§ 3. Linda Perham (Ilford, North)What steps she is taking to support the Afghan Interim Authority in its efforts to meet (a) humanitarian and (b) longer-term needs. [69875]
§ The Secretary of State for International Development (Clare Short)Our objective is to help build a stable and secure Afghanistan with a growing economy and reducing poverty. Progress has been made, but the needs are massive and improved security is vital. There are still very serious problems with malnutrition. 967 Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with very high infant mortality rates. We are channelling humanitarian support through the appropriate agencies, and financial support through the Reconstruction Trust Fund. We are focusing our technical support on building capacity for economic management, a reformed security sector, and better livelihoods for poor people.
§ Linda PerhamI thank the Secretary of State for that reply, and for what she is doing. Does she agree that realising the rights of women is fundamental to the future of Afghanistan, and could she comment on what her Department is doing to support the women of Afghanistan?
§ Clare ShortI do agree. In Afghanistan as elsewhere, as Kofi Annan said so tellingly:
Poverty has a woman's face.Some 70 per cent. of the world's poor are women and their children. If we cannot educate girls and empower women, we cannot reduce poverty in the world. That is particularly true of Afghanistan, given the behaviour of the Taliban. Some very brave Afghan women made their contribution at the Loya Jirga by challenging the warlords. That showed the value of having those voices in politics. The schools are reopening and girls are teeming back to school, but it remains a desperately poor country with terrible malnutrition rates. Many children—I think one in four—die before the age of five, so we have a long way to go. Empowering women is a major part of the answer.
§ Mr. Robert Key (Salisbury)Has the Secretary of State tracked how much of the £200 million that she channelled from the taxpayer has been allocated to primary health care projects, particularly those relating to women's health issues? How much of it is being spent on practical infrastructure such as water, drainage, waste and refuse disposal, and electricity?
§ Clare ShortIn fact, we have not allocated any of the £200 million. We have allocated £60 million since 11 September, but that was not part of the £200 million pledge. In the early stages, we are focusing on keeping the humanitarian effort going. Before 11 September, 5 million people a day were being fed by trucked-in food; now, that figure is 9 million. We must keep that effort going as we build up the capacity of the Afghan state to take forward self-government and self-empowerment. We also need order across the country, and the creation of a new Afghan national army—which can disempower the warlords and address their taxation of local people—is crucial to the creation of a united Afghanistan. We are making progress, but we have not made as much as we would like. There remains an awful lot to do.
§ Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley)As my right hon. Friend knows, members of the International Development Committee will visit Afghanistan in October. When we were in Pakistan last year, we were told by the Pakistan Government that they were receiving insufficient help in respect of the tens of thousands of Afghan refugees in camps in Pakistan. What are we doing to help them? As my right hon. Friend knows, if the refugees return too quickly to Afghanistan, it simply will not be able to cope.
§ Clare ShortI am aware that three members of the Select Committee, including my hon. Friend, are going to 968 Kabul. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to travel outside Kabul because of security concerns relating to other problems in the country. None the less, I hope that it will prove a useful visit.
There are some 4 million Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan; in comparison, the numbers in countries such as ours are tiny. Through the UN system, we and others have been providing support, but life is tough in the camps, as my hon. Friend testified when she returned. A million Afghans have returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan, yet the situation is still bad, which shows how difficult life in the camps is. Support is being provided, but I strongly believe that no one should tell refugees when to return; they should decide themselves. If they decide that life is better in Afghanistan, we must help them to get home and to start to rebuild their lives.
§ Tony Baldry (Banbury)Does the Secretary of State agree that there can be no long-term reconstruction in Afghanistan until the security situation improves? An enormous amount has been said about the fight against al-Qaeda, but the international community must not lose sight of the fact that there is an enormous way to go if the security situation in Afghanistan is to improve. The fact that, a year on, we are unable to move not simply beyond Kabul but beyond the boundaries of the UK embassy, is a demonstration of how much the situation must improve if there is to be any long-term improvement in Afghanistan.
§ Clare ShortI agree absolutely with the hon. Gentleman. Earlier there was talk of an international security assistance force going to all the main cities of Afghanistan, but it was decided that that was not to be done. If that is not to be done, we need to get on speedily—I agree that this should have started already—with building a national army and recruiting fighters who are currently paid by warlords into a national multi-ethnic army that can produce order throughout the country. We must also help to produce a proper tax system to provide revenue to the proper Government. I very much regret the delay in making progress on this and we must all do what we can to press the United States to help us to start to make progress.