Any reasonable person could easily see that the current government of Afghanistan is infinitely more enlightened than its predecessor. True democratic reform in Afghanistan will occur as the country slowly but surely grows more stable, and the government establishes control, over the months and years to come. But it's just plain silly to think it could happen overnight.

"You had 23 years of savage conflict - it is childish to think you can put Afghanistan back together in 23 months" - UN Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi

Since the overthrow of the Taliban regime, 1.7 million Afghan refugees have returned to their homes in Afghanistan. If it wasn't safer now, and if there wasn't hope for a better future, why would they return?

The international community has pledged $4.5 billion over five years to reconstruct Afghanistan; $2 billion was committed for use in 2002. Of that $2 billion, $1.3 billion has been utilized or will be available this year.

More than 575,000 metric tons of food have been delivered since the start of the war; schools, hospitals and roads have been rebuilt.

An elected head of government - Hamid Karzai - today works with regional leaders in a transitional government as civil authorities continue to establish control.

Reconstruction & Humanitarian Aid

The United States has provided some $588 million in assistance since October 2001. Another $1.45 billion has been authorized for this purpose over the next four years.

The U.S. has provided 7,000 metric tons of seed and 15,000 metric tons of fertilizer, benefiting more than 140,000 Afghan farmers.

On September 12, 2002, Japan and Saudi Arabia joined the U.S. in announcing support for the rebuilding of the Kabul-Kandahar-Herat highway. The U.S. pledged $80 million and our partners $50 million each.

Ten water projects were completed during the first six months of 2002. These included 83 wells, benefiting approximately 260,000 Afghans, at a cost of $193,000. Focus for this effort was Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. An additional 16 new water projects have been approved in the provinces of Paktika, Khowst, Kandahar, and Kabul, with an estimated total cost of $246,000.

De-mining teams from Norway, Britain, Poland and Jordan have helped clear land mines from more than 1.8 million square meters of terrain.

Infrastructure projects: 154 approved projects in 10 provinces:

Completed Underway
Agriculture 2 2
Roads and Bridge 1 7
Hospital / Medical 5 14
Schools 61 44
Water and Wells 10 16
Other Projects 4 9

Schools

U.S. Army Civil Affairs has completed 61 school repair projects -- with plans for 44 more -- to support more than 70,000 school children.

The U.S. has provided 10 million textbooks and 4,000 teacher-training kits.

Canada, Greece, Belgium and Iceland delivered 60 metric tons of goods donated by Egypt to Afghanistan.

Medical

Jordan built a hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif that has treated more than 105,000 patients.
Spain’s hospital has treated nearly 12,000 Afghans and provided 26 tons of pharmaceutical supplies.

Belgium led the largest multinational humanitarian assistance mission that delivered 90 metric tons of UNIMIX to starving children in Afghanistan. It also provided 2,500 blankets.
The U.S. has jointly funded the measles vaccinations of more than four million children.