Speeches

Remarks by Ambassador William B. Wood, Afghan Development Forum

April 29, 2007

President Karzai, Honored Ministers, fellow diplomats, international colleagues and Afghan friends:

I am delighted to appear before you today, the two-week anniversary of my arrival in Kabul.  I can only say that the dynamism of the Afghan Government and the commitment of the international community that I have found here more than satisfy my high expectations during my weeks of preparation for arrival.  I am looking forward to a long tenure here of cooperation and joint achievement.

I am also delighted that my first public speech is here, at the Afghan Development Forum. 

Security and law enforcement considerations must play a large part in all our joint endeavors in Afghanistan, at least for the time being.  The U.S. is proud to be helping and will continue to help.

But our common goal is not merely for a safer Afghanistan, but one in which private hope and public responsiveness combine to create a better life for every Afghan citizen, and the tools to sustain that better life.  That is what the Afghan Development Forum is all about.

The commitment of the United States to Afghanistan is clear and sustained.  This year alone, we have asked Congress for more than US$ 1.8 billion for projects focusing on alternative livelihood, governance, reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance. 

Afghanistan, which has suffered from the same terrorism as the United States, can count on the United States, and on our fulfilling the call in the Compact for our commitment for the full term.

Just two years ago, in his remarks to the ADF, President Karzai focused on the need for a national development strategy process.

Since then, his team has written the Interim Afghan National Development Strategy, with input from the international donors and with agreement on the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board as the appropriate vehicle for coordination of cooperation.  I look forward to participating fully in the next meeting of the JCMB day after tomorrow.

President Karzai and his government have also led an impressive effort to develop sectoral strategies.

We are fully supportive of the Ministry of Public Health and its new strategy.  Medical coverage now is available to approximately 80 percent of the Afghan population.

We are backing the first ever five-year education strategy with donations and expertise, including $15 million to reconstruct the schools in Kabul city.  We are dedicating $3 million in sectoral support to education, to be administered solely by the Afghan government.  We are confident that it will be spent in an accountable and effective way.

Electricity is the key to development of a number of commercial and public sectors.  We are pleased to play our part with a variety of projects to provide increased electrical power to the north, to the south and to Kabul.  We urge all of the donors to increase support for this key enabling effort.

We also urge the Afghan Government to take the steps necessary to rationalize payment and collection of electricity rates, so that new electrical power can be self-sustaining and also power new government investments in infrastructure and social needs.

The macro economy is doing well.  GDP and GDP per capita both have more than doubled since 2002.  New financial institutions and new forms of public and private financing are available to help Afghans help themselves through private and public enterprise. 

In the last week, U.S. private interests moved to the first step, or past the first step, toward major investments in the hotel industry, farming, and other areas.

Continued leadership will be required to install a legal and regulatory environment that fosters private sector growth and job creation, including enactment of commercial laws and an independent civil aviation authority.

And we have recently mobilized what we call the “ABC contract” – the last and biggest leg of our “Afghans Building Capacity” program.  One of its key goals will be an increase in the Afghan goods and services we use to deliver development assistance.

All our systems – indeed our laws themselves – mandate that we do everything we can to produce maximum developmental impact from our assistance.

We are committed to moving money through the Afghan systems – we are the second largest contributor to the ARTF, at $275 million and counting.

U.S. experts are on the ground today building the capacity of key ministries to design, procure, manage and evaluate development activities.

One key input towards aid effectiveness is as old as development itself – better government and donor coordination.   We are pleased to see the emergence of the National Capacity Development Strategy, led by the Afghans and supported by all donors, as a means of improving donor input and government effort at all levels.

The U.S. supports the efforts of the Afghan Government against corruption and its recent willingness to investigate, prosecute and try cases of high-level corruption. 

In this regard, we are looking forward to the release of the Anti Corruption report being prepared by the interagency committee chaired by Chief Justice Azimi.  Together with other donors we will try to assist President Karzai and his Government wherever possible to implement the recommendations in that report.

It is not possible to discuss corruption or development in Afghanistan without also focusing on the fight against illicit narcotics.  The production and trafficking of illicit narcotics, especially heroin, threatens our success in every other area. 

The heroin trade creates insecurity.  It promotes criminal violence and fuels corruption.  It creates rival, illegitimate power centers that challenge legitimate national and community leadership.  Most importantly for this forum, it diverts needed resources and sharply limits growth in the affected areas.

In short, the heroin trade endangers development, peace, and decency.  We must reach a more effective consensus on how to counter this threat to all our goals in Afghanistan.

The U.S. is very gratified to see refugee issues included on the agenda of this Forum for the first time. 

Closing the camps is an integral part of efforts to combat the insurgency and to improve security in the border region.  We believe the successful, sustainable reintegration of the 4.8 million Afghans that have returned since 2002 and those that will return in the future is a critical element in Afghanistan’s development equation.

The Governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, as well as the UNHCR, must continue to work closely to ensure that the return of refugees continues to be dignified and voluntary in nature, in accordance with the principles of the Trilateral Agreements.

In closing, I would only note that things move fast in Afghanistan.  I understand that a new ambassador has already arrived after me, so I am no longer the “new kid” on the block.  That speed suits me fine. 

I am eager to work with my international colleagues and, above all, the Afghan Government at all levels to advance our common goals of security, development, democracy, and hope for all Afghanistan.

I am also optimistic.  As one senior U.S. official said at the JCMB meeting in Berlin on January 30:  "...compared to last year and previous years, this year there is more army, more police, more government, more roads, more development, more economic opportunity, more legitimate economy, and more pressure on the Taliban from all sides, including Pakistan." 

I agree, and am dedicated to continuing this progress.

Thank you.