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Mr President,
We recognise that Afghanistan faces serious ongoing challenges and that it will require assistance from the international community for some time to come. Considerable effort is being directed to help with the development of the Afghanistan National Army and Police so that eventually Afghanistan will be able to provide its own security. However, there is no military solution to the problems of Afghanistan - military and policing inputs need to be complemented by development initiatives aimed at building Afghanistan’s state institutions and its economy. We hope the overall international and local effort can be better brought together to make more rapid progress.
Opium production is undermining the future of Afghanistan. Alongside eradication, the international community also needs to commit to the development of alternative, sustainable livelihoods. The Afghan people will only support an international presence if they believe it will improve their lives, security and prosperity. This requires an approach that fully integrates the political, security, economic and social aspects of peace-building.
The United Nations, through the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), has a central role to play in coordinating international assistance to Afghanistan and also in helping the Government to rebuild the country’s civil institutions. In addition the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB), established under the Afghanistan Compact to oversee the implementation of the Compact and Afghanistan’s National Development Strategy, is a critical mechanism to improve overall coordination. Afghanistan’s neighbours have an important role to play as the pace of development will be affected by the degree to which those states assist in the rebuilding process and cooperate with Afghanistan to improve its security.
Afghanistan’s economic development needs to be greatly accelerated. Afghan producers need assured access to profitable markets, internally and in neighbouring countries, if the Afghan people are to be given the opportunity to move from reliance on aid to be self-sustaining and responsible for their own economic choices.
Since 2001 New Zealand has made a substantial commitment to the international effort to secure and rebuild Afghanistan. We contribute to UNAMA. We are also an active contributor to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. New Zealand’s Provincial Reconstruction Team provides security in Bamyan province. In Bamyan, the New Zealand Defence Force works closely with the New Zealand Agency for International Development and the New Zealand Police. We have worked to make a practical difference, improving the lives of the people of Bamyan, and we also provide training to the Afghan Police. We have helped with the construction of schools, roads, bridges and a maternity ward.
We all recognise that Afghanistan faces difficult social, political, economic and security challenges. The Afghanistan government and people are courageously taking up the challenge of addressing them. In particular through efforts to develop a resilient and sustainable Afghanistan National Army and Police. Nevertheless, the extent of the challenge will require sustained commitment and continuity of effort from the international community.
In closing, may I express our support for the resolution on Afghanistan and thank Germany for its role in facilitating this consensus text.
Thank you, Mr President.
