Next, the first keynote speaker Her Excellency Mrs. Adela Raz, Afghanistan ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations started by thanking Japan for its generous humanitarian assistance. She mentioned that 2015-2024 was termed a “transformation decade” in Afghanistan during which the country aimed to achieve a level of self-reliance to stop depending on foreign aid and transform into an equal member of international community. She emphasized the nexus between humanitarian aspect, development and peace and explained that it is not enough to cease hostilities for stopping the conflict. During the conflict, the state is not able to provide basic services; people are being displaced from homes, join one of the conflicting parties or criminal organizations. The importance of the nexus has been recognized by the UN and other international agencies and funds that need to create a common vision for their cooperation. Focusing only on peace or over-relying on the humanitarian side alone cannot work. The lack of integrated approach in past has led to contradictions and ineffective use of funds. Mrs. Raz reminded that four decades of fighting in Afghanistan led to systematic vulnerabilities.

However, the Taliban lost territories under their control and their attempts to disrupt recent presidential elections were futile. The priority of the Afghanistan government and people are the maintenance of republic and hard-won rights of women. Another aspect of humanitarian crisis is natural disasters, particularly draughts worsened by the climate change. All this leads to acute and chronic needs, for which humanitarian aid is provided. Currently, 2.8 million people a year are receiving assistance. Many of them are refugees and IDPs.

Major progress has been achieved in providing essential healthcare services. Afghanistan’s rate of child mortality dropped significantly. Another breakthrough is in the area of enrolment in educational institutions, particularly that of girls and women. Youth empowerment is particularly important because young people constitute 50% of Afghan population. This generation has grown at the time of globalization and understands the value of connectivity for their country. After 9/11 and during the Taliban rule, the country lived in an absolute isolation. Another achievement is the empowerment of Afghan women who become government officials, TV reporters, work at the supreme court and represent the country in the UN. All these hard-won gains need to be preserved.

Mrs. Raz thanked Japan for being an exemplary partner for Afghanistan and expressed her hope for the future cooperation.

Next, H. E. Mr. Tadamichi Yamamoto, a special representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) traced the roots of the conflict in Afghanistan back to the Soviet invasion in 1979. However, the turning point of the conflict was in 2001 after the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. At that time, Afghan society was ruled by the Taliban and was largely rural and traditionally Islamic. Village elders played the key role, and few people were receiving a formal education because the Taliban introduced a strict following the Sharia, based on their own interpretation of Islam. As a result of the US military operation, the transitional government was established in December 2001. Since then, Afghanistan held four presidential elections. The diplomate stated that people need time to transition their mind from traditional system to democratic one. The transparency of the electoral process is improving compared to the previous elections accompanied with fraud and confusion.

Another important area is Afghanistan national security forces. Mr. Yamamoto used to receive complaints about corruption and fraud among the police and army. After the old officers were retired, the younger and better educated generation was brought in, and now, Afghan police and army are respected by the population.

Mr. Yamamoto stressed the importance of education to enable socioeconomic development and instill respect of human dignity. Compared to 2001, the progress is apparent. The enrolment of girls at schools became possible after the rule of the Taliban was taken away. Japan was providing 7.2 million USD through the UNESCO to support education for women and girls in Afghanistan.

In the area of health, only 9% of the population had access to healthcare services in 2002 while now, this number increased to 87%. This progress has been achieved thanks to international aid, including non-traditional donors such as India and China. However, Afghanistan remains one of the last countries in the world (together with Nigeria and Pakistan) that still suffers from polio. Polio has to be completely eradicated. However, the Taliban doesn’t allow home-to-home vaccinations on the territories under their control suspicious that medical workers might be spies.

The economic growth is also taking place; however, it doesn’t keep pace with the population growth which is 3% a year.

According to Mr. Yamamoto, Afghanistan is now at crossroads, a critical political juncture. The current peace talks between the US and the Taliban are of utmost importance. Another critical aspect is Afghanistan’s dependency on foreign aid that cannot last forever. The recent study by the World Bank estimated that even more foreign aid would be needed after the peace agreement is achieved. Not only the traditional donors (OECD countries) but also Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, China and Russia need to cooperate. The coordination between the donors is more efficient than bilateral agreements. Some countries like Kazakhstan have already understood it. More investment and trade are needed. However, development of industry and education is currently handicapped by the insecure environment. Most Afghan live in poverty despite the enormous cash flow into the country. Over 54% live with 92 cents per day which means that they barely afford one meal a day. Winter in Afghanistan is severe, it gets freezing cold, and the country is suffering from unprecedented draughts due to the climate change.

