The total amount of money pledged by countries at the upcoming Afghan reconstruction conference in Tokyo will be close to $5 billion over the next 2 1/2 years, Sadako Ogata, Japan's special envoy on Afghanistan and joint chair of the conference, said Saturday.
"I am looking at a fairly good number at the moment," she told a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. "I expect (the amount pledged) will come close to $5 billion."
Prior to the Tokyo conference, to be held Monday and Tuesday, the World Bank, the U.N. Development Program and the Asian Development Bank have jointly released an assessment of the amount of funds needed to rebuild Afghanistan. They estimate that $4.9 billion is needed in the next 2 1/2 years, while a figure of $14.6 billion will be required over the next decade.