I am very pleased to be back in Kabul after five long months. Today I conclude my five day visit together with my Political Advisor Ms Jennie Gren, kindly hosted and accompanied by Raffaella Iodice, the EU Chief of Mission to Afghanistan, and her team. I would like to thank everybody who took the time to see us for discussions and for offering us traditional Afghan hospitality.

Our visit to Afghanistan this time allowed us also to make a two-day visit to Kandahar in addition to the time we spent in Kabul. During our visit we met, among others, with:

• Representatives of UNAMA and the diplomatic community, UN agencies in Kandahar and ECHO colleagues
• The acting Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, the acting Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Social Affairs, and Information and Culture, and the acting Director of the General Directorate for Intelligence (GDI)
• The deputy Governor of Kandahar
• International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) in the humanitarian field
• Civil society representatives
• Human rights activists
• Dr Abdullah Abdullah

In Kandahar we had the opportunity to make field visits to see EU humanitarian assistance in action, in cooperation with UN agencies – the Mirwais hospital providing medical and trauma care, the IOM centre supporting Afghan returnees, and a WFP food distribution site providing essential assistance for Afghan men, women and children most in need.

And we conclude our visit today by speaking to Afghan journalists and by this briefing for the media.

Observations

1. A harsh winter in Afghanistan is coming to an end, but the humanitarian situation remains worse than ever, with more than 28 million vulnerable Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance. More than half of them are children below the age of 17.

Despite the mobilisation by the EU of humanitarian assistance of 470 million in the last 18 months, and generous contributions by the US, UK, Germany and other EU Member States, Japan, Canada and others, the UN humanitarian appeal of last year was only funded at 75% and this year’s humanitarian appeal stands at a record level of USD 4.6 billion.

The ban announced by the de facto authorities on 24 December, preventing women from working for NGOs, including international NGOs, has put an additional significant burden on the humanitarian community. It challenges fundamental principles and, where implemented, raises a serious obstacle to assistance reaching women and children. I discussed this with humanitarian partners during my visit and also raised it in meetings with the de facto authorities. The EU continues to deliver humanitarian assistance through our humanitarian partners where Afghan women can meaningfully participate in the assessment of needs, delivery of assistance and monitoring of activities, and which makes it possible for assistance to reach women.

During our visit to Kandahar, we had an opportunity to discuss with UN agencies in the province their assessment of the situation, their work, and specific challenges they are doing their best to respond to in that part of the country. In Kandahar we also made field visits to see EU critical humanitarian assistance being delivered, in cooperation with UN agencies – the Mirwais hospital providing medical and trauma care, the IOM centre supporting Afghan returnees, and a World Food Programme distribution site providing food assistance for Afghan men, women and children most in need.

2. While striving to respond to humanitarian needs, we also need to search for long-term solutions and ways to stabilise the economy. Some data indicate that the economy is beginning to stabilise, but at a much lower level than before, and revenue collection by the de facto authorities has improved. Over compliance with sanctions by international financial institutions remains an obstacle to legitimate financial transactions to and from Afghanistan. And the foreign currency reserves of the Afghan Central Bank remaining frozen abroad and the isolation of the Afghan Central Bank from the international payment system due to legitimate concerns about its lack of independence and capacity on anti-money laundering (AML) and countering of the financing of terrorism (CFT) remain considerable challenges.

To help meet basic needs and provide livelihood support for Afghans, the EU has committed in the last 18 months 420 million euros, delivered through UN agencies and NGOs in a principled way.

To help stabilise the economy and allow it to grow, there is a long list of actions expected also from the de facto authorities, which we consistently repeat. This includes providing a clear constitutional and legal framework underpinned by rule of law in line with international standards that offers citizens, and foreign investors, legal protection. It includes providing budget transparency about revenues and expenditure, and continue to fight corruption, on which progress has been made. It includes providing job opportunities, also for women, in ministries and allowing them to work in all other sectors, including running businesses, rather than restricting them from working. And it includes investing in the future by offering boys and girls throughout the country quality education to prepare them for a new labour market.

Also in this context the fight against opium cultivation and drug production, with all the negative consequences they are having inside and outside the country, must continue, and the de facto authorities spoke in our meetings about their commitment to implement the ban announced and to seek ways to rehabilitate drug addicts, while also asking for support in these areas.

3. The human rights situation in Afghanistan remains highly concerning. This is being analysed and described in a very clear and precise manner in the latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan by the Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, which he is going to present at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva tomorrow.

