Afghanistan Ten Years Later: Opportunities and Challenges for Development

The tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan is an opportunity to take stock of the humanitarian and development situation in the country. Although today’s headlines are focused on the military transition, there are serious development and governance challenges which need to be addressed to ensure the country’s stability and the well-being of its citizens. The government of Afghanistan, Afghan civil society and the international community are looking forward to conferences on the future of Afghanistan to be held in Istanbul in November and Bonn in December, which will provide an indication of ongoing international support for the country.

On November 2, the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement and Save the Children hosted a discussion on the challenges and opportunities for development during this crucial transition period with David Skinner, country director for Save the Children in Afghanistan, Kathleen Campbell, senior advisor at USAID, and Caroline Wadhams, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. They addressed the challenges of building the capacity of the Afghan government in the context of both decreasing international financial assistance and international military disengagement. Senior Fellow Elizabeth Ferris, co-director of the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.

After the program, panelists took audience questions.