§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the progress made in the reconstruction of the basic infrastructure of Afghanistan during 2002 is satisfactory. [HL444]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos)The progress on reconstruction in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban has been impressive but there is more to be done. The immediate priority was to meet humanitarian needs (food, water and shelter), including those of returning refugees and internally displaced people. Almost 2 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia. Over 3 million children have returned to schooling.
Most infrastructure projects implemented since September 2001 have been designed for quick impact. The Afghan Government, UN and international community are also planning how to deliver longer-term reconstruction in a secure and co-ordinated way.
The UK is working to ensure the World Bank-administered Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF) is a major channel for pooling bilateral funding for Afghanistan. The UK has pledged £200 million over the next five years for both reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, supporting a mix of technical assistance, projects implemented by NGOs and UN agencies, and through the ARTF. Ultimately, it will be important to ensure that Afghanistan has the administrative capacity to take ownership of the overall reconstruction process.