{"id":13532,"date":"2012-07-08T01:07:24","date_gmt":"2012-07-08T01:07:24","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2012-07-08T01:07:24","modified_gmt":"2012-07-08T01:07:24","slug":"Donors-pledge-US-16b-Afghan-aid-at-Tokyo-meet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=13532","title":{"rendered":"Donors pledge US$16b Afghan aid at Tokyo meet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Donor nations on Sunday pledged US$16 billion for Afghanistan to prevent the country from sliding back into turmoil when foreign combat troops depart, but called on Kabul to implement reforms to fight graft.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A statement at the closing of a conference in Tokyo confirmed donors would stump up US$16 billion in civilian aid through 2015, with several pre-conditions including a clampdown on corruption<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was in the Japanese capital along with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton<\/strong> and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for talks focused on the so-called “transformation decade” after the NATO drawdown.<\/p>\n

Sunday’s conference hosted representatives from about 80 nations and international organizations in a gathering aimed at adopting the “Tokyo Declaration”, pledging support and cash for the turmoil-wracked nation.<\/p>\n

The deal is meant to plug the gap between what Kabul gets from its barely-functioning economy and what it needs to develop into a stable country.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Afghanistan covers only a third of the US$6 billion it spends each year<\/strong>, not counting security costs, and has for a long time been heavily dependent on aid.<\/p>\n

There are fears that once the US and its allies no longer have to worry about their soldiers dying in Afghanistan after the 2014 pullout<\/strong>, the country could be left to drift into the hands of drug lords and extremists.<\/p>\n

The deal calls for a monitoring mechanism, and follow-up ministerial meetings every two years, to ensure Afghanistan was on the right track with respect to holding democratic elections, fighting corruption and promoting human rights.<\/p>\n

Great! Most of the world is in a recession and we’re pledging $16 Billion? World is crazy! How about fighting corruption in America?<\/strong>
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