§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of moneys are channelled through ((a) her Department's projects, (b) NGO projects, (c) UN projects and (d) the interim administration for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. [61760]
§ Clare ShortOf the moneys disbursed since 11 September on humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction activities, about 6 per cent. has been channelled through DFID's programme of quick-impact projects; about 23 per cent. through international organisations and NGOs; and about 63 per cent. through UN agencies. No money has been directly channelled through the Interim Administration, but about 8 per cent. has been contributed to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, which has been set up to fund the recurrent costs of the Transitional Administration as well as investment programmes.
§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the performance of donor countries which attended the UN Conference in Tokyo in January has been in terms of meeting individual financial pledges and the corresponding levels of financial investment to Afghanistan reconstruction projects. [61759]
§ Clare ShortContributions are now starting to arrive in the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, which has been set up to fund investment programmes and the recurrent costs of the Transitional Administration. The UK was the first to contribute. In all, the World Bank expects to receive $100 million from donors in the first wave of donations.
A number of reconstruction programmes have been approved. We do not have an exhaustive list, but the World Bank alone has recently approved a $10 million Emergency Public Administration Project, a $15 million Emergency Education Rehabilitation and Development Project, and a $42 million Emergency Community Empowerment and Public Works Project. EC projects include support to the Interim Authority (€20 million), urban infrastructure (€7 million), rural development (€28 million), demining (€10 million) and refugee reintegration and community support (€22 million). The Asian Development Bank has approved a $14.5 million programme of technical assistance to build capacity for reconstruction and development. Other programmes are in the pipeline.
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§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development with regard to education programmes in Afghanistan, what moneys(a)her Department has pledged, (b)her Department has delivered, (c)other G8 countries have pledged and (d)other G8 countries have delivered. [61763]
§ Clare ShortAt the Tokyo Conference in January, international donors pledged funds for the overall reconstruction of Afghanistan, including humanitarian programmes. Pledges were not broken down by sector. The UK pledge was to commit £200 million over five years, on top of the £60 million already committed since September 2001.
The UK strategy in Afghanistan is to contribute directly to UN agencies and NGOs and to channel assistance via the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), which has been established to allow donor to finance investment programmes in all sectors, including education. We have made an initial contribution of £5 million to the ARTF. Since September 2001, my Department has also contributed £8 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), £2 million of which was specifically for the Back-to-School Campaign in Afghanistan. My Department also continues to support UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies to provide education services to Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran. We are currently considering what further support to provide in the education sector.
G8 nations have not pledged specific amounts for the education sector, but are currently thinking through their strategies in all areas (including education). A multi-donor mission, led by the Asian Development Bank, has scoped the requirements for a framework of assistance to the sector, but work is still at the design rather than the delivery stage.