Afghanistan (Hansard, 8 December 1998)

§ Clare Short

My Department has just concluded a review of Department for International Development's (DFID) current humanitarian programme to Afghanistan.

Our assessment is that while the forthcoming winter may see a seasonal lull in active fighting, there is little prospect for a settlement of the conflict.

Serious human rights abuses appear to have been perpetrated by all parties, and the discovery of mass graves has generated demands for an external investigation, together with the deployment of human rights monitors. We are supporting this in the UN, and have urged the involvement of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Taliban continue to impose difficult working conditions including limiting access to women. The Taliban have also not kept their pledge on narcotics, and production has actually expanded over the past year.

The UN aid agencies have not returned their expatriate staff to Afghanistan as conditions for their return (including satisfactory account of investigations into the past killings of UN workers, and assurances over future security) have not yet been met. The ICRC have remained in the country but with a curtailed programme and 145W reduced expatriate representation. Some NGOs are sending back their expatriate staff, while others are still waiting to see what happens in coming weeks.

The humanitarian situation inside Afghanistan—in terms of basic physical needs—is under reasonable control at the present time. People are coping partly due to increased food production in areas that have seen little active fighting this year. However health services, rudimentary to start with, are further stretched or broken down. We are also informed that the situation in the Central Bamiyan region is precarious. Humanitarian needs may become more stark in parts of Afghanistan if there is a severe winter.

Current DFID Programme

During our Presidency of the European Union, the UK negotiated a Common Position, led a Joint EU Mission to create a broad consensus on aid strategy, and hosted a meeting of the Afghan Support Group in London. We also continue to support the mediation efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi.

Our effort to help create a system-wide approach to Afghanistan, and increase synergy between peace-making and humanitarian assistance, has been underpinned by the provision of £8.5 million in 1998: this includes support for: ICRC's protection, humanitarian law and medical relief work; demining through the UN and Halo Trust; United Nations Office For The Co-ordination Of Humanitarian Assistance for Afghanistan (UNOCHA) for co-ordination and common services to benefit the whole system (e.g. communications, logistics, aircraft); NGOs (Afghanaid, Christian Aid, CARE, TEAR Fund, Support for Afghan Further Education (SAFE); BBC, Children in Crisis, the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), British Agencies Afghan Group) for education, health, water, sanitation and co-ordination activities; UNHCR for refugee care and protection programmes; and FAO for livestock and food security.

Useful impact has been achieved in terms of encouraging an effective principled common approach to programming, promoting protection, building livelihood security and making use of the available modest opportunities for education for girls and boys. We also provided disaster relief when two major earthquakes struck Northern Afghanistan earlier this year.

Forward Strategy

We will continue to remain engaged in Afghanistan. In doing so, we will be informed by the principled common programming approach under the United Nations led Strategic Framework for Afghanistan that we have been instrumental in developing and promoting. The purpose of the Strategic Framework is: to enhance reinforcement between the United Nations political strategy in Afghanistan and international assistance activities; to promote greater effectiveness and coherence in the international assistance programme.

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We recognise that the operating context for humanitarian agencies will remain highly uncertain for the time being. Until we have fresh information to the contrary, we shall continue to advise British aid workers against returning to Afghanistan because of security concerns. This means that we are not able to support NGOs that send expatriates back into the country. This restriction does not apply in the same way to ICRC and UN agencies because of their specially mandated role under international agreements.

We shall also consider further funding for ICRC and selected UN agencies in Afghanistan after appraisal of the Consolidated Interagency Appeal due to be launched next week by the United Nations. Guidance to Agencies wishing to apply for DFID funds includes the expectation that they will also subscribe to the above principles of the Strategic Framework for Afghanistan. New funding commitments would be limited to six months. We shall conduct another review of Afghanistan policy in mid-1999 unless there is significant earlier change in circumstances.