In the latter half of the 1990s, Sweden was the fourth largest donor to Afghanistan after the EU, USA and Japan. In 2002, the situation changed, and the arrival of several new donors has left Sweden one of the minor contributors, despite a dramatic increase in aid provided (approximately SKr 335 million in 2006). Swedish support will continue to deal primarily with education, health, and national reconstruction, as well as helping to strengthen the position of women in society.
As in the past, most of the support will be channelled through the UN, other international channels and Swedish NGOs. Sweden also provides support to the Afghan government's own development programmes. To enable it to track developments close at hand and participate in the dialogue in the field, the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has opened an office in Kabul. An important contribution was made by Sweden to the 2004 presidential election.
Sweden has participated in ISAF since the end of 2001. On May 27, 2004 the Swedish Government decided to increase its military contribution. After a successive build-up in June, Swedish forces now total 85 personnel. Parts of the Swedish forces have been assigned from the MPO2 Rapid Deployment Team and others have been recruited separately.
Education
One of the biggest projects that SIDA supports in Afghanistan is managed by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA). The SCA has been working with basic education (nine-year compulsory school) for some 170,000 schoolchildren in rural areas of Afghanistan since 1984. The SCA also has a large health programme, to which Sida contributes, and each year, SCA's clinics in rural areas are visited by an estimated total of one million patients. The SCA's programmes also include rural development, such as the drilling of wells and the provision of seed for farmers.
SIDA also supports basic education in Afghanistan through UNICEF (the UN children's fund). Its support was doubled in 2003 and now focuses solely on education for girls. This initiative is a continuation of a campaign that UNICEF carried out in 2002, which resulted, according to UNICEF, in the enrolment or reenrolment of three million children, one-third of them girls, in schools.
Support for the Government
Direct support for the Afghan government has been one of the primary Swedish reconstruction initiatives. The support is channelled through the World Bank's Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), and helps to fund the running costs of government administration and the development programmes that the Afghan government wishes to prioritise. Many other donors also contribute to the ARTF.
Road improvement programmes
A good network of roads facilitates economic development and trade. Sida is supporting the improvement of several trunk roads in Afghanistan, such as that between the capital Kabul and the city of Jalalabad on the way to Pakistan. Sida has also financed work to prepare a strategy for the entire transport sector.
Sweden’s involvement in ISAF
On 21 March 2007 the Government of Sweden presented a Bill to the Riksdag on continued Swedish participation in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF).
The Bill proposes that, up until the end of May 2009, the Government be permitted to place an armed force comprising a maximum of 600 troops at the disposal of ISAF. This is conditional on a mandate for the force approved by the UN Security Council remaining in force.
"Sweden's participation in ISAF is a long-term commitment. The Government's aim is that Sweden continues to command the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. This is why we are asking the Riksdag for a renewed mandate," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.
In the Bill, the Government asks the Riksdag to allow it to send up to 600 troops to the security force. At present, however, there are no plans to increase the Swedish troop contribution from the current level of a maximum of 365 troops. The unstable security situation and the Swedish commitment as the nation responsible for command, however, require that Sweden be prepared to strengthen the mission if necessary.
Ambassador