It is impossible to go beyond the current level of development without a sustainable peace, said Mr. Yamamoto. Civilian casualties are systematic, around 10,000 civilians die or get injured every year, and the rate of child casualties is the highest in the world. To achieve peace, people must agree on political system they wish to create. For this purpose, all ethnicities and minority groups from all the localities need to participate in a dialogue to decide on important issues, such as transitional justice, reintegration of former combatants to the society and securing the women’s rights.

Besides, the peace in Afghanistan also affects countries in the region as well as the international community as a whole. The main purpose of the US military operation in 2001 was to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a breeding ground for terrorists that threaten the entire world. Mr. Yamamoto hopes that all the countries will coordinate their efforts in Afghanistan instead of going on their own. Afghanistan needs to live in harmony with the international community.

Recently, the conflict in Afghanistan has been receiving less international attention because it has been going on for so long. However, it is important that the international community follows the situation in Afghanistan. Mr. Yamamoto hopes that this symposium will help to enhance understanding of the Japanese public.

The first session was concluded by a brief Q&A with the two keynote speakers and Mr. Shohei Hara, director of the South Asia department of the JICA. Mr. Hara started his comments by underlining the importance of the triple nexus for the success of the transformation decade in Afghanistan. He summarized the keynote speeches and mentioned the “lost five years” for women’s education in Afghanistan. He expressed concern that general public’s understanding of Afghanistan is limited by the media coverage and said that the worst thing to avoid is indifference, lack of interest in Afghanistan in the international community.

Mrs. Raz shared her experience of surviving the “lost five years” in Kabul when the Taliban prohibited girls’ education at schools. Some families sent their daughters to study abroad, e.g. in Pakistan, others were homeschooled like Mrs. Raz herself and caught up later passing examinations and tests. However, most of the families were too poor to send their children to study abroad or even organize home schools for them. She also said that UNAMA’s presence in Afghanistan is politically important and they were fortunate to get a 12 months’ extension of the mission. She also gave example of successful multilateral negotiations. Chabahar port in Iran is strategically important for Afghanistan, and therefore, Afghanistan government asked the US to have it exempted from the sanctions against Iran. As a result of multilateral negotiations, Chabahar port was exempted from the US sanctions. She also mentioned the Taliban’s connections to Al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist groups and the drug traffic issue as central to the Taliban’s economy as two other important areas to resolve during the US-Taliban talks.

The next question was from Prof. Hirono who asked about the role of China in the peacebuilding and development process in Afghanistan, particularly she was interested in the Belt Road initiative. Mr. Yamamoto sees the Belt Road initiative in a generally positive light as an example of cooperation between the countries. However, he believes that the conditions are important. China is indispensable for the peace process in Afghanistan as the two countries share the borders.

The first session was followed by a panel session including Dr. Haruyuki Shimada, Mr. Shohei Hara, Ms. Sahar Hamdard, Dr. Masanori Naito and Dr. Shinichi Mizuta. Professor Shimada has worked for JICA for over 20 years, including several years in Kabul, Afghanistan. Now a professor at Ritsumeikan, he still continues his research on Afghanistan. Ms. Hamdard studied at the Toyohashi Institute of Technology in Japan for two years under the PEACE scholarship and is now a head of Engineering and architectural design authority in Kabul. She is grateful for the opportunity to study in Japan. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of women’s rights, freedom of speech and media to build a pluralistic society.

Professor Naito from the Graduate School of Global Studies at Doshisha University shared his experience of inviting the Taliban representatives to the peace conference at Doshisha University in 2012. They met representatives of official Afghan government there and although they were first reluctant to talk with them, eventually they shared their visions of Afghan society. Prof. Naito noted that the name of the country was different at their sides: the Taliban called it the “Emirates of Afghanistan” while the democratic government used the name “Republic”. Both parties agreed that withdrawal of foreign troops was a crucial condition for reconciliation. The Taliban also explained their stance on education. They were not against the education per se but against Westernized schools that they perceived as anti-Islamic and harmful. They claimed they didn’t ban all the schools but if a school had a clear orientation towards Westernization, they would ban it. Prof. Naito shared his view that we cannot enlighten them or force them to do certain things, they will perceive it as narrow-minded and intrusive. According to him, if you wish to defeat the Taliban, you should listen to their voice and find their weaknesses. He also drew parallels with the US involvement in Syria. Most US interventions in the Middle East were not successful, and neither were their democratization efforts. Recently, President Trump decided to withdraw troops from Syria. In his case, the sense of cost-benefit is strong, unlike the idealism of his predecessor, President Obama. Another comparison he gave was between the Taliban and Saudi Arabia, saying that religion in Saudi Arabia is fundamentalist, Wahhabism insisting on a literal interpretation of the Koran. However, there is a division between the secular power and religious authorities. If it is possible in Saudi Arabia, why not in the Taliban’s case? Jihad has a broad meaning too, it is not reduced to terrorism. Prof. Naito believes that the Taliban has an ability to change and evolve. In past, the members were students of religious schools but now, they have many IT specialists and have become good at internet propaganda.

