Kabul Conference July 2010

The Canada Afghanistan Solidarity Committee welcomes the Government of Canada’s participation in the Kabul Conference this week in Afghanistan, as foreign ministers and others from the donor nations to Afghanistan came together for the purpose of outlining a renewed commitment to the people of Afghanistan.

The recommendations for future Canadian support to Afghanistan that arose from the Solidarity Committee’s consultative report, “Keeping Our Promises: Canada in Afghanistan Post-2011”, are more timely now than ever, including the need to invest heavily in the education sector, to support democratic development and good governance, and to continue supporting the professionalization and growth of the Afghan police and army forces. These recommendations echo the many statements, resolutions and recommendations that came from Afghan civil society in the weeks and days leading up to the Kabul Conference.

The Solidarity Committee calls upon the Canadian Government to be attentive to these recommendations, such as those related to development, education, justice reform and security voiced by Afghanistan’s 50% Campaign, led by Women’s Political Participation Committee: Serious attention must also be given to the numerous open letters and statements from women’s networks, such as the 50% Campaign, the Afghan Women’s Network, Equality for Peace and Democracy, the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs and others, which warn over deal-making with the Taliban and which emphasize repeatedly and unambiguously that women’s rights must not be compromised in any negotiations.

Finally, the Solidarity Committee wishes to express its concern that the Kabul Conference will have been “just another conference” if the international community does not work closely with the Afghan government to ensure accountability for the many promises made to the Afghan people.

Concerns over the likelihood that the new Afghan Peace and Reintegration Plan will not be well-implemented, but will result in huge spending and potential wastage, must be addressed. Canada has a pivotal role to play in multilateral and diplomatic dialogues taking place over Afghanistan and the future of the intervention there, and should use its voice to ensure both good policy and good planning for development and security efforts in Afghanistan now and in the years to come.