§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what she is doing to ensure that refugee camps in Pakistan comply with internationally agreed standards; [12906]
337W(2) if she will make a statement on the standards in the refugee camps in Pakistan. [12907]
§ Clare ShortPakistan has been shouldering the burden of some 2 million refugees from Afghanistan for many years. This is in addition to the estimated 100,000 people who have moved into Pakistan from Afghanistan since 11 September. Over the last 20 years, these refugees have been hosted in camps or absorbed into communities. The majority of the camps in Pakistan pre-date the agreement of the international sphere standards.
We must of course do all we can to ensure that all refugees are properly cared for. And the international community must do more to give Pakistan all possible support in coping with this burden and making progress towards improving standards in camps.
So far my Department has committed £3 million to UNHCR's operations in response to the current crisis, to support its operations for refugees. We have also provided a specialist site planner to UNHCR in Pakistan to assist with the setting up of new refugee camp sites. In addition we have allocated £5 million to support NGOs, much of which will be directed towards Afghans in Pakistan.