Germany's commitment in Afghanistan

Daily life in Kabul
© © AA/Winkler

Daily life in Kabul

Why are we in Afghanistan?

Germany is engaging with the international community in Afghanistan to prevent Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for international terrorists once more. Al Qaida planned the devastating attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York and Washington which claimed almost 3000 lives while enjoying the protection of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Back then, more than 40 countries responded to the appeal by the United Nations. Even today they are helping rebuild Afghanistan. At the same time these states are helping the Afghan Government protect its population. From the very outset, Germany was engaged as a member of the United Nations and since August 2003 as part of efforts led by the NATO Alliance.

There are two central issues here – our own security and Afghanistan’s future. The threat scenarios are not a figment of our imagination as shown by the attacks in London and Madrid and by the German Sauerland group. But the attacks in Mumbai in India also illustrate that international terrorism continues to exist and poses a serious threat to peace and security.

The international community wants to make Afghanistan able to defend the emerging democracy from extremists. A state has to be able to guarantee the security of its people and to develop in peace. Key to success is that Afghanistan assumes responsibility for its own security. That is why the German Government is providing particular help to rebuild the Afghan police and army. At the same time we are helping with the civilian reconstruction of the country. The better Afghanistan’s economic and social prospects, the less susceptible the country is for a new reign of terror by the Taliban.

Afghan women at an election information event

What have we promised?

We believe a fundamentally democratic state is the best form of government to prevent radical developments. But it isn’t a matter of imposing our own yardsticks on Afghanistan. The country must go its own way. Nevertheless the presidential elections in 2004 and 2009 showed that the people do increasingly want to make their voices heard. The vast majority of Afghans wants to have a say in politics and see their human rights being respected.

We must help the Afghans until they are able to develop their country peacefully in accordance with their own wishes. To that end, together with the Afghan Government and the international community, we have set measurable objectives at the Afghanistan Conference in London on 28 January 2010 for the domains of security, the rule of law and economic development.

People in Afghanistan

What have we achieved?

Despite experiencing setbacks, much has been achieved through the German engagement in Afghanistan since 2002. As regards healthcare, basic education or electricity supplies, Afghanistan has reached a stage unthinkable in past decades. Germany is the third largest bilateral donor. Particularly in our area of responsibility in northern Afghanistan, we can point to successes in basic education, infrastructure and institution-building.

Education:

Through the national education programme (EQUIP) Germany has helped construct around 2000 schools. This means that about 11,000 new classrooms have been built for around 25,000 teachers and approximately 500,000 pupils. Nationwide, 6.5 million children now attend school, five times as many as under the Taliban. 35% of the pupils are girls.
With its contribution of 15 million euro Germany has helped pay the salaries of around 300,000 teachers and judges.
In the field of vocational education the German Government is supporting the rehabilitation of the technical schools in Kabul, Kandahar and Khost, and the construction of a new vocational college in Tarin Kowt. The technical school in Kabul alone will be able to train 2300 young people with its larger teaching capacity. The school in Kandahar will have capacity for 600 trainees when rehabilitation is completed.

Healthcare:

Since 2006 healthcare projects in northern Afghanistan have treated over 750,000 patients, including a particularly large number of nursing mothers and babies in baby care centres.

Infrastructure and sources of income:

In northern Afghanistan, with German assistance alone, over 600 kilometres of road and numerous bridges have been built.

More than 250,000 households in the region have been assisted through measures to create sources of income, deliveries of water tanks and seeds, as well as through irrigation projects.

Anti-drug placard in Feyzabad © AA/Schindelarz

Anti-drug placard in Feyzabad

How long do we need to stay?

In his inauguration speech on 19 November 2009, the Afghan President announced that Afghanistan wants to assume full responsibility for security within five years. He reaffirmed this at the Conference in London in early 2010. On 26 January 2010, the Federal Chancellor issued the following statement:

We very much support President Karzai in his statement that we want to have a situation by 2014 in which Afghanistan can guarantee its own security. That is a goal set by the Afghan Government. We ourselves are not naming a withdrawal date but support the Afghan Government in this goal.

What is decisive for the assumption of responsibility is that Afghanistan makes rapid progress on the road to being a secure and economically independent country. That is why the international community is supporting the civilian reconstruction. It is helping Afghanistan cooperate closely with its neighbours with a view to creating stability in the region. And it is working to enable Afghan security forces to guarantee security in the country themselves one day. Germany is particularly engaged in rebuilding a civilian police force which works efficiently and enjoys the trust of the people of Afghanistan.

Soldiers alone cannot bring peace. Yet the military mission is bolstering reconstruction. The troops stabilize the situation and protect civilian helpers. Of course we will continue to constantly review whether we have the right mix of civilian projects and necessary military coverage. The people in Afghanistan hope for a brighter future. The democratically elected Government is working hard to achieve this goal – and we are providing support. The reconstruction makes many demands: engagement, moderation and patience. But it is worth it.

Last updated 12.07.2010

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