On December 4th, the London Conference on Afghanistan was jointly hosted by the British and Afghan governments. In total, 74 international delegations were invited, including 59 partner countries as well as multilateral organizations, NGOs and representatives of Afghan civil society.

Addressing the conference, President Ghani outlined steps he has already taken to deliver on his ambitious agenda to reform Afghanistan and deliver economic security by tackling corruption, maintaining the progress made on national security and placing women’s and civil rights at the heart of the country’s future prosperity.

Moreover, Afghan President prioritized a strong focus on the domestic private sector and on attracting foreign business by delivering reforms aimed at improving the business climate in Afghanistan. This event involved a roundtable of key Afghan and international private sector representatives and examined ways to support revenue generation and job creation and to catalyze domestic and international investment. Mr. Ghani pledged to continue reforms, saying that “history will not be repeated, we’ve overcome our past”. He sought endorsement at the conference for his plan for a “transformation decade” from 2015-24. He also wanted guarantees that troop withdrawals would not be followed by cuts in financial aid. Ghani pledged to deliver fundamental reform, saying Afghans strongly backed the unity government he has formed with his former political rival Abdullah Abdullah.

Afghanistan came to the conference seeking reassurance it won’t be forgotten after most international troops leave. The West, in turn, wants to see a stable government and action to curb the corruption that has long plagued Afghanistan.

The United States and allied nations promised on Thursday to support Afghanistan even as they planned to withdraw troops from the country.

“We are committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be used as a safe haven from which terrorists can threaten the international community,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said. “We know that the most effective way to advance this objective is to support Afghanistan’s political unity and its security.”

The UK provided detail on programs it will be running to support Afghanistan in the next 3 years which are listed as below:

1. Boosting employment, with support and training for workers in the critical agriculture sector to help create more than 13,400 jobs, at least 3,200 of them for women.
2. Infrastructure strengthening, to ensure that 90% of the population has access to roads and 50% of households can access grid electricity nationally by 2017, benefitting consumers and boosting business development.
3. Support for economic growth, including a national materials laboratory and mineral promotion services to bolster Afghanistan’s extractives sector, as well as technical expertise to increase tax and revenue collection.
4. prioritizing support for the Afghanistan National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, as well as training for female provincial councilors and providing support and access to justice for survivors of violence.
5. Improved access to schools and more pupils attending school, including girls.
6. Greater access to health services, with at least 58% of births attended by skilled attendants and 86% of health facilities staffed by at least 1 female health worker by 2018.
7. Support for emergency health and nutrition programs for more than 440,000 people a year, with a focus on girls and women.
8. “Participants recognized that, despite achievements, Afghanistan faces formidable challenges,” the conference attendees said in a communiqué.
9. Among the challenges, the communiqué noted, are rooting out corruption, fighting terrorism, and enhancing the rule of law, strengthening human rights and the rights of women, developing a program to curb the illicit narcotics trade and improving health and education in rural areas.

The conference comes during critical security situation in Afghanistan. As a result, on the one hand the Taliban have intensified attacks against foreign nationals, civilians and Afghan soldiers in recent months, raising concerns over the Afghan army’s ability to protect the country from insurgents. On the other hand, foreign combat troops are withdrawing at the end of the month and only 12,000 NATO soldiers will remain for training and advisory purposes.

Despite intensified acts of terror, Afghan President has not yet specified his cabinet members. This seems to be a big reason behind the failure of Afghans’ military forces to counter terrorism. Furthermore, many problems are interconnected in our society. For instance, narcotic is a great power for terrorism and the poor and jobless families’ bread and butter. Hence, since peace is the first priority for Afghan president, he has to eradicate narcotic to weaken terrorism in the country.

The rights of women were one of the issues in London Conference. Mr. Ghani stressed on empowering women through educating and Afghanistan’s foreign allies also pointed their finger on the same wound. It was once said that Afghanistan is the unluckiest place to be a girl. Undeniably, women are the vulnerable part of society. The most excruciating violence is committed against Afghan women and girls such as gang rape, mutilation, and much other harassment. So, it needs to be dealt with seriously.

Ashraf Ghani said that insecurity is an inherited problem of the preceding government. He vowed to his foreign allies to bring peace, eradicate corruption and empower Afghan women with the financial aids considered for the country. Perhaps, he would be able to gain the trust of Afghanistan’ supporters and the time will judge his achievements.