The Steering Committee of the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, on Wednesday endorsed a new four-year partnership and financing program for Afghanistan, the World Bank said in a statement.

The program was endorsed at the ARTF’s annual meeting that was co-chaired by Mohammad Khalid Payenda, Acting Minister of Finance of Afghanistan, and Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region.

According to the statement, Afghan government officials, ambassadors, and representatives from donor countries, and international organizations, who attended the meeting, discussed how the ARTF will continue to support the Afghan government to advance its development agenda and respond to the negative impacts of COVID-19.

The newly-endorsed Partnership Framework and Financing Program (PFFP) 2021 – 2024 guides ARTF investments and outlines how new donor contributions will support the Afghan government’s development agenda and policies, the statement read.

The new PFFP focuses on six priorities: gender equality, conflict sensitivity, and climate, and it emphasizes strong fiduciary controls in ARTF projects, strategic technical assistance, and close portfolio monitoring to deliver results.

“The ARTF is the main forum for our dialogue with international partners on development and is the key contributor to Afghanistan’s continuing efforts to bring development benefits to our people. ARTF is more important than ever in the current transition, and we very much welcome the international community’s continued support,” Payenda said.

ARTF is a key source of funding for Afghanistan’s national budget and implementation of the second Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF 2), the statement added.

“Through the ARTF, the Government of Afghanistan works with international partners to reduce poverty, deliver essential services, sustain civilian budget operating costs, and implement critical reforms,” the statement read.

Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region, stated: “The ARTF is the World Bank’s largest and longest-standing single-country multi-donor trust fund. As Afghanistan faces severe impacts from COVID-19 and political uncertainty, the ARTF continues to be instrumental in helping the government maintain the delivery of public services to the Afghan people.”

“Today’s meeting sent a strong signal that the World Bank and ARTF donors will continue to stand with the people of Afghanistan at this critical time and protect hard-won gains achieved in the past 20 years,” he said.

Developed in coordination with ARTF donors and the Afghan government, the new PFFP adjusts ARTF programs to Afghanistan’s fast-changing context and aligns with the ANPDF 2 and the Afghanistan Partnership Framework principles endorsed at the 2020 Afghanistan Conference, while remaining a flexible and adaptable instrument.  

“The Afghan government and the international community need to work together to help the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve progress in the coming years,” said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan.

“The World Bank Group remains committed to working with the Government of Afghanistan and its partners to ensure continued service delivery to the people of Afghanistan in these difficult times,” he added.

The ARTF Steering Committee also endorsed the Country Portfolio Performance Review that has helped ARTF donors identify challenges and opportunities in Afghanistan while developing the ARTF programs for the coming years.