International conference on Afghanistan: when the world convened in The Hague
The high-level conference, hosted by the Netherlands under the auspices of the United Nations, was organised against a tight deadline. The decision to host the meeting in the Netherlands had been taken just three weeks earlier. At the World Forum Convention Centre, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen welcomed many important guests, including the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the municipality of The Hague, and many other parties worked fl at out to ensure that the 500 delegates and 600 members of the international press enjoyed a secure and comfortable stay.
The Dutch government and The Hague municipal authorities can look back on a very successful conference. Seldom have so many countries and organisations come together to express their commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the wider region. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the results of a review of US policy in Afghanistan, and she hailed the Dutch approach of combining defence, development and diplomacy as a comprehensive strategy for the future of Afghanistan. We Dutch are often reluctant to pat ourselves on the back. But in this case, we can make an exception. We can be proud that, despite the challenging circumstances, the conference was well organised and implemented. A job well done.
Within 36 hours, the event passed, of course, and life resumed its normal course. But the international whirlwind that passed through The Hague was a tribute to the municipal authorities can look back on a very successful conference. Seldom have so many countries and organisations come together to express their commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the wider region. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the results of a review of US policy in Afghanistan, and she hailed the Dutch approach of combining defence, development and diplomacy as a comprehenive strategy for the future of Afghanistan.
We Dutch are often reluctant to pat ourselves on the back. But in this case, we can make an exception. We can be proud that, despite the challenging circumstances, the conference was well organised and implemented. A job well done. Within 36 hours, the event passed, of course, and life resumed its normal course. But the international whirlwind that passed through The Hague was a tribute to the city’s can-do mentality. And we have shown that we can, too. |
