Alastair McKechnie, World Bank country director for South Asia, said a high-level ministerial conference in Berlin on March 31 should define a clear path forward for Afghanistan.
"It is important that all of us supporting Afghanistan see a clear path forward, where we're going with Afghanistan and how much money Afghanistan is going to need over the medium term," McKechnie said in an interview.
"We need to ensure that Afghanistan has the resources it needs in the short run to continue making the progress that has been made and that the government has reasonable assurances that the money will be coming in even though it may not have concrete agreement with all of its partners," he added.
The Afghanistan government is seeking $28 billion over the next seven years to rebuild the country wrecked by war and neglect after years of iron-fisted Taleban rule, which ended with the invasion of US-led forces in 2001.
The first major donor conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo weeks after the fall of the Taleban received about $5 billion for reconstruction over a period of five years.
McKechnie said the agenda for Berlin was still under discussion but would consider Afghanistan's political process, including elections, reconstruction and development needs, and security and the rule of law.
"Success is whether a large reconstruction program can move ahead without being delayed through worries over finance," McKechnie said of the Berlin conference.