OTTAWA - Canada will contribute an extra $227 million in development aid to Afghanistan between 2014 and 2017, with the money aimed at empowering women and girls in the areas of education, human rights and humanitarian assistance.
The money is in addition to the initial commitment of $300 million that Canada has promised to complete between 2011 and 2014.
The announcement was made today by the parliamentary secretary for national defence, Chris Alexander, as part of the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan.
At the conference, international donors pledged $16 billion in development aid for Afghanistan.
But they stressed the aid money will be closely monitored to make sure it is not squandered through corruption or mismanagement.
Canada's decade-long combat mission ended last year and a smaller contingent of Canadian troops has been deployed primarily to Kabul as part of a training mission.
© The Canadian Press, 2013