§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects her Department is supporting in respect of maternity clinics in Afghanistan; what steps her Department is taking to improve the conditions in(a) Malalai Maternity, (b) Rabia Balkhi Women's Hospital and(c) Kheikhana Hospital in Kabul; and if she will make a statement. [37235]
§ Clare ShortMaternal mortality in Afghanistan is the second highest in the world, and one in four children dies before reaching the age of five. Recent surveys have highlighted the weaknesses in Kabul's MCH services, which are mirrored elsewhere in the country.
Our support of £8 million to UNICEF includes assistance to MCH clinics including those in Kabul, by providing training on pregnancy and childbirth. We have also contributed £3 million to the World Health Organisation for public health surveillance and disease control. In addition, we are providing £1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, to support the Afghan Red Crescent Society's 888W nationwide network of 48 clinics offering MCH services; and supporting a number of quick impact recovery projects to rehabilitate MCH clinics.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on humanitarian aid to Afghanistan disbursed through the Central Asian Republics. [36122]
§ Clare ShortSignificant quantities of food and other assistance have been delivered to Afghanistan through the Central Asian republics by the United Nations, the Red Cross movement and non-governmental organisations. The main routes are the Friendship Bridge from Uzbekistan, the Nizhny Pianj barge crossing from Tajikistan, the land route through Krgyztan and Tajikistan into Badakhshan via Ishkashim (used by the Russian Ministry of Emergencies with DFID funding), and the land route from Turkmenistan to Herat. In addition, the World Food Programme has flown food supplies into Faizabad from Kulyab Tajikistan.
The Central Asian routes were of particular importance while southern routes from pakistan and Iran could not be used for security reasons. With the improvement in the general security situation, the southern routes are now the main supply routes into Afghanistan.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to help internally displaced people surrounding Herat in western Afghanistan return to their homes. [36125]
§ Clare ShortThe area surrounding Herat in western Afghanistan is home to the largest gathering of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the country. The largest organised camp is at Maslakh in Herat with an estimated population of 200,000. Assisted by the United Nations 889W High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the International Organisation for Migration is currently re-registering the IDPs in Maslakh as the first step in returning them to their homes.
We have committed over £3.5 million to the IOM and £3 million pounds to UNHCR to include provision for displaced people in the region; including for facilitating their safe return home.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of levels of malnourishment amongst internally displaced people in Afghanistan. [36124]
§ Clare ShortThere have been a number of nutritional surveys conducted by humanitarian agencies. These indicate that some remote areas are facing difficulty in receiving sufficient food aid.
The World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other humanitarian agencies are continuing to do their best to deliver life-saving assistance to those in need. WFP have recently launched rapid assessment helicopter missions to investigate reports of food shortages and other urgent needs in difficult-to-access areas of Afghanistan, especially western Afghanistan. We have contributed £6 million towards WFP's operations inside Afghanistan, for both direct procurement and transportation of food and for logistical support to help speed up the movement of food aid into the country. We have also supported a number of agencies—the United Nations, Red Cross and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)—for supplementary feeding and secondary distribution of food inside Afghanistan.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the levels of humanitarian aid disbursed via the friendship bridge between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. [36123]
§ Clare ShortThe Friendship Bridge crossing from Termez, Uzbekistan to Hairaton, northern Afghanistan, has been operational since it was reopened by the Uzbek authorities on 9 December 2001. Useful quantities of food and other relief assistance have been transported by United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations across the bridge, which is an important route into the north for both humanitarian and commercial traffic; for example, earlier this month over 3,700 tonnes of assistance were transported in one week across the bridge.