Afghan and Japanese Civil Society Organizations Issue a statement on Tokyo Declaration

[ 2012.7. 8 ]

Sunday 8 July 2012 Representatives from Afghan and Japanese Civil Society Orgnizations, including CARE Japan, present at the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan today issued a statement giving its evaluation on the conference's outcome document the "Tokyo Declaration", as follows

We welcome the following aspects of the Declaration, as well as the process in the run up to the Conference.

・The commitment of over US$16 billion for the period of 2012-2015, meeting the fiscal gap estimated by the World Bank.

・The adoption of the Mutual Accountability Framework, as a first step in the right direction.

・Transparent process to ensure broad and representational engagement of civil society in the preparatory process. Some governments, especially the United States and Japan, made proactive efforts to ensure meaningful civil society participation.

However, we are disappointed that some key issues remain either unaddressed or omitted from the Declaration:

1. It is not clear if the financial commitment represents change in aid volume. And the timeframe only covers the first year of the new decade (2015-2024). The mention of sustained support through 2017 is not backed up by clear financial commitment. Some assurance is needed that the Transformation Decade will actually see adequate international funding.

2. Basic social services that are prioritized in the National Priority Programs are not given clear financial commitments, including national budget benchmarks and sufficient, predictable and long-term commitment by the international community.

3. With regard to private sector investment, including that of extractive industries, there is no mention of the need for measures to ensure that it enhances and not undermine such public goods as human rights, sustainable development and environmental protection.

4. Although the main text emphasizes the roles of Afghan civil society in advancing human rights, good governance and sustainable development, that recognition is absent from the core principles of the annexed Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework, and their roles are limited to the implementation of the policies in limited areas. Nor does the Framework outline the responsibilities of the Afghan government to improve the enabling environment for CSOs, including regulatory and taxation aspects. Civil society must be recognized as a key actor in the entire process of the Mutual Accountability Framework, from decision-making to implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

5. The language on women's rights is not satisfactory. This was an opportunity for the Afghan government and international community to reaffirm strong support for women and girls, and the protection of their rights will be a priority going forward. Instead, the Declaration only includes vague promises. For example, there could have been a commitment for women to have a role in decision-making processes.

6. Issues of equity are not given sufficient attention, and measures are lacking that ensure that the rights and needs of vulnerable populations such as the disabled, IDPs, refugees, returnees, nomads and ethnic minorities are upheld, and that poor people can participate in the country's economic development and benefit from growth.

7. The endorsement of an Aid Management Policy was postponed until December 2012. We demand that periodical evaluations are carried out by an independent third-party entity including civil society until and beyond the adoption of the AMP. This is to ensure accountability of international aid programs in Afghanistan.

We pay tribute to the ways in which the Japanese government hosted this conference, and expect the host of the next conference, the United Kingdom, to continue the effort to ensure meaningful participation of civil society.

ENDS