Kabul , Afghanistan 7 December 2005 : The Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has announced its contribution US$ 1.5 million to the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) Program implemented by the Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations Development Programme.

The financial commitment by the SDC to the DIAG programme was sealed with the signing of the Agreement on the contribution by Ruedi Hager SDC Country Director for Afghanistan and by Frederick Lyons, the Country Director, on behalf of UNDP on December 07, 2005.

The contribution from the SDC comes at a critical time as the fundraising efforts still continue to mobilize donors to close the funding gap for the $8.5 m project.

With this Agreement, Switzerland joins United Kingdom, Canada and Denmark as one of the main donors of the project.

SDC has been a consistent supporter of UNDP programs in Afghanistan with the Swiss contributions to such efforts totaling $11.3 m since 2002, including the last contribution to the DIAG programme.

Among the projects and programs that have enjoyed SDC contributions so far are the Voter Registration Project, DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration), Elections and LOTFA (Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan) and presently DIAG.

If you would like to learn more about the agreement, please contact:
Mustafa Eric
Senior Public Information Officer UNDP
Mustafa.eric@undp.org
070157494

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