Dr. Mizuta compared the situation in Afghanistan with the life in Japan. Those who enjoy the peaceful life in Kyoto tend to take safety and security for granted. It may be hard to imagine that in Afghanistan, company employees can be killed during their commute to work, students during their graduation ceremony, an office can be bombed after receiving a large investment and farms can be burned destroying all the harvest. Peace as “absence of war or fighting” is fundamental for development which he defines as “infrastructure and capacity building”. Otherwise, newly built objects are destroyed or deteriorated. At least, 5 million Afghans now are refugees or IDPs. Chronic draughts cause human suffering, and access of humanitarian aid is hindered by the conflict. Dr. Mizuta said there should be no gap between humanitarian aid and development efforts. Their mission is currently focused on strengthening the state disaster-managing authority and building infrastructure. Waiting for the peace agreement to be reached, the UN and other international organizations are actively preparing for that time. Currently, a 90-day post-peace humanitarian assistance plan and a post-peace development assistance plan are being developed.

Next, Mr. Hara talked about JICA’s involvement in Afghanistan that started in the late 1960s when the country was still peaceful, ruled by the king and was much more Westernized than now. He recommended to Japanese students a book by Sawaki Kotaro “Shinya Tokkyu (Midnight Express)”, a travel note where he described Kabul as a nice place to visit where he escaped after his misadventures in India. At that time, JICA was providing a concessional grant to Afghanistan to build water supply systems. However, in the late 1970s and 1980s, JICA’s operation was suspended because of insecure environment in the country. He mentioned some examples of JICA’s programs now, such as a mother-and-child handbook, special education for disabled and support to lady police officers who can be especially effective in cases of domestic violence. He talked about Dr. Nakamura from a NGO (Peace Medical Service)  who recently received an honor citizenship of Afghanistan. Initially, he was a medical doctor and started a small clinic in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. As he noticed the growing number of patients with water-borne diseases, he decided to address the root cause and provide safe water. Dr. Hara showed pictures of Slampur, the project area, a deserted area before the project and now green and home to many people. This irrigation scheme contributed to the peace in the area, not only healthcare. It is exactly the  case of  Triple nexus. Currently, JICA are working with Afghan Government to compile guidelines to disseminate this practice and replicate it in other areas. Another project run by JICA is an introduction of a new tax administration.

The Q&A session included questions about the process within the Taliban to end the war, parallels with Islamist groups in Somalia and ways to reach agreement without mediation of foreign countries, the role of Afghan women in the household and broader society.

The panelists replied that they observe a shift of the paradigm. In past, most men didn’t want their daughters to go to school and get education. And if they got sick, they wouldn’t allow male doctors to examine them. But now, there is awareness that we cannot grow female doctors without education. Step by step, their mentality can be changed. Sensitivity to the local context and structures is important to access the members of Afghan society. Otherwise, development workers may be perceived as arrogant, disrespectful and intrusive.

Both in Somalia and Afghanistan, war is driven by the fundamental lack of governance. People want justice and better life, and if they cannot get it from official structures, they might look for it among anti-social forces. Another common feature shared by Somalians and Afghan is reliance on their family and over-emphasizing the importance of ethnicity. The best way to overcome these tendencies is to create opportunities for people to talk, in that sense, the third-party involvement may be helpful. The problematic part is involvement of neighboring countries that may have their own interests in the conflict.

The event was concluded by the closing remarks from H.E. Dr. Bashir Mohabbat, the Ambassador of Afghanistan in Japan saying that 2019 is also the 100th anniversary of restoration of Afghanistan independence. The king Amanullah Khan then had an ambitious reform agenda which he was unable to realize at that time; however, his legacy continues to inspire young Afghan until today. H.E. Dr. Mohabbat also reminded the audience of the chapter 6 of the UN Charter and stressed the interconnectedness of peace, development, justice and the rule of law. He said that “peace is not something you wish for, it’s something you work for”.  Once again, he thanked Japan for showing true friendship and belief in Afghan people who are able to live fuller, richer, healthier and happier lives with the Japanese assistance.

Written by Polina Ivanova(Doctor Student at Graduate School of International Relations)

Photos taken by Takayuki Wanibe (Bachelor Student at College of International Relations)