KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The U. S. Government provided $80 million to Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund as part of the ongoing commitment to improve the welfare of the Afghan people through the New Development Partnership. Release of the money is tied to the Afghan government’s achievement of specific development results and implementation of key policy reforms, including improved revenue collection, reducing corruption and reducing poverty by helping the poor and marginalized, especially women.

Afghanistan recently achieved important milestones in its reform efforts: more than 80% of senior Afghan Government officials have declared their financial assets per Article 154 of the Afghanistan Constitution; a step forward towards improving the working environment for women in the public sector was made when an anti-harassment regulation was placed into force; a new banking law and regulation were promulgated, and civil service reform commenced in a meaningful way.

“Linking U.S. assistance funding to achievable and important development results enables the Afghan government to implement its reform agenda, while increasing Afghan ownership and transitioning to a more Afghan-led development approach,” said the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, P. Michael McKinley.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will continue to work with the Ministry of Finance to document the government’s achievement of further milestones, each of which would trigger the release of an additional $20 million up to a possible total of $800 million of New Development Partnership incentive funds through 2018.  Five milestones were achieved earlier in 2015, resulting in a $100 million tranche being released in September.

• Press Release - The United States Government Releases $80 M through New Development Partnership (Dari)