Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting and Pakistan Donors Conference
Outline and Evaluation

April 17, 2009
Tokyo, Japan

Japanese

The Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting and the Pakistan Donors Conference were held in Tokyo on April 17, 2009, with 31 countries and 18 organizations and agencies including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in attendance. Senior-level participants included: from Japan - Prime Minister Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Seiko Hashimoto, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuhide Minorikawa, Special Representative for Assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan Motohide Yoshikawa, and President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Sadako Ogata; from Pakistan - President Asif Ali Zardari and Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi; from the World Bank - Vice President for South Asia Region Isabel Guerrero; from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan; from Australia - Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith; from the Republic of Korea (ROK) - Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan; from the Islamic Republic of Iran - Minister for Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki; and from the United States of America - Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.

I. Outline

1. Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting

(1) During the morning of April 17, Pakistan hosted the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting, with President Zardari presiding as Chair. The meeting issued a Chair's Statement, which made clear President Zardari's political commitment to defeat terrorism and militancy as well as to achieve economic reform. The statement also expressed the international community's political determination to support Pakistan in fulfilling these goals.

(2) Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso delivered an opening address, stressing the importance of Pakistan's role in global efforts on counterterrorism as well as of a regional approach when tackling these challenges. (Address by Prime Minister Taro Aso)

(3) As a demonstration of their commitment, both Pakistan and the other participants of the meeting decided to establish follow-up mechanisms for international cooperation in the areas of development, security, energy, institution capacity building, and trade and finance. The next Friends of Democratic Pakistan Meeting is scheduled to be held in Turkey.

(Reference) Friends of Democratic Pakistan Meeting (FODP)

The first ministerial meeting of the FODP was co-hosted by Pakistan (and chaired by President Zardari), USA, UK, and UAE in September 2008 on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting aimed to serve as a platform for the international community to demonstrate its concerted stance to help the Pakistani government address difficult challenges such as economic issues and counterterrorism measures.

2. Pakistan Donors Conference

(1) During the afternoon of April 17, Japan and the World Bank co-hosted the Pakistan Donors Conference. Discussions focused on how the international community should support Pakistan, which had managed to avoid an imminent economic crisis thanks to an IMF program with a loan of US$7.6 billion dollars last November, after being hit by a financial crisis and the global economic slowdown, as well as worldwide hikes in food and oil prices. Representing Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, explained the country's commitment and determination to continue to steadily implement economic reforms and the IMF program. Participants thereafter discussed economic issues faced by Pakistan and its short-term development needs. (Co-Chairs' Statement)

(2) On behalf of Japan, Minister for Foreign Affairs Nakasone delivered a statement that expressed appreciation for the firm will of the Government of Pakistan to implement economic reforms and countermeasures against terrorism. Mr. Nakasone also announced US$1 billion in assistance for Pakistan, premised on the continued, steady implementation of the IMF program. (Statement by Foreign Minister Nakasone)

(3) As a result of the meeting, and in response to a request for US$4 billion from Pakistan, participants pledged over US$5 billion over the next two years to provide additional support. Through these political and fiscal commitments, the FODP Ministerial Meeting and the Pakistan Donors Conference fully achieved the initial goal of demonstrating the international community's proactive support for Pakistan as it strives to achieve economic reforms and stability.

II. Evaluation

(1) Now that the international community has entered a crucial stage in countering terrorism, the peace and stability of Pakistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan, represents an even more critical issue for the world. With the World Bank, Japan co-hosted the Pakistan Donors Conference and invited President Zardari to hold the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Meeting in Tokyo, which culminated in the announcement of a clear commitment by President Zardari regarding Pakistan's counterterrorism measures and efforts toward economic reform, as well as the consolidation of support by the international community for Pakistan's stable development. In these ways, Japan, as a responsible member of the international community, was able to make a timely contribution.

(2) In particular, these Conferences were held in line with: (a) a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan announced by the Obama administration (March 27, 2009); (b) an international conference on Afghanistan held in The Hague (March 31, 2009); and (c) the NATO summit meeting (April 2009). All three of these announcement/meetings stressed a regional approach, identifying Afghanistan and Pakistan as one theater. Pakistan's importance in counterterrorism efforts was also highlighted, for example in the Obama administration's new strategy. In this context, the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting and Pakistan Donors Conference in Tokyo helped intensify global efforts to support Pakistan. Both conferences also provided the benefit of close political coordination with the United States and other friendly countries who shared the idea of a regional approach with Japan.

(3) Under the Chair's Statement following the FODP Ministerial Meeting and the Co-Chairs' Statement at the Pakistan Donors Conference, the international community will follow up with concrete implementation of the commitments announced by Pakistan for counterterrorism and economic reform. The international community will also carry out tangible measures to help realize Pakistan's stable development, in effective coordination with related countries and organizations.