Int’l meet to support Afghanistan begins today

The 2020 Afghanistan Conference, co-organised by Finland, the United Nations, and the Afghan government, will be held on Monday and Tuesday, said the foreign ministry in a press release.

The conference will take place in the middle of a historic peace process.

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at the meeting.

The ministerial conference will be held virtually with Geneva as the hub of logistics due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

“Organising the conference under these circumstances is a remarkable achievement for Finland. It is important that we support Afghanistan now — significant results have already been achieved through support provided by the international community, including Finland. In fact, international support and long-term commitment to Afghanistan is now more important than ever before,” said Finland's Special Envoy to the 2020 Afghanistan Conference Janne Taalas.

Finland supports Afghanistan through development cooperation and humanitarian aid, as well as by participating in military and civilian crisis management.

Finland exerts influence in the country as a member state of the European Union and as part of the international community. Finland is a strong promoter of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

To date, the support provided by the international community and Finland has led to significant results in Afghanistan, for example in education and health services.

The number of children going to school has grown almost tenfold, 40% of schoolchildren are girls, people’s general life expectancy has risen to nearly 60 years, and 80% of the citizens have access to health services.