Afghanistan (Hansard, 18 March 2002)

§ Clare Short

Despite three years of drought and 23 years of conflict, and the recent insecurity and population displacement, widespread famine in Afghanistan has been averted by the early and effective actions of the humanitarian community. Over 6.6 million people have been provided with food aid over the past six months, as well as other essential relief supplies such as tents, clothing and cooking equipment.

However, with the prospect of a fourth year of drought this year, and continued limited access to some areas of Afghanistan, the humanitarian situation remains fragile and significant needs will remain for a least the coming year in challenging and volatile operating conditions. The Immediate and Transition Assistance Programme for the Afghan People, prepared by the UN and agreed with the Afghan Interim Administration (AIA), sets out the current humanitarian situation and the challenges ahead, up to the end of December 2002. The programme estimates that approximately 9 million Afghans, including over 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), are in need of assistance in Afghanistan in 2002.

My Department has committed over £60 million since September 2001 to support both the AIA and the United Nations-led humanitarian and recovery effort. This assistance is being channelled through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross movement and non-governmental organisations for projects covering a wide range of sectors. In addition, at the Tokyo Conference on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan, we pledged £200 million over the next five years for both reconstruction and humanitarian assistance. The World bank is in the process of establishing the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) as a way of streamlining donor assistance to Afghanistan from July 2002 onwards. We intend to contribute to the ARTF on its establishment, as well as continuing to channel funds directly through humanitarian and development agencies working in Afghanistan.