As leaders gather today in Kabul to consider the future of Afghanistan, ActionAid is shocked at the absence of ordinary Afghan voices at the conference.

Out of delegates from over 70 countries attending the conference, only one place has been given to wider Afghan society despite the aim of the conference being improved development, governance, and stability for the Afghan people. As with the previous conferences, women are once again virtually absent.

Richard Miller, Executive Director of ActionAid UK said: “There have been numerous conferences on Afghanistan in the past ten years, all of which have delivered little in real terms for the Afghan people who have suffered from years of violence and a lack of good development. It is essential that the voices of ordinary Afghans, including women, are heard at this conference as what is decided here will affect them more than anyone else.”

ActionAid also warns that an increase in aid to Afghanistan will not lead to better security unless there is a wholesale rethink of how the aid money is spent.

Richard Miller continued:  “Aid in Afghanistan, in the view of the Afghan people, seems always to ‘follow the boots’- it is concentrated in areas where there is a military presence, meaning that vast parts of the country are neglected. Such a strategy has invariably fuelled resentment and violence in the provinces that have received less money, creating an endless cycle of conflict which continually feeds on itself.”

ActionAid believes that the primary objective of any additional aid to Afghanistan must be to support effective development across the whole country - not just to underpin or subordinate to military objectives. Prime areas that are in desperate investment are education, violence against women, food production, health care and investment in economic alternatives.

>> Find out more about ActionAid's work in Afghanistan