"Working together out of poverty" is the theme of this year's International Day for Poverty Eradication. The day is held annually on 17 October since 1993 when the General Assembly by resolution 47/196, designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in countries, particularly in developing countries – a need that has become a development priority.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries of the world and the International Day for Poverty Eradication holds ample message for our government and other concerned international organizations functioning here. In the last more than ten years poverty has only increased and there has been failure to counter the root causes contributing to poverty. This is despite the billions of dollars of aid poured in Afghanistan by the international community.

According to the UN report released in Geneva by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in March, 2010, 9 million Afghans or 36 percent of the population "are believed to live in absolute poverty and a further 37 percent live only slightly above the poverty line" despite about $35 billion of outside aid received by the country between 2002 and 2009. Since the report, the condition has definitely had a negative slope.

Meanwhile, According to a survey conducted by Oxfam in 2009, the vast majority of Afghans blame poverty and unemployment for the ongoing conflict in their country. The survey found 70 per cent of 700 people questioned, blamed the economic situation for the fighting, with government weakness and corruption the second most important factor behind the conflict.

The Afghan leaders are seamlessly busy in finding solutions to various political issues. Before an issue gets resolved, another one pops up and in this way the real issues such as poverty and unemployment remain out of focus.

In the years to come poverty is expected to grab Afghan people firmer than ever before. After the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan by 2014, the level foreign aids Afghanistan has been receiving, is going to diminish and there will be more jobless people in the country.

To tackle the condition Afghanistan need to revive its industrial and agriculture sectors and also take solid measures to start tapping its mineral resources. Nonetheless, amid growing insecurity, making that possible would a difficult task for the government.