Japan pledges US $29 million to UNDP projects

Japan pledges US $29 million to UNDP projects
02.09.2006 KABUL, (IRIN) - Japan has pledged US $29 million to the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) efforts to boost rural development and the disarmament of thousands of illegal armed groups in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

UNDP's office in the Afghan capital, Kabul, said $23 million of the contribution announced on Thursday would be used to support rural development projects in the provinces of Bamiyan, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar in conjunction with the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development(MRRD). The remaining $6 million would be used to support the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme.

Anita Nirody, UNDP's country director for Afghanistan, said an estimated 2,000 illegal armed groups were involved in activities designed to destabilise the government and hurt the international community’s ability to deliver much needed practical support to residents.

Nirody said the Japanese government's very generous contribution was essential to the DIAG process.

MRRD officials said the rural development projects to be funded would be identified through community consultation and were likely to include investment in new and existing food crops, infrastructure such as roads and bridges, drinking water and irrigation, public baths and buildings.

“We are also planning to create provincial development committees in Kandahar, Nangarhar, Balkh and Bamiyan provinces which will boost and oversee development activities in those areas,” Mohammad Ehsan Zia, the MRRD minister, said.

He said the ministry was planning to create more development committees in the country‘s 34 provinces.

The $29 million was part of the $60 million pledged by Japan during a Tokyo conference on Afghanistan in July. Representatives from 53 countries and 15 international organisations attended the event. Japan has been one of post-conflict Afghanistan's major sponsors.

Junichi Kosuge, Japan's ambassador to Afghanistan, said after signing the funding document with UNDP in Kabul, that the projects would surely help the DIAG process.

“Without the success of DIAG process there won't be establishment of peace and further development in this country,” Kosuge said.

More than 24,000 weapons - including 14,920 operational weapons, 20,935 pieces of boxed and 196,840 pieces of unboxed ammunition - have been handed to DIAG collection teams since the programme was launched in June 2005.

However, analysts said disarmament remained a challenging task given the shaky security situation and positions powerful warlords held in the government.

“The lasting success of DIAG is a challenging one. For it to succeed it will require firm and robust leadership and commitment by the government at all levels,” Nirody said.

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