2004 U.S. Code
Title 22 - FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE
CHAPTER 82 - AFGHANISTAN FREEDOM
SUBCHAPTER I - ECONOMIC AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN
Sec. 7511 - Declaration of policy

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§7511. Declaration of policy

Congress makes the following declarations:

(1) The United States and the international community should support efforts that advance the development of democratic civil authorities and institutions in Afghanistan and the establishment of a new broad-based, multi-ethnic, gender-sensitive, and fully representative government in Afghanistan.

(2) The United States, in particular, should provide its expertise to meet immediate humanitarian and refugee needs, fight the production and flow of illicit narcotics, and aid in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

(3) By promoting peace and security in Afghanistan and preventing a return to conflict, the United States and the international community can help ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a source for international terrorism.

(4) The United States should support the objectives agreed to on December 5, 2001, in Bonn, Germany, regarding the provisional arrangement for Afghanistan as it moves toward the establishment of permanent institutions and, in particular, should work intensively toward ensuring the future neutrality of Afghanistan, establishing the principle that neighboring countries and other countries in the region do not threaten or interfere in one another's sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence, including supporting diplomatic initiatives to support this goal.

(5) The special emergency situation in Afghanistan, which from the perspective of the American people combines security, humanitarian, political, law enforcement, and development imperatives, requires that the President should receive maximum flexibility in designing, coordinating, and administering efforts with respect to assistance for Afghanistan and that a temporary special program of such assistance should be established for this purpose.

(6) To foster stability and democratization and to effectively eliminate the causes of terrorism, the United States and the international community should also support efforts that advance the development of democratic civil authorities and institutions in the broader Central Asia region.

(Pub. L. 107–327, title I, §101, Dec. 4, 2002, 116 Stat. 2798.)

Coordination of Assistance

Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, §7104(b), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3780, provided that:

“(1) Findings.—Consistent with the report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Congress makes the following findings:

“(A) The United States and its allies in the international community have made progress in promoting economic and political reform within Afghanistan, including the establishment of a central government with a democratic constitution, a new currency, and a new army, the increase of personal freedom, and the elevation of the standard of living of many Afghans.

“(B) A number of significant obstacles must be overcome if Afghanistan is to become a secure and prosperous democracy, and such a transition depends in particular upon—

“(i) improving security throughout the country;

“(ii) disarming and demobilizing militias;

“(iii) curtailing the rule of the warlords;

“(iv) promoting equitable economic development;

“(v) protecting the human rights of the people of Afghanistan;

“(vi) continuing to hold elections for public officials; and

“(vii) ending the cultivation, production, and trafficking of narcotics.

“(C) The United States and the international community must make a long-term commitment to addressing the unstable security situation in Afghanistan and the burgeoning narcotics trade, endemic poverty, and other serious problems in Afghanistan in order to prevent that country from relapsing into a sanctuary for international terrorism.

“(2) Sense of congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should take, with respect to Afghanistan, the following actions:

“(A) Work with other nations to obtain long-term security, political, and financial commitments and fulfillment of pledges to the Government of Afghanistan to accomplish the objectives of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.), especially to ensure a secure, democratic, and prosperous Afghanistan that respects the rights of its citizens and is free of international terrorist organizations.

“(B) Use the voice and vote of the United States in relevant international organizations, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations Security Council, to strengthen international commitments to assist the Government of Afghanistan in enhancing security, building national police and military forces, increasing counter-narcotics efforts, and expanding infrastructure and public services throughout the country.

“(C) Take appropriate steps to increase the assistance provided under programs of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development throughout Afghanistan and to increase the number of personnel of those agencies in Afghanistan as necessary to support the increased assistance.”

Declarations of General Policy

Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, §7104(e)(2), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3782, provided that: “Congress makes the following declarations:

“(A) The United States reaffirms the support that it and other countries expressed for the report entitled ‘Securing Afghanistan's Future’ in their Berlin Declaration of April 2004. The United States should help enable the growth needed to create an economically sustainable Afghanistan capable of the poverty reduction and social development foreseen in the report.

“(B) The United States supports the parliamentary elections to be held in Afghanistan by April 2005 and will help ensure that such elections are not undermined, including by warlords or narcotics traffickers.

“(C) The United States continues to urge North Atlantic Treaty Organization members and other friendly countries to make much greater military contributions toward securing the peace in Afghanistan.”