KABUL - Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament, is keen on monitoring the use of foreign assistance pledged to Afghanistan at July’s Tokyo conference to ensure transparency, the speaker said on Saturday.
The international community pledged $16 billion in reconstruction and development aid to Afghanistan over the next four years, when most foreign troops are scheduled to leave.
The major donors’ conference, attended by about 70 countries and organizations, was aimed at setting aid levels for the crucial period through and beyond 2014, when the war-torn country will assume responsibility for most of its own security.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi told the parliamentary session, also attended by Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, that the aid between 2014 and 2017 was aimed at strengthening Afghanistan’s political and economic institutions.
“The money will help us deliver better services to our countrymen and achieve the goal of standing on our own feet,” Ibrahimi remarked, saying the government had promised tangible and swift reforms in return for the assistance and it would be held accountable for its promises under the decisions taken at the summit.
On the occasion, Zalmai Rassoul suggested the creation of a committee tasked with monitoring the utilization of aid dollars. The minister said a high-level meeting of the nations who took part in the Tokyo event would take place next year to review the government’s obligations.
Similarly, he continued, the first-ever foreign ministerial meeting in this regard will be taking place in the UK in 2014 and the event will be followed by such gatherings once in two years.
For his part, the finance minister said the Tokyo conference had provided a solid foundation for Afghanistan’s real development and self-reliance. Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said Afghanistan had presented its priorities to the gathering and aid would be used on the priorities.
He said the government could reject donor assistance if it was not in accordance with the projects prioritised. He added the Tokyo conference had been different from other international gatherings because the Afghan government had made prior preparations and agenda for the event.
He said the government had promised paving the ground for fair elections and ensuring good governance. The promises include an intensified fight against corruption, improved economic system, sustainable development, ending violence against women and respect for human rights.
Zakhilwal said as a result of its reform promises, the government was allowed by the international community to use 50 percent of the funds through its annual budget.
But the speaker said there had been no transparency in utilization of foreign aid on the part of the Afghan government and the international community over the past decade. He pledged the house would keenly monitor the utilization process. (Pajhwok)