Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan December 2010 December Afghan News Latest News Select invest- H.E. Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie appointed as Ambassador to Japan ment facts • Since 2003, US$5.6 billion has been invested in Afghanistan’s private sector • 2010 has seen a 6% increase in private sector investment over 2009. • 4976 companies with an initial capital invest- ment of $ 1.2 billion have been registered with the Af- ghanistan In- (Picture: H.E. Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie is escorted by carriage to his official appointment vestment Sup- with H.E. the Emperor of Japan at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. 〉 port Agency (AISA). H.E. Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie arrived in High Peace Council holds first meeting Tokyo on December 8th in order to serve as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s Ambas- sador to Japan. On December 27th, H.E. met with H.M. the Emperor of Japan to present his Inside this issue: credentials. H.E Ambassador Dr. Fatimie has had a very Latest News Pg.1-4 distinguished career, holding several key posi- Interview tions in government, including the position of with Minister of Public Health. His appointment as Pg.4-6 Mr. Khaled Ambassador to this nation, therefore, stresses Hosseini that the highest level of importance is placed The High Peace Council, formed through by Afghanistan on bilateral relations with Ja- June’s National Consultative Peace Jirga pan. and its unanimously-endorsed peace, recon- Recipe corner Pg. 7 ciliation, and reintegration plan, held its first public conference in Kandahar. (Continued on page 2) 1 Afghan News, DecemberNovember 20101010 investment in the next three to four basic medical services is set to increase The two-day conference was attended years. to 95% in five years (in 2003, there by Chairman Burhanuddin Rabbani, was only access available to 9% of the head of the Secretariat for the High Since 2003, a total of $5.6 billion has population). This will be made possi- Peace Council; presidential advisor been invested by the private sector in ble through the construction of 400 Massom Stanakzai; tribal elders; ulle- Afghanistan. Through 2009 to October health centers nationwide through the mas; and the governors of Zabul, Nim- of this year, a total of 4,976 companies Ministry of Public Health. roz, Uruzgan, Kandahar, and Helmand with an initial capital investment of provinces; along with members of civil US$1.2 billion have registered with The construction of these health facili- society and United Nations Assistance AISA. The total investment in 2010 is a ties is expected to also have the added Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) rep- 6% increase over the 2009 period. effect of helping to decrease the mor- resentatives. tality rate of mothers and children by Topics of focus were criteria, strategy, Afghanistan is rich in mineral resources up to 50%. and various aspects of the process. with more than 1,400 identified mineral deposits, including energy minerals such Chairman Rabbani declared that he as oil, gas, and coal as well as high- Japan to build new hospital in Ka- would like to use the conference as a quality iron and copper deposits. Great bul forum to invite those brothers currently opportunities for investment exist within not part of the peace process to give up the hydrocarbons industry and in explor- The Japanese government has pledged violence and join the process. ing precious and semi-precious stones. to help build a new 80-bed, hospital building in the Darul-Aman neighbor- The Afghan economy has been growing hood of Kabul. The hospital will pro- Investment conference attracts poten- in double digits in real terms for the last vide treatment for patients of TB, HIV tial investors eight years, peaking at 22% last year and malaria. At the conference, H.E. Foreign Minis- ter Zalmai Rassoul, in his key note Second mother and child survival speech focused on the link between se- committee meeting convened curity and development. Stating firstly that worries about security are not nec- The second mother and child survival essary as challenges are regional and not committee meeting was held at the nationwide, H.E. also noted that, Af- Serena Hotel in Kabul on November ghanistan’s growing security forces, “are 21st, with government officials being fully capable of providing security joined by delegations from the World across Afghanistan for private and pub- Health Organization (WHO) and the The Afghanistan International Invest- lic investments, projects and establish- United Nations Children’s Fund ment Conference (AIIC), an interna- ments," adding that the transferring of (UNICEF). The twenty committee tional conference on investment in Af- more, and eventually all, security re- members, composed of representatives ghanistan, was held in Dubai on No- sponsibilities from international forces from the WHO, UNICEF, government vember 30th. 500 participants, including to the Afghan national security is solid officials, and NGO representatives, investors