KHOST NEWS
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
Six and half years ago, the people of Afghanistan and the international community joined hands to
liberate Afghanistan from the grip of international terrorism and begin the journey to rebuild a nation
stunned by a long past of violence, destruction and terror. We have come a long way in this shared
journey.
In just a few years, as a result of the partnership between Afghanistan and the international community,
we were able to draw up a new, Constitution, embracing the values of democracy, freedom of speech
and equal rights for women. Afghans voted in their first ever presidential elections and elected a new
parliament. Close to five million Afghan refugees have returned home, making it one of the largest
movement of people to their homeland in history.
Thousands of schools have been built; over six million boys and girls have been enrolled, the highest
level ever for Afghanistan. Hundreds of health clinics have been established boosting our basic health
coverage from 9 percent six years ago to over 85 percent today. Access to diagnostic and curative services
has increased from almost none in 2002 to more than forty percent now. We have rehabilitated 12,200 km
of roads. Our rapid economic growth, with double digit growth almost every year, has led to higher
income and better living conditions for our people. With a developing network of roads and a state-ofthe-
art communications infrastructure, Afghanistan is better placed to serve as an economic land-bridge
in our region.
These achievements would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the
international community and the strong determination of the Afghan people. I hasten to point out
that our achievements should not make us complacent distracting to face the enormity of the tasks
that are still ahead. The threat of terrorism and the menace of narcotics are still affecting Afghanistan
and the broader region and hampering our development. Our progress is still undermined by the
betrayal of public trust by some functionaries of the state and uncoordinated and inefficient aid
delivery mechanisms. Strengthening national and sub-national governance and rebuilding our
judiciary are also among our most difficult tasks.
To meet these challenges, I am pleased to present Afghanistan’s National Development Strategy
(ANDS). This strategy has been completed after two years of hard work and extensive consultations
around the country. As an Afghan-owned blueprint for the development of Afghanistan in all spheres
of human endeavor, the ANDS will serve as our nation’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. I am
confident that the ANDS will help us in achieving the Afghanistan Compact benchmarks and
Millennium Development Goals. I also consider this document as our roadmap for the long-desired
objective of Afghanization, as we transition towards less reliance on aid and an increase in selfsustaining
economic growth.
I thank the international community for their invaluable support. With this Afghan-owned strategy, I
ask all of our partners to fully support our national development efforts. I am strongly encouraged to
see the participation of the Afghan people and appreciate the efforts of all those in the international
community and Afghan society who have contributed to the development of this strategy. Finally, I
thank the members of the Oversight Committee and the ANDS Secretariat for the preparation of this
document.
Hamid Karzai
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
Six and half years ago, the people of Afghanistan and the international community joined hands to
liberate Afghanistan from the grip of international terrorism and begin the journey to rebuild a nation
stunned by a long past of violence, destruction and terror. We have come a long way in this shared
journey.
In just a few years, as a result of the partnership between Afghanistan and the international community,
we were able to draw up a new, Constitution, embracing the values of democracy, freedom of speech
and equal rights for women. Afghans voted in their first ever presidential elections and elected a new
parliament. Close to five million Afghan refugees have returned home, making it one of the largest
movement of people to their homeland in history.
Thousands of schools have been built; over six million boys and girls have been enrolled, the highest
level ever for Afghanistan. Hundreds of health clinics have been established boosting our basic health
coverage from 9 percent six years ago to over 85 percent today. Access to diagnostic and curative services
has increased from almost none in 2002 to more than forty percent now. We have rehabilitated 12,200 km
of roads. Our rapid economic growth, with double digit growth almost every year, has led to higher
income and better living conditions for our people. With a developing network of roads and a state-ofthe-
art communications infrastructure, Afghanistan is better placed to serve as an economic land-bridge
in our region.
These achievements would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the
international community and the strong determination of the Afghan people. I hasten to point out
that our achievements should not make us complacent distracting to face the enormity of the tasks
that are still ahead. The threat of terrorism and the menace of narcotics are still affecting Afghanistan
and the broader region and hampering our development. Our progress is still undermined by the
betrayal of public trust by some functionaries of the state and uncoordinated and inefficient aid
delivery mechanisms. Strengthening national and sub-national governance and rebuilding our
judiciary are also among our most difficult tasks.
To meet these challenges, I am pleased to present Afghanistan’s National Development Strategy
(ANDS). This strategy has been completed after two years of hard work and extensive consultations
around the country. As an Afghan-owned blueprint for the development of Afghanistan in all spheres
of human endeavor, the ANDS will serve as our nation’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. I am
confident that the ANDS will help us in achieving the Afghanistan Compact benchmarks and
Millennium Development Goals. I also consider this document as our roadmap for the long-desired
objective of Afghanization, as we transition towards less reliance on aid and an increase in selfsustaining
economic growth.
I thank the international community for their invaluable support. With this Afghan-owned strategy, I
ask all of our partners to fully support our national development efforts. I am strongly encouraged to
see the participation of the Afghan people and appreciate the efforts of all those in the international
community and Afghan society who have contributed to the development of this strategy. Finally, I
thank the members of the Oversight Committee and the ANDS Secretariat for the preparation of this
document.
Hamid Karzai
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
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