§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of(a) the effectiveness of existing aid programmes, (b) future aid opportunities and (c) the conditions under which aid workers are operating following the visit in April of a European Union delegation to Afghanistan; what response Taliban made to the delegation's outlining of the European Union's Common Position on Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement. [43175]
§ Clare ShortAs a result of the EU mission to Afghanistan and the subsequent Afghan Support Group meeting in London, chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes), donors have concluded that the existing assistance programmes to Afghanistan are in need of revision. While valuable support has been provided to vulnerable groups, past assistance may have made it easier for other resources to be channelled towards the war effort, and certain types of relief programming may be deepening dependency and reducing local incentives for self-reliance.
The present situation poses difficult policy, strategic and operational dilemmas and makes it vital for agencies to adopt a common programming approach with a strong focus on human rights. Participants in the Afghan Support Group meeting agreed that future assistance should be better targeted and co-ordinated, and based on clear principles, with the aim of providing balanced and impartial support for the different ethnic groups and vulnerable populations, especially women and children. The problem of opium poppy production should also be addressed through the common programming approach. The aid and political processes should be in close synergy, and contribute to the common goal of sustainable peace.
Aid workers in Afghanistan continue to face difficult conditions. In the North they have to cope with an unstable security situation, and in some Taliban-controlled areas they have been subjected to harassment—restrictions placed on female staff are a particular problem. These difficulties forced the UN to withdraw international staff from Kandahar earlier this year, and to suspend its programmes in southern Afghanistan. Recent negotiations between the UN and the Taliban have produced an agreement which may improve matters, but some issues (notably the ban on foreign Muslim women from entering Afghanistan unless accompanied by a close male relative) have not been resolved, and it remains to see how effectively the agreement will work in practice.
The EU delegation made clear to the Taliban and other factions that they remained willing to assist Afghanistan but only on the basis of globally accepted principles. The delegation also expressed its full support for the UN. These messages were endorsed by the Afghan Support Group. This demonstration of solidarity helped to bring about the successful conclusion of the negotiations between the UN and the Taliban referred to.
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