength and build
closer links between its citizens and the state through
improvements in security, justice and basic services.
"We want to build on progress already made to help the
Afghanistan Government to develop the country economically because
people need jobs and the economic opportunity to support their
families without resorting to the opium trade.
"Afghanistan needs to provide economic opportunities for its
people - a task made more, not less, urgent by the current global
economic downturn.
"We need to help Afghans create employment opportunities for
women and men, tackling the barriers to the growth of a strong
private sector economy.
"Helping both Afghanistan and Pakistan to ensure their own
security, stability, growth and development is vital both for the
Afghan and Pakistani people, and for our own national security".
Notes to editors:
DFID has highlighted four priorities for supporting the people of
Afghanistan:
* DFID's top priority is to help the
Government of Afghanistan manage its own budgets, tackle
corruption, and provide fair justice systems to help people
resolve disputes peacefully.
* We want to help the government
to create jobs by investing in agriculture, and by enabling
Afghans to set up successful businesses.
* Working closely
with the Foreign Office and military we will seek to bring
security, government and development to the people of Helmand,
including by providing vital infrastructure such as roads and
power. Success here is vital to Afghanistan's future.
*
We will help combat the opium trade, which undermines
Afghanistan's economy and its institutions. We will help the
government to provide new opportunities to those who may otherwise
rely on poppy cultivation.
We will help the international
community, led by the UN, to coordinate its aid to make sure
assistance reaches those most in need. And because Afghanistan is
vulnerable to humanitarian crises, such as famine, we will work to
ensure immediate and direct support is given to those affected.
The £225 million for government budgets will be spent through the
Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The ARTF was created
in 2002 as an emergency financing instrument for the Afghan
Government, is managed by the World Bank, and has contributions
from 27 donors. ARTF support is linked to benchmarks to promote
policy reform by the Government of Afghanistan.
The £30 million for agricultural development will support the
Comprehensive Agriculture and Rural Development Facility (CARD), a
programme managed by the Government of Afghanistan to provide
economic incentives for farmers to ensure they do not turn to
opium cultivation. It is a key part of our revised approach to
tackling poppy.
Since the Taliban, who provided safe havens for terrorists, were
ousted from power in 2001 the lives of ordinary Afghans have
improved enormously.
For instance, today 82% of the population have access to basic
healthcare and each year 40,000 children more children live beyond
their first birthday compared to under the Taliban.
DFID's Pakistan Country Plan was launched in July 2008. It
will help improve access to basic services, make government more
effective, and support economic growth for the poor, helping
address the wider issues of regional peace and prosperity.
For more information contact David Rigby DFID press office 0207
023 0821
DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the
British Government's fight against world poverty. Find out
more about the major global poverty challenges and get the facts
on what DFID is doing to fight them: http://www.dfid.gov.uk