and ministers from a number proof of the success of domestic security shared their views on how to improve of nations, took part. Prospects for de- forces. H.E. Dr. Rassoul pointed to the mother and child health and also ex- velopment were discussed for key impact that wealth creation and prosper- pressed their preparedness to cooper- growth sectors: infrastructure, construc- ity has on improving security: "Investors ate. tion and construction materials, agro- who chose to invest in Afghanistan will business and agro-processing, energy not only be rewarded with significant Acting Minister of Public Health Dr. and mining, transport and logistics, and returns on their investments, but they Suraya Dalil presented the Ministry of IT and telecommunication. will also play a vital role in the restora- Public Health’s six strategies: the de- tion of peace and security within the livery of quality healthcare to pregnant Through the conference, an ad hoc body region." women, obstetric services, health ser- called the Afghan International Invest- vices to infants, protection and treat- ment Friends was created to act as an For information on investing in Afghani- ment of children against fatal diseases, informal mechanism to maintain mo- stan, see the Afghanistan Invesment and improving nutrition and child- mentum on specific proposals at the Support Agency’s Web site: spacing. conference, with the potential to grow www.aisa.org.af into a more formal body later. The committee meets twice yearly and cooperates with the government and Noorullah Delawari, Advisor to H.E. Health service access to increase to development partners to adopt meas- President Hamid Karzai and CEO of 95% ures towards reduction of mother, chil- Afghanistan Investment Support dren, and infant mortality as part of the Agency (AISA) expects that Afghani- The amount of people with access to (Continued on page 3) stan will attract around $10 billion in 2 Afghan News, December 2010 Ministry of Public Health’s (MoPH’s) centered, participatory teaching tech- Local agriculture gaining more in- strategy to improve mother and child niques. ternational attention health. Its first meeting was held earlier this year, with a number of tasks carried As Afghan agriculture continues to out involving design and finalization of Budget transparency tripled expand in demand worldwide, from an operational plan for children and ado- December 3rd to December 6th, a lescent health, identification of key indi- Integrity Watch Afghanistan, an anti- delegation of Afghan farmers took part cators for measuring progress towards the corruption watchdog, has launched the in Agro Tech 2010 in India. The event implementation of related strategies, and Open Budget Index for Afghanistan in was organized by the Confederation of the formulation of terms of reference for which the national score increased Indian Industry (CII). provincial based committees, among from 8 to 21 points. Great efforts have other tasks. been made to increase budget transpar- India has been a large purchaser of ency to provide citizens the opportu- Afghan agricultural products. nity to hold the government account- Hedayatullah Omerkhail, the president First national heart clinic opened able for its management of public of Afghanistan-based Abdul Wakil funds. Afghanistan leads other nations Omerkhail Farmer's Association, said, The first national heart clinic has opened in the same category by at least 15 “Currently, we are exporting walnuts, near Kabul University’s medical faculty points. raisins, apricot, cherries and fruits to and sees between 30 and 40 patients a many Asian countries.” day. TAPI Gas Pipeline contract signed Kabul will host 'International Agfair Six doctors (male and female), three sur- 2011' next year, which will attract geons, and four nurses staff the facility, interested parties from around the working with state-of-the-art stress ma- world, ready to purchase low-cost pro- chines and echocardiograms, the acquisi- duce that is found only in Afghanistan, tion of which was supported by hospitals including seedless Pomegranates. in Toronto, Windsor, and Winnipeg, Can- ada. The clinic also has also a rehabilita- For information on the availability of tion room with stationary bikes, tread- Afghan pomegranates in Japan, go to mills and yoga classes. the Friends of Afghanistan page: The clinic looks to start angioplasty www.afghanblogjapan.blogspot.com/2 within four or five years and hopes to be 010/12/afghan-pomegranates-in- able to do heart transplants within 10 H.E. President Hamid Karzai, H.E. japan.html years. President Qurban Quli Mohammadov www.ameblo.jp/entry- of Tukmenistan, H.E. President Asif 10744199178.html Ali Zardari of Pakistan, and H.E. Min- Japanese supported project to con- ister Murli Dayra, the Indian Oil and struct 1000 new classrooms in Kabul; Gas Minister, signed the TAPI Third international airport to be inaugurates latest school (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan- completed in January 2012 India) gas pipeline contract into effect On December 11th, in a rural area of Ka- in Turkmenistan on December 11th.