§ The Earl of Sandwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
What lessons have been learned from the use of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in north and west Afghanistan; and whether security for humanitarian work is now an urgent priority in the east and south. [HL4827]
§ Baroness AmosTo date, four international joint civil-military provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) have been established in Mazar-e Sharif, Kunduz (both in the north), Bamiyan (in central Afghanistan), and Gardez (south east). Our experience so far from the United Kingdom's PRT, based in Mazar-e Sharif, has been very positive. It has been instrumental in facilitating the negotiation of a ceasefire between two competing warlords in Northern Afghanistan.
Four more PRTs are planned to be operational before the end of this year in Jalalabad (south east), Kandahar (south), Herat (west) and Charikar (near Kabul). This will help to improve security for reconstruction and development work by the Afghan Administration, the UN and NGOs in the south, east and west.