Afghanistan (Hansard, 17 April 2002)

§ 1. Mr. Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield)
If she will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. [46040]

§ The Secretary of State for International Development (Clare Short)
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains fragile. That is the consequence of 23 years of conflict and three years of drought, and the fact that some areas of the country are still inaccessible. The latest estimate by the United Nations and the Afghanistan Interim Administration is that approximately 9 million Afghans, including more than 1 million internally displaced people, will be in need of humanitarian assistance this year.

§ Mr. Grieve
What extra resources have been made available for United Kingdom humanitarian aid following the earthquake in northern Afghanistan? Can the right hon. Lady tell the House anything about the role that British peacekeeping forces may have had or might have in distributing that?

§ Clare Short
The UK is providing £60 million this year in humanitarian aid and in starting to bolster the capacity of the Interim Administration. The question is not the availability of resources but reaching the people in greatest need. That is of course the nature of the crisis following an earthquake. The UK is famous for being able to move rapidly, and we deployed into the area in order to provide assistance and help. I am not aware of troops being involved, but I might not be right about that. Many people have lost their homes, and 800 people lost their lives. There is a big effort, in which we are involved, 558 to provide help for those people who, on top of all the other suffering in Afghanistan, have now suffered the consequences of an earthquake.

§ Mr. Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham, Perry Barr)
What efforts are being made to destroy the poppy fields in Afghanistan? What attempts have been made to compensate the farmers by providing alternative crops?

§ Clare Short
The implication of my hon. Friend's question is right: there has been a lot of planting of poppy by people who are very poor and have no other means of making a living. Obviously, that engenders criminality and instability in Afghanistan, as well as the exporting of drugs that will endanger neighbouring countries and the rest of the world, including our country. A big effort is being made. The Interim Administration have declared that no poppies should be planted, but the job is both to eradicate the crop and to provide alternative livelihoods for the people. We have learned across the world that, otherwise, people continue planting, because they have no other chance to make a living. We are working very hard to try to provide them with that chance.

§ Mrs. Caroline Spelman (Meriden)
The Secretary of State will be aware of numerous schemes to repatriate Afghan refugees. Although we welcome their eventual return, I am sure she would agree that reports of insecurity in Afghanistan, and the lack of housing and of basic provision, seem to indicate that such schemes might be premature. Will she assure the House that repatriation with British aid money will happen only when it is in the best interests of refugees and not because of the political pressure of donors?

§ Clare Short
We had this argument about Kosovo. It is not for the hon. Lady, me or anyone else to tell Afghan refugees when it is best to go home. We should facilitate their choices, and we see very wise choices—[Interruption.] The mass of Afghan refugees are in neighbouring countries—probably about 4 million of them. Families usually send a young male home to see how things are, and some families then go home.
About 180,000 Afghans have decided to return. They deserve help to do so when they make the decision, and facilities and equipment to rebuild their houses. Some Afghans have moved out of the country; it depends on the area, the problems of drought, the earthquake and so on. We will back people's choices and empower them to decide when it is right for them to return home.

§ Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford)
There have been many promises made by Governments, including our own, about the involvement of women in humanitarian aid, but Oxfam notes in its latest paper that planning, implementation, and evaluation meetings are attended primarily by men. Will my right hon. Friend do everything she can to ensure that women become involved in those programmes? Will she pay particular attention in the delivery of those programmes to the special needs of the many widows in Afghanistan?

§ Clare Short
Yes, indeed; I can give my hon. Friend that undertaking. The situation is not as bad as Oxfam 559 implies—if that is what it is saying. Girls across the country are returning to school, women are able to teach again and the Women's Ministry, for which my hon. Friend fought so hard, is up and running—although obviously it needs to be strengthened. Only 11 per cent. of the Loya Jirga that is about to established and to decide the future of the country will be women, but that is an unprecedentedly large proportion for Afghanistan.
The World Food Programme, which is providing food for work across the country, targets women as organisers of schemes because they are so reliable and close to people. Of course, Afghanistan has a long way to go, but women there are moving forward and I promise my hon. Friend that we shall do everything we can to back them.

§ Mrs. Spelman
Is the Secretary of State aware of reports that pledges made by foreign donors of some £1.8 billion to help Afghanistan with reconstruction have, in some cases, failed to materialise? As this is Budget day and the Chamber is so well attended, can she say whether the British pledge made in Tokyo has now been delivered, and what action she is taking to get the unpaid pledges matched with hard cash?

§ Clare Short
The UK is famous for delivering on its pledges and for delivering fast. Many other countries grandstand promises in the media, but the money does not come through. The other problem is that it is easier to promise money than to get it spent effectively in a failed state. The UK committed £200 million from my budget over five years, so that money has not all been disbursed yet. We have disbursed £60 million this year, and we are well on the way to disbursing all of it. That is above what we have promised for future years. The UK, as ever, acts fast and has fulfilled its commitments, but others are slower. We will of course work to try to ensure that all the money is disbursed as rapidly as possible.