UNAMA, July 16, 2006

Tom Koenigs, the UN’s Special Representative to the Secretary General in Afghanistan today (13 July) told the Italian Senate that their commitment to Afghanistan must continue.

Addressing the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees, Koenigs thanked them for their contribution to institution building and policy development as well as their efforts in the Herat province on security and stability of this key province.

Koenigs emphasised that progress had been made in Afghanistan since the London Conference in January and that this continues, despite the harsh reality that security continues to be a serious concern.

Kofi Annan’s Special Representative spoke frankly about the difficult period that the South and South-East of the county was currently going through, but insisted that Afghans want to defeat this insurgency and are asking the international community to continue to support them and that backing away was not an option.

The current situation in Afghanistan, Koenigs said shows that the international community needs to invest more in security sector reforms and continue to develop the capability of the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police and the judiciary.

A combination of continued political support, security sector reform, while maintaining the Provincial Reconstruction Teams and other troop contributions is what the international community owe to the people of Afghanistan.

Achievements through the Italian commitment to Afghanistan include: a key policy document – Justice for All which lays out the framework for reform efforts complied under the leadership of the Italian Justice Office (IJO); over 1,000 judges, prosecutors and police officers have been trained and as work moves forward, the IJO is prioritising the establishment in each province of functional institutions such as prisons and the judiciary.