UNGA 61 Plenary
28 November 2006
Item 16: The situation in Afghanistan
Statement by H E the Hon Robert Hill
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
of Australia to the United Nations
(Check against delivery)
Australia is committed to working with the people and Government of Afghanistan as well as the international community to help build a stable, secure and democratic future for the country.
This is no easy task and will need the long-term commitment of the international community. It will also require strong leadership from the Karzai Government.
Australia stresses the importance of reconstruction and development in helping Afghanistan rebuild its destroyed infrastructure and overcome its sobering social indicators, such as life expectancy of only 46 years and its appalling literacy rate, which is one of the lowest in the world. This is central to winning the support of the long-suffering Afghan population. Again, this will require commitment, resourcefulness and staying power on the part of the international community. Leadership by the Government of Afghanistan will also be essential.
Counter-narcotics is central to the international community’s enterprise in Afghanistan and we call for effective international and domestic action to combat the recent increases in cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics drugs that were outlined in the UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey of 2006.
We would stress the importance of institution-building in Afghanistan, including security sector reform and capacity building within the security sector. Civil society and the institutions of good governance must also be strengthened. These are core requirements for long-term stability in Afghanistan and are areas in which the international community can usefully apply lessons learnt elsewhere.
Another critical factor in securing peace in Afghanistan is the role of Afghanistan’s neighbours, including in combating the Taliban, al Qaida and other extremists elements. We call on all states in Afghanistan’s region to cooperate with the government in Kabul and the rest of the international community in building a strong, united and democratic Afghanistan.
These are substantial challenges which demand the continuation of the close cooperation demonstrated by the international community since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, through to the Bonn Agreement and the adoption of the Afghanistan Compact in 2006. Despite the challenges, Afghanistan is an outstanding example of broad-based cooperation among the international community with the aim of promoting peace and security. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) consists of 32,000 troops from 37 countries. The UN has also been heavily involved in Afghanistan, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1386 and subsequent resolutions and the commitment of those on the ground is particularly commended.
Australia is contributing to the international military effort in Afghanistan. We have deployed a Reconstruction Task Force of about 370 troops as part of a Netherlands-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to Oruzgan Province for two years under ISAF.
We have two Chinook helicopters, supported by 110 troops, providing much needed aero-medical evacuation, air mobility and logistical support to ISAF.
We have contributed special forces to coalition military operations in Afghanistan on two occasions since 2001.
We have fully disbursed our 2001 aid commitment of $110 million. At the London Conference in 2006, Australia further committed $55 million in development assistance to Afghanistan through to June 2007 as part of an indicative $150 million in development assistance over the next five years.
We have also recently opened the first Australian Embassy in Kabul.
The people of Afghanistan are working to achieve stability, peace and democracy after many years of violence, extremism and devastation. The path ahead will be long and challenging. But the people of Afghanistan will not have to face these challenges alone. Australia, along with the many others in the international community, recognises that by working to build security and an economic future for Afghanistan, we are not only demonstrating solidarity with the Afghan people but also advancing our own peace and security.