Opening Statement by Mrs. Sadako Ogata, Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Japan, at the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan

21 January 2002
Tokyo

It is my great pleasure to open the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan as co-chair and on behalf of the host Government, Japan. As Special Representative of Prime Minister Koizumi, I recently led a mission to Afghanistan and visited Kabul as well as Herat to assess first-hand the needs of the Afghan people, exchanged views with the leadership of the Afghan Interim Authority and also met with leaders of Afghan civil society, international organizations and NGOs active in the field. It was clear that the continuous conflicts of the past twenty-three years have had a devastating effect on the whole country in varying ways, but it was also very heart-warming to see that the hope for peace and reconstruction was widely shared by people at all levels of Afghan society.

I also visited the two neighboring countries of Pakistan and Iran, which have generously hosted Afghan refugees for more than two decades and have vital interest in the emerging opportunity for stabilization of Afghanistan and share determination to contribute to the peace process. A stable Afghanistan is clearly in the interest of the entire region.

As we open the Tokyo Reconstruction Conference today, I believe it is important to reaffirm the two guiding principles that have inspired the international efforts in the last few months. The first principle is to reinforce the political process that began with the inauguration of the Afghan Interim Authority based on the Bonn Agreement, reached through the tireless efforts of the United Nations, and especially the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi. The period, leading up to the establishment of a permanent Afghan government in two and a half years, is of critical importance to achieving more permanent peace and stability in Afghanistan. Reconstruction planning and implementation should aim at building a functioning administrative structure. It should also ensure nation-wide security, which in turn will make it possible for rehabilitation and reconstruction work to proceed throughout the country. I expect that the distinguished delegates to the conference will listen and examine with care the proposals that the Afghan delegation will be presenting on priority programs to support the political process.
The second guiding principle is that there should be a seamless transition from ongoing humanitarian assistance to recovery and reconstruction. Today we are to examine and discuss the reconstruction of Afghanistan. However, we are all aware of the prerequisite short-term relief and rehabilitation work that has been taking place. Unless immediate needs are adequately met, we have less possibility of tackling the tasks that lie ahead, beyond relief and rehabilitation. The challenge is to integrate humanitarian and recovery assistance with medium- to longer-term reconstruction work, as was repeatedly stated at the Washington meeting on 20 November.

Let me illustrate these two guiding principles as I observed them in the course of my recent mission. Upon arriving at the Bagram airport, we were invited to visit the returning displaced people in the Shomali Plain. We drove along winding roads through devastated fields which had once made the region the "fruit basket of Afghanistan." Afghan deminers were working on both sides of the road. Against all odds, 109 displaced families who had fled the fighting in Shomali Plain had decided to move back home. They apparently felt that, peace having arrived, they should go home, no matter how cold they felt as the winter grew more severe. And indeed as home was beyond the high hills, we saw they could not make it in one stretch. UNHCR and partner humanitarian agencies decided to assist them on the way. They brought tents, food, and household kits, as well as money to pay for donkeys to help transport their possessions. I was able to talk with the returning families, asking them what they planned to do. They answered without hesitation. They wanted to rebuild their houses, start planting in time for the spring season, perhaps go back to animal husbandry. In the clear words of displaced people, I saw the first real step towards peace. Clearly, reconstruction inputs will be needed quickly so that the villages they return to will have schools, health centers, and access to water supply.

The Interim Administration has focused on the return of internally displaced persons as a priority peace and reconciliation measure. Refugees will be also coming back from abroad. Very soon, all of them will be contributing to the reconstruction and development of the country. "Repatriation is reconstruction," as Minister Abdullah aptly emphasized to me ten days ago.

The Tokyo conference must succeed. We need firm and generous pledges. We need multi-year continuing commitments. But we are not talking about money alone. We should constantly remind ourselves of the impact we will have on real people with real hopes. The future lies in their hands.