Donors pledge $15 billion for Afghanistan

TOKYO —  Donor nations gathering in Japan this weekend for a conference on Afghanistan are expected to pledge a total $15 billion in development aid through 2015, a report said Thursday.

The Tokyo conference will bring together UN chief Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and senior officials from about 70 countries as well as international organisations.

The participants will commit to ensuring the sustainable development of Afghanistan during the so-called transformation decade of 2015-2024, Japan’s Kyodo News said, citing unnamed diplomats.

A fundraising campaign is on track and the amount of aid is expected to be greater than initially hoped, Kyodo said, citing one of the diplomats involved in preparing for the one-day meeting on Sunday.

In exchange for the development aid, Afghanistan will promise to eradicate corruption, improve its legal system, strengthen its finances and carry out a range of other reforms, Kyodo said.

The reciprocal commitments will be mapped out in a document, titled “Mutual Accountability Framework”, due to be released at the conference along with the “Tokyo Declaration”, Kyodo said. — AFP