§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the number of attacks on aid workers in Afghanistan. [71139]
§ Clare shortThere have been a handful of attacks on aid workers in some areas of Afghanistan and we remain concerned about reports of insecurity in northern Afghanistan, including attacks on aid workers. We support the actions of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, who has written to President Karzai, and visited the north to discuss security issues with the various factions.
We shall continue to monitor the situation closely and to encourage the transitional Administration to work to ensure that all parts of Afghanistan are as safe as possible in order to allow aid work to continue across the country.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Defence Secretary regarding his Department's assistance in reconstruction work in Afghanistan. [71143]
§ Clare shortI have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a number of issues. Reform of the security sector is vital to the future stability of Afghanistan. DFID, in consultation with colleagues in the FCO and MOD, is working for the creation of accountable national military and police forces subject to the rule of law and under central and civilian control; anti-narcotics activities; and the re-establishment of an appropriate judicial system. The UK has in principle committed $33 million to this process.
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§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of pledges made to fund Afghanistan's reconstruction at the Bonn Conference have been met. [71140]
§ Clare shortPledges for the reconstruction of Afghanistan were made at the Tokyo Conference. Precise data on the disbursement of aid to Afghanistan are not yet available. However, we estimate that donor pledges to Afghanistan amount to a little under $2 billion in 2002, of which about $1.1 billion has been committed and about $0.8 billion disbursed. The pace of further disbursements will now depend on improvements in security and access and on the completion of the National Development Framework and development budget.