The special envoy for the United Nations to Afghanistan has reiterated the organisation's pledge to support the country after the US and Nato troops withdraw in 2014.
At the conference for the solidarity of international funds to Afghanistan, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) Jan Kubiš said Wednesday the group would continue to cooperate despite decrease in international forces, the decrease in funding, and closure of Provincial Reconstruction Teams which has raised fresh challenges.
"This cooperation between the United Nations system and Afghanistan goes many decades back. This is not just the last eleven years of Unama, and although not without challenges and not without questions and not without problems, this kind of cooperation brought a lot of positive experiences in this interaction between the UN system and Afghanistan, that were marked by indeed cases of support for the people, authorities, and institutions of Afghanistan," Kubiš said at the meeting.
"The United Nations will continue to provide support at your request, through the critical but challenging process and beyond. We are here to assist and build the stability, growth, and prosperity that the Afghan people aspire to and deserve," he added.
Kubis noted that Unama has closed nine of its offices during 2012, however it is not deserting Afghanistan.
"The United Nations is an outspoken advocate of the obligation on donors to meet long-term pledges of assistance in a timely and appropriate manner... Member states must demonstrate their commitments to the delivery of development assistance in ways that strengthen and reinforce the Afghan ownership," Kubiš said.
"At the same time, sustained international engagement will require the government to meet its commitments in the areas of, like human rights, combating corruption, and meeting key economics social and cultural rights in delivery of services."
The Afghan foreign minister welcomed Kubis' comments saying that a UN-led coordination of international funds is an important step.
"After a decade of partnership, you are looking today at the new framework for the UN engagement. Not a lessening (engagement), but a different UN in Afghanistan. It is characterised by the realities of transition and will be followed by the decade of transition," Minister of Foreign Affairs Zalmai Rassoul said.
"Over the past decade, the UN through Unama has had a central coordinating role on the international communities' civilian effort for helping the Afghan people. The UN has supported the effort of the Afghan government to build a more peaceful future for the country," he added.
The conference of the solidarity of international funds to Afghanistan is held once a year.