Peace in Afghanistan is undermined by Western nations' failure to deliver aid and funds returning to the West in profits and salaries, aid agencies said today.
Afghanistan relies on international aid for 90 per cent of its spending as it tries to rebuild state institutions shattered by nearly 30 years of war and fight off a renewed Taliban insurgency that killed 6,000 people last year.
Aid has been insufficient and in many cases wasteful and ineffective The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief
The international community has pledged to spend some $25 billion (€16.2 billion) on reconstruction and development in Afghanistan.
However, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) said in a report that "just $15 billion (€9.7 billion) in aid has so far been spent, of which it is estimated a staggering 40 per cent has returned to donor countries in corporate profits and salaries".
"Given the links between development and security, the effectiveness of aid also has a major impact on peace and stability," said ACBAR, an umbrella group for non-governmental organisations working in Afghanistan.
"Yet thus far aid has been insufficient and in many cases wasteful and ineffective."
The United States, by far the biggest donor, has paid out only half of the €6.5 billion it committed in aid to Afghanistan for the period 2002-2008, while the Asia Development Bank and India have paid only a third of their pledged assistance for the same period.
The US military spends some €65 million a day fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, but spending on aid by all donors since 2001 amounts to only €6.5 million a day.