World leaders pledge billions in aid to Afghanistan, Ghani says support 'critical'

Leaders from as many as 100 nations recently came together to pledge billions of dollars in aid of war-torn Afghanistan at a virtual conference in Geneva, hoping peace negotiations between the Ashraf Ghani led government and Taliban to bear fruitful results. The quadrennial international donors’ conference, held on November 24, aimed at financial supporting the Afghanistan, which uses foreign aid to cover three-quarters of its finances.

“Despite our suffering, I want to be very clear that our commitment to negotiations with the Taliban remains firm...we must bring an end to the violence that is haunting our lives and robbing our children of the joys of childhood,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said, joining the virtual conference in a video link from Kabul.

Read : Afghanistan President Thanks India For $2 Billion Commitment, Chahbahar Corridor 

The European Union, which emphasized at preserving democracy in Afghanistan, pledged 1.2 billion euros over four years but emphasized aid was conditional on strict requirements. Meanwhile, Britain, one of the country’s top bilateral donors, said in a statement it would pledge $227 million in annual civilian and food aid.

Read: UN, Partners Seek Funds For Afghanistan At Donors Conference

The conference was organized by Finland and the United Nations in collaboration with the Afghan government.  They urged the international community not to abandon their commitments to the country even as the UN withdraws its troops. However, the conference also speculated that Afghanistan could receive 15 to 20 per cent less funding than last year’s collected amount that totalled to $15.2 billion due to uncertainties in the peace treaty and also the loss caused by COVID-19.  

Ghani thanks Donors 

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on November 24 expressed gratitude towards India for its commitment of more than $2 billion throughout the years. At the Afghanistan conference in Geneva. At the Afghanistan conference in Geneva, Ghani thanked several nations including Germany, the UK, the EU, France and Japan for partnering with Afghanistan and convening at least 12 conferences along with its NATO partners for consistent support and standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Afghanistan. Acknowledging that the support of all nations is “critical”, Ghani said, “Thank you”.

Read: EU: Afghanistan Peace Process Must Be Inclusive

Read: Afghanistan President Thanks India For $2 Billion Commitment, Chahbahar Corridor