Mr High Commissioner,

Mr Under-Secretary-General,

Let me start by thanking you for convening this Forum. We believe that it is crucial that the UN is leading the humanitarian effort at a time when the situation for the Afghan civilian population is quickly deteriorating. Visible leadership and a robust coordination mechanism are necessary elements in avoiding the level of bilateralism as we saw in the Kosovo crisis.

NGOs have expressed concern over the fact that they were initially left out of the UN's recent planning process in Islamabad. This lack of their involvement in the UN's coordination mechanism has not been reflective of the collaborative process between the UN and NGOs, which was developed inside in Afghanistan earlier. In this respect, we welcome the recent efforts made by the UN to include NGOs in its coordination structures. Operational coordination must take place at the field level and existing structures need to be strengthened.

NGOs are committed to continue playing their major role in the humanitarian response for the Afghan population. Thanks to the efforts of highly dedicated and qualified national and local staff, many of our programmes inside Afghanistan are continuing under very difficult circumstances at the moment. However, we would stress that access and security, which are prerequisites for effective humanitarian assistance and protection, are not available at this time.

While planning to resume and increase our operations inside Afghanistan, it is essential that the basic human right of Afghans to leave their country and to seek and enjoy asylum is fully recognised and respected by all actors involved. Any humanitarian response inside Afghanistan should be in accordance with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which are based on the norms of human rights and humanitarian law. All efforts must be made to restore respect for human rights and particularly the rights of women.

We call on Afghanistan's neighbouring countries to open their borders and to respect the rights of refugees, in particular the principle of non-refoulement. In case of a mass influx, temporary protection is a tool at the disposal of the host country. However, this practical tool suspends conventional status determination but does not replace it. In fact, as a matter of priority, screening of newly arriving refugees must take place and armed elements must be separated.

NGOs are alarmed that in Pakistan new sites have been identified in locations close to international borders, which are not conducive to refugee protection and assistance. We call on the government of Pakistan and UNHCR to identify locations where refugees can be protected and assisted effectively.

Less than 3 years ago, we, as humanitarian community, responded massively to the Kosovo crisis. Of the many important lessons that were learnt following the response to this crisis, one lesson in particular was that fundamental humanitarian principles must be respected and upheld by all actors involved. We are concerned that in this situation there is again a risk that humanitarian action will be confused with the political response. We call on the UN to ensure that a clear distinction is made between the political and military response to terrorism and mandates and missions of impartial humanitarian organisations.

We hope that this meeting will turn out to be not just another meeting about Afghanistan, but an important step in finding durable solutions for the Afghan population who have been faced with twenty years of crisis in their country. We welcome the strong commitments made by many countries present here, in this respect.

Before the events of 11 September, Afghanistan was just another forgotten crisis. With the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan there is now a risk that other forgotten crises will recede even further into the background. We call, therefore, on the international community to realise its commitments to humanitarianism and to respond in an equal manner to the other crisis situations in the world.

Thank you.