Roundtableconference Afghanistan
Speech by H.E. Heemskerk, Minister for Foreign Trade at the roundtableconference about Afghanistan, 23 January 2008
First of all I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Dutch and especially the Afghan companies from the Dubai area that are present here today for this roundtable.
This roundtable is a follow-up of an initiative taken last year. The Afghan and Netherlands Business Council in Dubai, the Netherlands Afghanistan Business Council in the Hague and the Afghanistan International Chamber of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim to improve the private sector in Afghanistan through trade and investment, business to business.
This meeting of Dutch and Afghan business people outside of Afghanistan has my strong support. It creates and facilitates collaboration between business parties, useful possibilities to meet Afghan counterparts. The security situation in Afghanistan at the moment unfortunately does not allow for extensive business delegations to visit Afghanistan.
With the expertise of Dutch companies and the needs in Afghanistan in mind for the round table today three themes have been selected: water management, agrifood and education. These themes coincide with the aim and focus of the Working Group Economic Reconstruction Afghanistan of the Dutch Employers' Association (present here today, Mr Sjaak Lomme), supported by several Dutch companies.
At the closing of the last year it was decided by the Dutch government that the Dutch mission to Afghanistan will be prolonged until 2010. As a government we feel our obligation towards the people of Afghanistan.
But military means only will not suffice to solve the problems of Afghanistan. We hope to spend more and more time, as the security situation allows us, on reconstruction. You here, the companies of the Afghanistan working group of the Dutch Employers´ Association, feel the obligation to play your part and to try to contribute to reconstruction.
The ministry of Economic Affairs and I as minister for Foreign Trade want to facilitate involvement of the private sector where possible. Stability is required for economic reconstruction and good governance is needed to maintain the stability. The main aim of the Ministry of Economic Affairs is to see where the expertise and knowledge of Dutch companies in an early stage can contribute to economic reconstruction through co-operation, investment and trade. That expertise of Dutch companies in the fields of water, energy provision, infrastructure and agriculture has already proved to contribute in post-conflict area in the past.
To support Dutch companies in their efforts to do international business the Dutch government has several supporting programmes, open also on Afghanistan. In Afghanistan the programme for economic co-operation projects (PESP) is used to investigate the feasibility for a local chicken supply chain and improvement of Afghanistan's milk supply.
The programme for Cooperation with Emerging Markets (PSOM) has been used by Dutch companies and their Afghan joint-venture partners to invest in saffron production, a distribution centre and a service-centre for vehicles.
The risks of entrepreneurial activities in post-conflict countries are, also with support of the above mentioned programme's, high and in some Afghan regions like Uruzgan even much higher. I will investigate how and if, we, in cooperation with Development Cooperation, can adapt the support to high risks of entrepreneurship in Afghanistan.
The decennia of war and occupation in Afghanistan have stricken the country and also left its effect on private sector development and the development of businesses. I would like to discuss with Development Cooperation how to further develop economic relations between the Netherlands and Afghanistan and to provide technical assistance to the local private sector. And if a programme for training of Afghan business people in Dutch companies would be a possibility. Afghan businessmen could then come to the Netherlands to gain experience and contacts in Dutch businesses.
Let me end with thanking our Consul-General Mr. Kees van Spronsen and Mr. Van Es of Pure Comm for the organisation of this round table, and of course Dr. Ayoub Kazim and Dubai Knowledge Village for their kindness to host en sponsor this event.
And finally thank you all, the companies, for taking this opportunity.
I wish you a fruitful continuation.