Federica Mogherini, the chief of European diplomacy, met on Wednesday (21 September) with the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Salahuddin Rabbani, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly Ministerial Week in New York, two weeks before the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan (BCA). Both sides have therefore agreed to finalize as soon as possible any unresolved issues related to the BCA.
The conference will gather up to 70 countries and 30 international organizations and agencies, providing a platform for the government of Afghanistan to present its vision and track record on reform. For the international community, it will be the opportunity to emphasize the continuous political and financial support to peace in the country as well as its state building and development. Both Mrs Mogherini and Mr Rabbani said that they believed that the conference would engage the international community in Afghanistan’s stability and development in the years to come.
The conference will focus on three broad areas – joint international and Afghan efforts to increase the effectiveness of sustained international support and funding, Afghan reform efforts, including on economic reform, rule of law, improved public finance management and anti-corruption – whereby all of these will ensure the provision of the most important services and public goods and regional efforts to support a political process towards peace and cross-border economic cooperation.
The conference will also touch upon empowerment of women in the Afghan society and on the margins of the BCA’s, a high-profile event called ‘Empowered Women, Prosperous Afghanistan’ will take place. The Afghan government will use the event to outline policy progress and plans on the protection and empowerment of women with a focus on the political and human rights of Afghan women and their socio-economic situation.
