New proposal could mean US $1 billion in extra aid

International aid to the stricken population of Afghanistan could increase fivefold if a proposal put forward by Switzerland at a two-day conference in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, is approved, diplomatic sources have told IRIN.

Swiss, Canadian and Norwegian aid organisations attending the Afghan Support Group (ASG) conference, which opened on Thursday, intend to challenge a precedent set by the international community which curbs the provision of long-term aid to pariah states such as Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. If the challenge is conceded, the result could be more than US $1 billion of extra aid for the conflict- and drought-afflicted country.

In such a case, international NGOs in Afghanistan will be able to apply for long-term development funds worth millions of dollars. Currently, because of the country’s pariah status, such NGOs can only access funds for short-term humanitarian projects. Only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recognise Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The international community has been reluctant to provide long-term aid for so long as the Taliban government harbours alleged terrorists and insists on implementing harsh Islamic policies, particularly with regard to women. As yet, however, the Taliban have shown no signs of changing, preferring instead to approach Islamic countries for help in rebuilding their country.

At a news conference on Wednesday, it was announced that this year’s ASG budget for Afghanistan was US $260 million, only marginally up from last year’s total of US $239 million. German Ambassador Hans Joachim Daerr, chairman of the ASG, an umbrella organisation comprising 16 countries which provide the bulk of the aid, said donor fatigue might account for the small increase of US $21 million.

Astonishment at the “irrational” behaviour of the Taliban might be another reason for the reluctance to donate money, Daerr maintained. He was referring to the blasting of the Bamiyan Buddhas in central Afghanistan in March, and recent harassment of aid workers by the local authorities.

A revision of Afghanistan’s status could effectively increase the ASG budget for Afghanistan to US $1.3 billion. It could also imply a lukewarm recognition of the Taliban government, a diplomatic source told IRIN. “Aid organisations would be obliged to sign contracts, and exchange notes with Taliban officials on behalf of their governments,” the official said.

However, Jean-Marc Clavel, who spoke at Thursday’s conference on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, told IRIN that overriding Afghanistan’s status would not lead to formal contact between the Swiss government and the Taliban. “A rethink would not mean recognition of the Taliban government. It would just mean closer links with the Afghan people,” he said.

It was the job of donor representatives in Pakistan and Afghanistan to convince “our colleagues at headquarters to release development funds within the funding patterns and rules of our own agencies”, Clavel noted. The release of long-term funds was the only way forward, he added.

The German Ambassador admitted that Germany’s donations to Afghanistan were already providing financial support to the Taliban. “We have permanent contact with the Taliban. The fact that the German government does not officially recognise them is not a big deal,” he said.

However, if the governments of the ASG’s 16 donor countries wished to avoid contact with the Taliban, there was an alternative, Daerr said. “One way round the dilemma is to negotiate with the Taliban through NGOs or the UN. This allows the international community to keep its distance.”