Hampered development

Aziz Rafiee, Managing Director of the Afghanistan Civil Society Forum organization, says social development programs in the war-torn country should not be put on the backburner.

Deutsche Welle: You have come to Germany for this very important conference in Bonn to talk about the Afghanistan conflict. How is the situation at the moment?

Aziz Rafiee: The security situation is still a challenge in Afghanistan, and we are worried about the capacity of the Afghan government to handle security responsibilities effectively, especially after 2014 when the NATO combat forces completely withdraw from Afghanistan. I think the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in December is a good opportunity for all stakeholders, which include both local and international players, to discuss and learn from each other's experiences and build upon the best practices of the past 10 years.

When you look at your country now and compare it with the situation some years ago, would you agree with the media reports that the security situation has deteriorated in Afghanistan?

You cannot compare the present situation of Afghanistan with the one we had 10 years ago. There are many positive things happening in our country despite the worsening security situation. The positive things include the freedom of media, presence of the civil society, and also the partnership between Afghanistan and the international community. Unfortunately, the overall security in Afghanistan has been quite bad since 2004 because the Afghan government has been relying more on international forces. I hope the current move for the transfer of security responsibilities from NATO to Afghan forces will create an environment for the government to properly tackle the security menace in coming years.

There are a lot of doubts in Germany and other European countries that the Afghan forces will be in a position to take care of the security of the country and stand on their own feet from 2014 onwards.

It is true, though I hope the Afghan government will change its current strategy and develop an effective one.

The original goal of the western intervention in Afghanistan back in 2001 was to create a democracy and a strong civil society in Afghanistan. Do you see this happening? All we in the West hear about Afghanistan is corruption, the warlords, smuggling of drugs, the Taliban and these kinds of things. What do you as an Afghan think has changed for the better?

When I talk about the proper strategy, it includes the development work in Afghanistan as well. In the past 10 years, our main focus was on political stability and institutional building rather than economic development and social development. We need to devise a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan that must encompass social uplift programs. That is going to be beneficial for both the Afghans and the international community.

Also women?

Of course, women are in a majority in Afghanistan. They are 56 percent of the population. They should not be excluded.

Interview: Grahame Lucas

Editor: Shamil Shams