Afghanistan

HC Deb 24 July 2002 vol 389 cc1126-8W

19. Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the oral answer of 26 June 2002,Official Report, column 866, on Afghanistan, what the result has been of the Under-Secretary of State's inquiries. [69891]

Clare Short

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 16 July 2002,Official Report, column 258W.

20. Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. [69892]

Clare Short

Thanks to the efforts of the UN-led humanitarian system, with the support of the international community, a potential humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan after 11 September 2001 has been avoided. The achievements of recent months have led to an optimism that can be seen in the massive influx of returning refugees from neighbouring countries—over 1.25 million Afghan refugees have returned to their country since 1 March 2002. However, serious challenges remain. Chronic malnutrition, food shortages and socio-economic vulnerability are still alarmingly high. According to the UN, almost one third of the Afghan population is dependant on some form of emergency assistance. In many parts of the country these challenges are compounded by problems of access due to continuing insecurity, the presence of land mines and UXOs, and, in the later winter months, will be further complicated by heavy snows and extreme cold temperatures.

The United Nations estimates that donors must provide a further US$780 million in order to meet immediate requirements in Afghanistan up to December 2002; almost US$400 million of which is required to cover needs over the next three months. Support from the international community, under the guidance of the Afghan transitional administration (ATA), will be used to address the on-going humanitarian crisis, support the return of refugees to Afghanistan, develop a comprehensive analysis of and approach to vulnerability in Afghanistan, and support the transition of competence, ownership and technical capacity to the ATA to meet the immediate needs of its own people.

In addition to the £60 million that my Department disbursed from September 2001 to March 2002 under our humanitarian programme, we pledged at the Tokyo conference in January 2002 to commit a further £200 million over the next five years. This amount is already being allocated and disbursed. We are fully committed to helping to meet the immediate priorities of the ATA and are encouraging other donors to do likewise by maximising their contributions and speeding up the disbursement of promised assistance.

26. Joan Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's relief activities in northern Afghanistan. [69898]

Clare Short

My Department is supporting a range of humanitarian agencies working across Afghanistan, including in northern areas; these include UN humanitarian agencies, the Red Cross, and international and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We remain concerned about continuing insecurity in northern Afghanistan, including attacks against NGOs. 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 impress upon the various factions the need for a secure environment. Other UN representatives have also visited insecure areas and received assurances from local leaders that measures are being put in place to control factional fighting and allow for the safe delivery of humanitarian and recovery assistance. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

29. Mr. Swire

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the aid money promised to Afghanistan has reached that country. [69901]

Clare Short

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.

The UK has disbursed over £60 million to Afghanistan since September 2002 and is in the process of completing a further round of disbursements to UN agencies, NGOs, quick impact projects and the Afghan Authority for the Co-ordination of Assistance.