During our visit we have focused our discussions on human rights primarily on the rights of women and girls – notably the right to education and their right to work and participate in social and political life, but also on media freedom. I already referred to the ban by the de facto authorities in December on women working for NGOs. Beyond the consequences on the delivery of assistance, this is a clear violation of the right of women to work and impacts gravely on their ability to provide for themselves and their families. Secondary schools remain closed for girls in most parts of the country since 18 months, and in December the de facto authorities announced that also universities would close for women. I raised these issues in several of my meetings with acting Ministers, but although many of them confirmed the right of girls and women to study, I did not hear any firm commitment that schools were going to open at the beginning of the school year after Nowruz, despite my clear question. But opening the schools and universities to provide quality education to Afghan boys and girls, women and men, is not optional. It is a necessary investment in the future, in the next generation, in a better Afghanistan. Above all, it is a clear request from the Afghans we meet.

In our meeting with the acting Minister of Information and Culture, we discussed the role of media. I underlined the importance of free media to provide accurate information about developments in Afghanistan – positive and negative – and also to keep Afghanistan connected to the world. The acting Minister declared his full commitment to free media and confirmed the prime responsibility of his Ministry in addressing challenges or obstacles faced by journalists.

We have also discussed with male and female Afghan journalists and media workers how they see the situation of media, press freedom and the constraints they are facing. Afghan journalists told us about a profound legal uncertainty, where freedom of speech is no longer protected by the Constitution and where their right to access information is not legally guaranteed. They shared their worries about a massive financial uncertainty as journalists are losing their jobs when media outlets have to close down for lack of economic means. They told us about intimidation, interference, threats and detention from the GDI and the Ministry for the Protection of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which contributes to ever stronger self-censorhsip by journalists on what and how they report. Female journalists face specific and additional challenges and risks. They told us that they are not allowed to attend official press conferences or report from public gatherings. They are not given interviews by leading representatives of the de facto authorities. They are subject to an imposed dress code, and they spoke to us about a distinct perception of being in danger.

4. In our meetings with the de facto authorities, we also raised the security situation. Since my last visit five months ago, we have seen severe attacks claimed by ISIS-KP or Daesh, including attacks in Kabul against diplomatic missions and Afghan ministries. The de facto authorities informed us about some of their actions taken, referred to a number of effective operations, and declared their full commitment to continue to fight Daesh, which constitutes a serious threats to Afghans and to Afghanistan but also to the region and beyond. I also referred to concerns by some countries in the region about Afghan soil still being used by terrorist organisations to threaten the security of these countries

5. We discussed both with civil society representatives and with acting Ministers, the need for inclusive and participatory governance, allowing Afghan men and women of different ethnic origin and with different political views both to be part of the administration but also to have a voice on political decisions. Acting Ministers speak about having brought peace to the country and say that the country is the home of all Afghans, not just the Taliban. But for peace to be consolidated and sustained, and for non-Taliban Afghans to feel included, there is a need for dialogue, institutions and processes to be put in place, under a clear constitutional framework. Let me be clear, the EU is not supporting armed resistance, neither politically nor in other ways. Afghanistan has seen too much violence over the last four decades and now there is a chance to break the cycle of violence. But for this to happen, all Afghans must get a chance to engage in dialogue, express their view freely and see chances for themselves to have a voice about the direction in which the country is going. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of any substantial progress in this field, and certainly not at national level. Patience has often been called for in our conversations over the last few days and patience is indeed a good quality, but it has to be sustained by indications of hope.

6. In all our meetings, in Kabul and Kandahar and with all our interlocutors there was a strong welcoming of EU permanent presence in the country – the only European presence for the moment – and also appreciation for my visit. INGOs and civil society representatives called on us to sustain or increase our assistance to the people of Afghanistan and some of them suggested alternative ways to deliver assistance or new areas for potential support, with a strong focus on the local level and with women led organisations as implementing partners or with women as recipients.

Acting ministers expressed – and that was also confirmed from our side – an interest in continued dialogue with the EU to address concerns and solve problems. We remain committed to this, while being clear that a qualitative change in our relationship over time, including possible direct cooperation or support, remains subject to credible and consistent progress by the de facto authorities on a series of issues – human rights, security, inclusive governance, independent humanitarian access, and safe passage. We shall continue to look for opportunities, and respond positively where there are clear signs of progress, while we reserve the right also to respond to negative decisions.

7. Once again, let me express my gratitude to everybody who took the time to receive us and share their assessments, concerns, ideas and hope. The EU remains committed to maintaining its presence – diplomatic and humanitarian – in Afghanistan. We remain committed to assisting and interacting with the people of Afghanistan. And our doors remain open to dialogue with the de facto authorities and other Afghans, within the country and abroad, to hopefully contribute to finding solutions and a sustainable peace.