Hamid Karzai

“ At the Berlin Conference earlier this year, the international community renewed its commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan. The generous pledges that we received in Berlin will be committed to national reconstruction and development programs that will create economic opportunities for our citizens and further promote economic growth throughout the region. Eradicating poverty and meeting the education and health needs of our citizens will continue to remain among our top priorities. ”

“ The valuable role of the international community has been crucial to our success. Nations from different continents with different cultures and religions have come together to help rebuild Afghanistan. ”

“ They bombed vehicles carrying woman registration workers, killed civilians who carried registration cards, and bombed religious schools, killing children. These attacks have not stopped our people from crossing one milestone after another. ”

“ We will continue to focus on building our roads to reestablish Afghanistan as the land bridge for transcontinental trade. Upon completion of Afghanistan’s ring road, every major Central Asian capital will be less than thirty-two hours from the Persian Gulf and the port of Karachi. ”

“ Poverty continues to remain another serious challenge. Even though we have made considerable progress over the past three years, we are still one of the poorest countries. We still have the second-highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world. We have one of the highest illiteracy rates. Very few Afghans have access to safe drinking water and only six percent of the Afghans have reliable access to electricity. ”

“ We, the Afghan people, started our journey to stability and democracy almost three years ago. I am delighted to report to you that eighteen days from today, our people will go to the polls for the first time to elect their President, marking the most significant milestone in their journey. ”

“ And we have seen this confidence in the enthusiasm of ten-and-a-half million Afghans who have registered to vote in the upcoming elections.
"Mr. President, earlier this year, the Constitutional Loya Jirga adopted an enlightened constitution, establishing a democratic Islamic republic. It guarantees equal rights and equal protection for every citizen – men and women. The vision of the Constitutional Loya Jirga is becoming a reality. About forty-two percent of the registered voters are women, and women will make up at least twenty-five percent of our future parliament. ”

“ President, our achievements have not come without a cost. During the elections for the Constitutional Loya Jirga, terrorists did everything to disrupt the process, including bombing an elementary school and killing over twenty children. ”

“ We have also taken steps towards disarming, demobilizing, and reintegrating private militias. Nearly all of the heavy weapons have been collected from the city of Kabul, and thousands of former combatants have been disarmed in various parts of the country. ”