2020 Afghanistan Conference: sustainable peace, anti-corruption and aid effectiveness on the agenda

The 2020 Afghanistan Conference kicks off today, on 23 November, with the EU co-organising and participating in number of events taking place ahead of tomorrow’s plenary session. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, will co-chair together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mohammad Haneef Atmar, an event on sustainable peace (livestream available), with a focus on promoting human rights and empowering women, and also on refugees and returnees. Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, will deliver a speech at an event on anti-corruption and good governance, and in doing so will emphasise the EU’s expectation that the Afghan government delivers on its reform agenda. EU officials will also participate in a third side event taking place ahead of the conference, on aid effectiveness. Tomorrow, 24 November, EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell will deliver a speech at the opening session of the conference, when he will outline the EU’s position on the ongoing intra-Afghan peace negotiations, as well as the conditions for the EU’s support, which were presented in a recent paper co-authored with key international donors. Later, Commissioner Urpilainen will deliver the EU’s financial assistance pledge at the conference. Both interventions will be available on EbS. More information on EU-Afghanistan relations is available in a dedicated factsheet and on the website of the EU Delegation in Kabul.