Submission of the statement "Key proposals of NGOs operating in Afghanistan" and the reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On the first of July, JVC sent a statement "Key proposals of NGOs operating in Afghanistan" to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japanese Embassy in Afghanistan, and the Special Envoy for the aid of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

• Key proposals of NGOs operating in Afghanistan (PDF,166kB)

In this letter, it was noted that NGOs highly value the Japanese government's Afghanistan aid programs, (especially the active commitment to humanitarian aid when the urgent appeal was sent out from the UN and the Afghanistan government on the 6th of July, 2008) and those are significant encouragement for our work.

At the same time, it stated that the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) activities, led by NATO, blurred the borderline between humanitarian aid and military operation. These activities put international aid organizations and NGOs in danger and, as a result, place local people under extra hardship. Also, it explained how the dispatch of Japanese civilians to the PRT in Chagcharan (Ghowr province) is not only negatively impacts the region, but that it would potentially interfere with future international aid work.

To improve this situation, 13 international and domestic NGOs working in Afghanistan made a statement about PRT and how aid should actually be implemented. As each NGO submit a statement to their respective government, JVC, who was involved in the making of the statement, submitted this statement to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Regarding this statement, JVC had a meeting with the section manager of 2nd division of Middle East and Africa section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (a former section manager and other relevant people also participated). Later we made a summary of the discussion and obtained a proof from the Ministry. We would like to share our statement and the reply of the Japanese Foreign Ministry with everyone.

• Summary of comments from the Ministry of Foreign affairs(PDF,66kB)

We would like to continue exchanging opinions with people in each section, and explore Japan's own way of interacting with Afghanistan, from the view point of NGOs. We are looking for more opinion and participation.