Donors Pledge $15.2 Billion in Aid for Afghanistan

International donors have pledged $15.2 billion in aid for Afghanistan over the next four years at a conference in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

More than 70 governments in Brussels led by the United States and the European Union promised the financial support on concluding the two-day gathering.

President Ashraf Ghani, CEO Abdullah Abdullah, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi and other senior government officials attended the conference co-hosted by Afghanistan and the European Union.

European Union Development Commissioner Neven Mimica said international donors had pledged $15.2 billion in aid to help bolster war-torn Afghanistan's government over the next four years.

Closing the conference on Wednesday, Mimica said more than 70 nations had pledged almost as much as the Kabul administration was promised in 2012 in Tokyo.    Amid growing donor fatigue after 15 years of Western financial and military backing, he said that pledges "surpassed some of our best case scenarios".

Mimica told a press conference after the conference that for the period 2017-2020, international partners committed and confirmed their intention to provide $15.2 billion in support of Afghanistan's development priorities. "We particularly welcome the contributions from new donors to Afghanistan as well as other announcements of bilateral assistance," she added.

Source : QNA