ISLAMABAD, 30 November (IRIN) - NGOs were cautiously optimistic that a road map for recovery would soon emerge as the international conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan ended in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Thursday. The three-day conference concluded with what the conference spokeswoman, Dale Lautenbach, said was a rich basis for a multi-sectoral needs assessment for the country.

"Delegates were urged throughout to 'see Afghanistan through the eyes of Afghans', and when international participants blinked, there were enough Afghan colleagues to open their eyes," she said.

The conference was designed to prepare for the huge task of reconstructing Afghanistan. Co-hosts United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have formed a team to prepare a preliminary needs assessment in readiness for a high-level meeting in Tokyo in January, she explained. "There is, of course, much more work to be done, but the level of consultation with Afghanistan's NGO and professional community at the conference has established an important foundation for this urgent work," Lautenbach maintained.

Nancy Dupree, coordinator for the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief, one of 34 NGO participants, told IRIN on Friday: "This was a step in the right direction. The next step is to get the mechanics up front, and hopefully that process will begin in January at the conference in Japan. The conference was a good start, and it indicated the donors were interested in listening."

She went on to note that questions remained about the establishment of a proposed trust fund. It was unclear as to how this would be implemented, how cash dispersals would be made, and whether Afghans would still be involved in the decision making process.

Dr Pana Erasmus, programme manager of the malaria and leishmaniasis control programme run by Health Net International, a Dutch-based NGO, was more critical. Frustrated by what she described as poor planning on the first day of the work groups she remarked: "It was quite ambitious, but I'm afraid it lacked real guidelines." Regarding her overall impression she said: "My reservations are about the transparency and accountability of the process that seems to have been set in motion. We need to better clarify this issue."

Meanwhile, Aziz Ahmad, executive director of the Afghan NGO, Hewad Reconstruction Services, based in the western Afghan city of Herat, was more optimistic. "Now the whole world is looking at Afghanistan and this gives us hope," he told IRIN. While conceding that no concrete steps had been initiated at the conference, he generally felt positive. "I am optimistic this could be the road to recovery in Afghanistan," he said.

[ENDS]

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