The Aga Khan welcomed the Afghan government’s reform agenda and its focus on civil society. “For the Ismaili Imamat and its Aga Khan Development Network, or AKDN as it is known, it is fundamental that the construction of civil society has been chosen as a national development priority in the Government’s reform agenda,” he said.

AKDN began working in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, providing a range of forms of assistance, investments and programmes, drawing on several decades of experience in the wider region. Since then, AKDN’s engagement has become a deep-rooted one, focusing on support to institutions and systems, particularly through public-private partnerships, as well as equitable access to, and quality of, social services.

In his speech the Aga Khan stressed AKDN’s long-term, multi-sector approach to development: “We have established long-term institutions in the region, including schools and hospitals, banking institutions, leisure facilities, and telecommunications. We are pleased to announce further innovations, including in cross-border hydropower, mobile banking, tele-medicine, and support to small and medium enterprises to serve even the most marginalised populations,”he said.

The Conference was attended by representatives from more than 60 countries, as well as NATO, the European Union, the United Nations, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as well as private sector and civil society leaders.