Thank you, Chairman.
Of course that message was delivered, and hopefully I'll be able to get this done within seven minutes.
Mr. Chair, it is a pleasure to be here today to provide honourable members of the committee with an update on the recent developments in Canada's engagement in Afghanistan. I would like to begin by recognizing the work of the men and women of the Canadian Forces and pay tribute to those who have been injured and, in particular, to those who have lost their lives in the service of Canada and Canadians.
We must also take a moment to recognize our development specialists, diplomats, and capacity-building experts, who are working in difficult and often dangerous conditions to improve the lives of Afghans and the capabilities of the Afghan government.
In addition, I wish to acknowledge the visit of the special committee on Afghanistan to that country. Judging from your report, it is clear that you saw first-hand the importance of Canada's work in Afghanistan, as well as the importance of connecting the Afghan government to its people, and then connecting them to their government.
While Afghanistan remains volatile, the time since the end of the quarter covered by the report, which will be dealt with in the next report, has seen a number of key events for the future. For example, the Kabul International Conference on Afghanistan was held on July 20. The conference, which was Afghan-led, co-chaired by the United Nations and attended by more than 70 partner-countries, international and regional organizations and financial institutions, marked a critical step toward Afghan leadership to secure, stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan.
The plan adopted at the conference sets out realistic priorities on moving towards a more secure, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan. More importantly, it sets out clear timelines for the Afghan government to assume lead responsibility for safeguarding its people, building its economy, and reforming government institutions and services.
Parliamentary elections were held on September 18, and we still await the final results. Although marked by numerous incidents of insurgent violence, the elections did not experience a single significant complex attack. Over 90% of planned polling centres remained open nationally, and the election involved millions of Afghans as candidates, campaigners, workers, as well as voters.
While it is too early to pronounce on the final results of the elections, the Government of Afghanistan and its election bodies showed a greater capacity to plan for this election and ensure that voters were able to vote. However, the announcement of preliminary results on October 20 points to a considerable amount of fraud, and 1.3 million ballots have been disqualified out of 5.6 million cast.
We have supported efforts to enhance the capacity of Afghan electoral institutions. Canada and the international community welcomed the Government of Afghanistan's commitment at the Kabul Conference to further electoral reforms in order to strengthen the Afghan electoral process. Another notable event from the reporting quarter is the National Consultative Peace Jirga that was held from June 2 to 4 in Kabul, attended by some 1,600 Afghan participants, 20% of whom were women.
This represented an important milestone towards finding sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
An attempted insurgent attack on the day of the Jirga—during your visit—was effectively countered by Afghan National Security Forces, helping to underline the progress made in building ANSF capabilities. A key outcome of the event was the establishment of a High Council for Peace to provide leadership for the peace and reconciliation process, a commitment President Karzai fulfilled on September 28 with the announcement of members to the council.
We have always said that reconciliation must be Afghan-led, and Canada and the international community stand ready to support them within the framework generally accepted by the international community.
As you know, Canada's engagement in Afghanistan has been defined and guided by six specific but interrelated priorities, as well as three signature projects.
Our efforts to improve the delivery of basic services is the focus of the 9th quarterly report, which covers the period of April 1 to June 30, 2010.
During this period, two additional targets set by the Government of Canada in 2008 to guide our activities and investments in Afghanistan were achieved.
First, the area released as free of mines and remnants of war has surpassed 500 km2.
Additionally, two infrastructure projects at Sarpoza prison were completed, for a planned total of 19 infrastructure projects.
With regard to our training and mentoring efforts, the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team training centre provided basic training to 87 Afghan National Police officers. Afghans are starting to see the benefits of the work we are doing in the security sector. According to recent polling conducted across Kandahar province, 60% of Kandaharis now see themselves as safe in their communities, and 46% see security as improving. Only one in six Kandaharis see security as getting worse.
In closing, Mr. Chair and colleagues, we must always remind ourselves that we are trying to help the Afghan people rebuild in the midst of a conflict. While progress has been difficult, we must also recognize the progress.
Our commitment to the Afghan people is clear. We are working harder than ever with Afghans, and closer together as an international community, to create the conditions for a more prosperous, better-governed and more secure Afghanistan.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, colleagues.