Donor nations set to pledge $15-bn in Afghan aid

Major donors are planning to pledge up to $15 billion in aid for Afghanistan to rebuild the nation, in the forthcoming Tokyo conference over the weekend, Japan Times reported yesterday citing diplomatic sources.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and French foreign minister Laurent Fabius are among the dignitaries who will attend the crucial conference on Sunday in the Japanese capital.

About 70 countries and international bodies are expected to participate in the conference which will also commit to ensuring sustainable long-term development in the impoverished war-torn country during a so-called 'transformation decade' from 2015, a year after the planned pull out of US-led forces, the sources said.

In exchange, Afghanistan will vow to eradicate corruption, improve its legal system, strengthen public finances and carry out a range of other reforms.

Diplomats earlier feared that the world's perceptions about Afghan corruption, weak financial management, decade-long campaign and other issues could dampen the fund raising. However, the activity is on track, and the amount of aid is expected to be higher than initially anticipated, according to Kyodo news.  

Afghanistan's commitment will be included in the Mutual Accountability Framework to be released at the conference.