United Nations Radio

While the world waits for US President Obama to unveil his strategy for Afghanistan, the Head of UN mission to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, is hoping to regain the momentum lost during the election process. The international community needs to re-assert its long term commitment to Afghanistan, he says, and benchmarks needs to set, with a strong emphasis on building the country's institutions. Jocelyne Sambira has the story:

Afghan receiving assistance

EIDE: We have to move into a new phase, as I said before, where greater authority is given to the Afghan institutions: where we build them up, and where we can say that what we do is sustainable, because much of what we've done so far, particularly on the civilian side, I believe, has not been focused as much as I wished on sustainability. What I hope is that when we have the London conference behind us, that we would also be able to address some of the other critical issues. For instance: if we are to deliver services to the people, it cannot be done via international parallel structures, it has to be done via Afghan institutions. That's going to take time but the longer we wait, the more time it will take.

NARRATOR: This top level international London conference announced by UK's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be held on January 28 next year to set a timetable for the handover of security to the Afghan government. President Obama has also vowed to set out an exit strategy from this nine year war, which is why Kai Eide is insisting on leaving behind sustainable and sound institutions.

EIDE: The day will come where this assistance will diminish and then we need to have Afghan domestic resources in place that can sustain what we have done so far. If we don't do that, then we risk that what we've done in health, what we've done in education, what we've done in roads, etc, will not have the resources that will enable the Afghans to sustain it, and we risk that some of these things will collapse. That's why we really have to move into a different kind of mode, a different mindset, where all emphasis is put on the sustainability of what we're doing.

NARRATOR: While the international community is trying to spell out a future military and political strategy for Afghanistan, humanitarians are busy trying to help vulnerable people in the country cope with the rapidly dropping temperatures. UNHCR is one of the agencies that has launched a winterization programme to assist IDPs and returnees. Grainne (GRONIA) Ohara, Head of the Central Region Office, speaking at a distribution of warm clothes, shoes and blankets for some 200 families.

OHARA: This is a very small contribution from UNHCR. That said small contribution in relation to the bigger needs but obviously for the families that receive it, it is a very welcome benefit for winter but by no means does this meet the needs of all vulnerable persons in Afghanistan. The biggest challenge for the staff who are hands on involved in this programme is the selection process. The needs are high and ultimately decisions have to be made about who can be included and who not and those are difficult decisions to make.

PRES: Grannie Ohara, Head of the Central Region Office in Afghanistan.

Producer: Jocelyne Sambira
duration: 2'24"