KANDAHAR - Governors from some of Afghanistan’s southern and central provinces – Kandahar, Zabul, Helmand, Uruzgan and Dai Kondi – met yesterday to discuss common challenges faced in areas related to development, security and health.

“We gather to discuss the shared problems faced by the people of the southern provinces and we hope that this conference will bring tangible results in solving the prevailing problems in the region,” said the Governor of Kandahar, Dr. Toryali Wesa, at the conference which took place in his province.

The gathering’s schedule had two parts: to review achievements and obstacles preventing development, and to map out a common strategy to assist a polio vaccination campaign. Also in attendance were various government ministers, civil society leaders, members of parliament, representatives of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as well as United Nations agencies, including the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Concerning development, governors expressed concern that they are not receiving funds from national ministries that are meant for their provinces. They also said they wanted a stronger say in decisions concerning recruitment and contracting.

In the area of security, attendees expressed concern over the growing number of civilian and military casualties caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). According to a recent study by UNAMA, IEDs remain the main killer of Afghan civilians and the number of deaths caused by these explosives is on the rise.

Concerning polio eradication campaigns, Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Ms. Suraya Dalil, hailed the performance of local authorities throughout the south, noting that over the past seven months there have been no new reported cases of polio. UN agencies have played a key role funding and helpings support anti-polio campaigns.

Ms. Dalil cautioned, however, that there was a long way to go before Afghanistan could be said to be polio-free.

Later in the day, a statement from President Hamid Karzai was read to the meeting.

“I would like to call upon you all to stay united in elimination of polio. Especially, the role of tribal leaders and ulemas is important to raise public awareness. Polio is incurable and a deadly disease and we should all work to remove it from our society,” said the statement.

At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Finance, Mohammad Omar Zakhelwal, promised to share the concerns and recommendations of the leaders of the southern region with the Afghan Government’s cabinet. He also spoke of the constructive role that the governors in volatile southern provinces can play in fostering peace.

“Peace and reconciliation is an important element of our work,” Mr. Zakhelwal said. “We should focus more to prepare ground for dialogue and the Ministry of Finance can provide financial support in this regard because if there is no peace, there is basically nothing.”

In addition to UN officials attending the meeting, the world body played a logistical and coordinating role in bringing the southern region’s leaders together. In the case of UNAMA, the UN Mission is mandated with helping organize and support confidence-building measures, such as the conference in Kandahar.