The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan announced today that a blueprint for the future reconstruction of Afghanistan had been finalized. The Afghanistan Compact will be launched at a conference in London from January 31 to February 1.

The Afghanistan Compact will layout the framework for continued international engagement with Afghanistan over the next five years in three vital areas of activity; security, governance (including human rights and rule of law), social and economic development and the cross cutting theme of counter narcotics. An Interim Afghan National Development Strategy (IANDS) will also be presented in London to delegations from more than seventy countries and international institutions which will set clear economic and political priorities for the Government of Afghanistan as it works to improve the lives of millions of Afghans over the coming years.

The compact and the IANDS follows the completion of the Bonn agreement, made in 2001, which has seen Afghanistan adopt a new constitution, Presidential elections, and country-wide parliamentary and provincial council elections culminating in the inauguration of the first National Assembly for Afghanistan in decades last month.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah said: “Despite Afghanistan’s remarkable progress over the last four years, huge challenges still remain to be addressed. The Afghanistan Compact sets a new framework for cooperation between Afghanistan and the international community. With continued international commitment we are confident that we will succeed in building on the progress we have already made.”

Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Jean Arnault said: ”The Compact is a remarkable document, the fruit of detailed consultations between the Afghan government and the international community. It contains some key provisions on Afghan leadership, capacity-building for people and institutions, fairness and transparency aimed at making sure that international assistance to Afghanistan is not only maintained but further improved.”

British Ambassador to Afghanistan, Dr Rosalind Marsden said: "The UK is delighted to be hosting and co-chairing this conference, which will launch a new phase of international support for Afghanistan. The conference will be opened by President Karzai, the UN Secretary-General and Prime Minister Blair. The expected high level of ministerial attendance from many countries demonstrates the continued importance attached to Afghanistan by the international community. The UK hopes that this conference will lay a firm foundation for the continued development of a democratic and prosperous Afghanistan."

Released by the Office of the Spokesperson - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Kabul, Afghanistan - January 23 rd , 2006