By Shada Islam, Head of Policy at Friends of Europe
As international donors prepare to meet in Tokyo on 8 July to discuss Afghanistan’s economic future, the focus should be on more than making new aid commitments. Donors should craft a longer-term agenda for good governance to tackle the country’s immediate problems and prepare for the 2014 drawdown of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
To ensure development and stability in Afghanistan, the Afghan government and the international community should:
- Strike the right balance between support for the army and building strong civilian institutions
- Focus on sustainable growth and development in addition to security
- Reduce aid dependency progressively and attract job-creating investments
- Combat corruption and empower civil society
- Resist creeping erosion of achievements in women’s rights
- Engage in capacity-building for journalists, encourage new media
