International Conference on Reconstruction
Assistance to Afghanistan
The International Conference on Reconstruction
Assistance to Afghanistan was held in Tokyo, Japan on January
21 and 22. Representatives from 66 countries and 22 international
organizations joined the meeting to share their relief experiences
and concern for Afghanistan.
Stephen Huang of the Tzu Chi Foundation
shared his experiences in Afghanistan. "The number of
Afghan refugees is up to 3,500,000. Even though we were only
helping a very few of them, the volunteers truly understood
what they needed and provided them with the aid. The volunteers
expressed their sincere concern and the refugees responded
with gratitude."
The conference, chaired by Japan, was held
at the Pamir Hotel in Tokyo on January 21 and 22. This was
the first international conference to focus on the reconstruction
of Afghanistan since the recent crisis. The attendees included
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan, Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka,
and representatives from the interim administration of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has been wracked by war for
many years. The average life expectancy is only 44 years.
One quarter of the children do not live past five years old.
Only three out of every hundred female children can receive
education. Experts agree that rebuilding Afghanistan will
take at least ten years and cost US$150 billion.
Stephen Huang described the Tzu Chi Foundation's
rescue efforts in Afghanistan since 1998. Tzu Chi has sent
medical supplies to Bamain and aid to many refugee camps in
Samangan. The foundation was also evaluating the possibility
of medical and educational assistance.
During the meeting, Chairman of the Afghan
Interim Administration Hamid Karzai, Home Minister Haji Mohammad
Mohaqiq, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdullah Abdullah
thanked Tzu Chi representatives for the foundation's aid to
Afghanistan. Japanese television station NHK also aired a
special report on Tzu Chi's relief efforts.
