Statement by Mr. Kenzo Oshima, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and ERC, introducing the Transitional Assistance Programme for Afghanistan (TAPA)

Afghanistan Support Group meeting, Oslo, 17 December 2002
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I take great pleasure in introducing to this august body the Transitional Assistance Programme for Afghanistan, covering the period from January 2003 to March 2004. This is the last in a series of altogether 20 or so appeals that were launched in late November in major donor capitals by the UN and its partners on behalf of some 60 million people in vulnerable situations for some 30 countries and regions around the world. Global requirements for 2003, now stand at some US$ 3.5 billion. TAPA, as this appeal is already commonly known, accounts for almost a quarter of the global requirements, or US$815 million - which means that Afghanistan remains, by far, the largest humanitarian operation in the world.

TAPA is the fruit of an exhaustive - and sometimes exhausting - collaborative effort of the United Nations system, non-governmental partners and the Afghan Transitional Administration. It sets out a comprehensive programme of assistance that the United Nations and its partners can offer to Afghanistan, contingent, of course, upon the support we receive from members of the Afghanistan Support Group and other donors committed to helping Afghanistan on the road to national reconstruction.

Although the TAPA is being launched separately from other Consolidated Appeals, it very much partakes of the theme of the global appeal launch for 2003 - Hope for the Future. There are many signs of hope and reasons for hope in Afghanistan today. Communities are recovering, physically and psychically, from the depredations of war. Children - boys and girls - are attending schools in much greater numbers than in recent years. Refugees and IDPs are returning to their communities, repairing their homes and starting to rebuild their lives. And the international community, through its pledges at the Tokyo Conference and its contributions to the Immediate and Transitional Assistance Programme for 2002 or ITAP, has shown a strong commitment to help Afghans enjoy security and material progress where chaos and degradation once prevailed.

That is not to say that the dreadful legacy of the past two decades - a legacy of conflict, hunger, displacement, human rights abuses and the marginalization of women - has been erased in the past year. Afghanistan is very much a country and society in transition, and the TAPA clearly reflects this fact. Humanitarian needs remain considerable, and they must not be neglected. By the same token, these needs in the humanitarian sector should not obscure the urgency of recovery and reconstruction. Indeed, it is only by developing strong communities, a sound infrastructure and a capable administration at every level that dependence on external emergency relief aid can be overcome. The TAPA provides a blueprint for putting this philosophy into action by linking humanitarian aid, recovery assistance and capacity building in a cohesive package that in turn supports the Government's national development framework.

Based on the past year's experience, there is every reason to hope that the TAPA will receive strong support from the international donor community. The 2002 appeal contained in ITAP attracted a remarkable amount of funding, exceeding one billion dollars. This enabled agencies to effectively respond to a tremendous range of humanitarian challenges, from conflict, natural disasters and the privations of winter to massive population movements and the hazards posed by land mines.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank most sincerely the members of the ASG for their generous support throughout the year, in response to ITAP.

While many of these challenges persist in the next year, the United Nations family and its NGO partners can no longer be seen as the predominant channel of assistance. We now form part of a much more complex mosaic involving many more partners and channels, including direct support to the national budget, bilateral aid and the work of the international financial institutions. This too is reflected in the TAPA, whose total funding requirements - 815 million dollars - are only 80 per cent of the actual contributions in 2002. I believe that this amount is a judicious reflection of the capacity of the United Nations system as well as the prevailing level of need. I am also confident that the Programme, having been thoroughly vetted by the Afghan Administration, is in tune with the government's priorities and its assessment of the appropriate range of activities for the United Nations system. Everybody involved in preparing this appeal - including our colleagues in UNAMA - deserve our appreciation for the work done and deserve credit for their patience and perseverance. Despite all the pressures, they managed to preserve the spirit of mutual support and cooperation that has been the hallmark of relations between the United Nations and the Transitional Administration.

If there is one overarching theme of this appeal, and indeed of the whole United Nations endeavor in Afghanistan, it is the importance of building up national capacity to drive Afghanistan along the course of recovery and reconstruction. There is no question that external support will be essential for some time to come. But the success of such support will be measured not only in lives and livelihoods being saved, but also by the national institutions, capacity and leadership we will have helped to build.

In 2003, many crises and emergency demands around the world - those existing and those that may emerge -- will compete with Afghanistan for our attention and resources. Yet Afghanistan has to remain a high priority, especially in this crucial period when its stability and future development are far from assured, when precisely for that reason, there must not be a relaxation in our sustained effort. Given the events of the past 14 months, it is clear that the entire world has an important stake in Afghanistan's future and in its success. It is thus fitting that the United Nations, representing the whole community of nations, should continue to play a major role in helping this proud nation stand on its own feet, and we stand ready to do so.

In closing, Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the Government of Norway for its spirited and committed leadership of the Afghanistan Support Group in 2002. The ASG has served as a very useful and indeed exemplary forum for international cooperation and assistance to Afghanistan through many of that country's most difficult years. I hope that the same attention to the country's continuing humanitarian needs can be maintained even as we enter a new period of transition, marked by the accelerated transfer of ownership to the Afghan authorities.

I appeal to donors for your sustained, strong support to TAPA!

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.