Canada’s Prime Minister calls on UN to ensure sustained progress in Afghanistan

United Nations Member States must ensure that Afghanistan can consolidate its gains and overcome the enormous challenges ahead, the prime minister of Canada, which has deployed 2,500 troops to the war-ravaged country, said today.

“The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is the UN’s single largest special political mission,” Stephen Harper told the General Assembly’s annual debate. “It is also, by far, Canada’s biggest and most important overseas engagement.”

He hailed the work of UN agencies and troops now operating in Afghanistan. “We all stand together with the democratically elected government of Afghanistan under the banner of the organization that represents our collective will,” he said.

But at the same time he cautioned that “the challenges facing Afghanistan are enormous. There will be no quick fixes.”

Success requires more than just military advances; it “also requires a strong and unwavering civilian contribution: educators, engineers, elections advisors; direct aid and technical assistance.”

Considerable progress has been made, including the repatriation of 5 million refugees, the enrolment of over 5 million children in primary schools and the registration of 10 million Afghans to vote, he said. “More than one-quarter of the seats in Afghanistan’s Legislature are now held by women – remarkable in a nation where a few short years ago girls could not attend school and women had no human rights of any kind.”

“We have responded. But we haven’t made Afghanistan’s progress irreversible,” he said, stressing that the UN’s job in Afghanistan is not done.

“We have no illusions about the difficulties that still lie before us. Difficulties don’t daunt us. But lack of common purpose and will in this body would.”