The government of Afghanistan has anopportunity in the coming months to turn the country around.It is now opportune to improve security, governance, anddevelopment.Unprecedented international military support,political attention and aid are available to Afghanistan.The government is inheriting years of good economicperformance, notable progress on social outcomes, andcontinuing strong support from the international community.Gross domestic product (GDP) has grown at an average of 12percent in the last five years with moderate inflation and astable Afghani.The National Solidarity Program is spurringcommunity-driven rural development in nearly all districtsof the country and the large opium economy is in retreat.Significant progress has been achieved in basic educationand health. Gender indicators are improving. The governmentand its development partners have an obligation to seizethis opportunity for all Afghans. All donors made anexplicit commitment at the London Conference in January 2010to progressively cede leadership to the Afghan people. Thedonors agreed to route half of their development aid throughthe national budget from the current one-fifth in the nexttwo years, as local capacity to execute development programsimproves. Further, donors aim to work together to improveaid effectiveness by better alignment with Afghanpriorities, minimize opportunities for corruption andimprove aid predictability.This overview summarizes theview of the World Bank on priority development issues andpolicy actions. It is intended to be a useful reference forthe government as it prepares for the Kabul conference. Theissues and policy options proposed are consistent with theands and the Bank's interim strategy note of May 2009.It synthesizes the key findings and analyses of the detailedpolicy notes which draw upon the World Bank's past andongoing work in Afghanistan, as well as wider experiences,including those from other countries experiencing conflict.
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