§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that difficulties already experienced in getting access for food supplies to the remoter areas of Afghanistan are overcome; and whether they expect this to be done before the end of the winter. [HL2241]
§ Baroness AmosWith our assistance, the UN, under the leadership of the World Food Programme, is maximising food delivery through both road and air routes and is prioritising deliveries to areas where access may become more difficult over the continuing winter, including the Central Highlands, the Panjshir 171WA valley and the north-east of the country. It has deployed specialist equipment and personnel to keep routes to these areas open as long as possible.
However, due to severe weather conditions and continuing security concerns in some isolated areas of the country, there may still be pockets of unmet needs where vulnerable people cannot be reached. WFP and other humanitarian agencies will continue to do what they can over coming months to overcome these obstacles and deliver life-saving assistance to those in need.