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From 29-30 April, GMF and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) held a joint seminar in Paris on "Strengthening transatlantic policy coherence in fragile states: Afghanistan as a laboratory for solutions." This seminar was chaired by GMF Senior Transatlantic Fellow Jim Kolbe and Chief Executive of AFD Jean-Michel Severino. Featured speakers included Jack Segal, chief political advisor to the commander of the  NATO allied joint orce command Brunssum; Pierre-André Wiltzer, president of the board of directors of AFD and former French minister for cooperation and development; Pierre Duquesne, ambassadeur chargé des questions économiques, de reconstruction et de développement, French ministry of foreign and European affairs; Julian Lindley-French, professor of military art and science at the Royal Military Academy of the Netherlands; and Serge Michailof, former director of operations at AFD and lecturer at Sciences Po. The discussion was held under Chatham House rule.

The seminar gathered 28 senior experts and policymakers from the development, diplomatic, and defense communities on both sides of the Atlantic and generated a constructive dialogue on how to better address the challenges of human security and development in  post-conflict environments,  specifically Afghanistan. Key issue-areas addressed during three interactive roundtable sessions included: policy options for bridging the security-development divide; the seven "capital sins" of the donor community in Afghanistan; and enhancing stabilization and reconstruction operations.  Following these roundtable discussions, participants reconvened in series of working groups and were each asked to generate ideas around specific question related to policy coherence in Afghanistan. These working groups brainstormed on the primary challenges and practical solutions surrounding the following set of questions:

• How do we establish roles and responsibilities for development and security actors in pursuit of "whole of government" approaches?
• How do we balance short-term priorities against long-term objectives to foster local ownership and institutional capacities?
• How do we ensure that the different actors converge in a coherent strategic framework rather than disperse their efforts?

Some of the key takeaways from the discussion were:

• The different actors involved in post-conflict reconstruction have different, and at times conflicting, conceptions of security. The international community must focus more on Afghan security needs (development of a civilian police), and avoid strategic choices that risk undermining it.
• The Afghanistan experience shows that development concerns and expertise often comes into the reconstruction effort too late, after strategic choices have already been made. Development should systematically be brought into the picture with defense in the planning phase of an operation, both for the conflict and post-conflict phases.
• Expectations for what post-conflict operations can achieve have often not been realistic. A discourse is needed to determine what can and cannot be achieved in the short-term, as well as a mechanism for measuring success.
• Reconstruction in Afghanistan lacks a strategic framework in which there is a common strategy adopted by all actors involved. The strategic conference after the Afghan presidential elections should serve as the occasion to launch the process for an integrated strategy for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
• Donor coordination among international actors and civil society lacks coordination. The international community needs a leader, in charge (and accountable) ensuring the coherence of donor actions.
• There is a ‘skill gap' especially in terms of attracting mid-career professionals from the development community to work in Afghanistan and other post-conflict settings. Special personnel management strategies ought to apply to post-conflict states: personnel management needs to be reconsidered to offer incentives for mid-career professionals to serve in Afghanistan and other difficult postings.

The participants underlined the fact that the new U.S. administration, the upcoming Afghan elections, and the renegotiation of UNAMA's mandate are three important milestones in the next 12 months. There were numerous other insights gathered from this seminar, which extend well beyond those listed above. The recommendations put forward by the participants will be incorporated into a policy brief and further disseminated throughout the diplomatic, defense and development communities via future convening.