Afghanistan expects $4b aid pledges at July conference

DHAKA: Donor nations are likely to pledge $4 billion in civilian assistance for Afghanistan after 2014 at an aid conference in Japan next month, President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday.

‘Such an amount, more or less, will be pledged for the Afghan economy at the Tokyo conference’, Karzai said during a special session of parliament, indicating the support would be provided after most foreign combat troops leave by the end of 2014.

Donor nations will gather in Tokyo to define future foreign support for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, which after over ten years of war remains heavily reliant on outside aid, reports The Jerusalem Post.

BDST: 1444 HRS, JUN 21, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor