§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial aid she estimates infrastructure reconstruction projects in Afghanistan still require. [61761]
§ Clare ShortThe preliminary needs assessment that was prepared for the Tokyo conference estimated, under a low case scenario, that Afghanistan's funding requirements over the next five years would be $8.3 billion, excluding humanitarian inputs. It is doubtful whether Afghanistan will have the capacity to absorb this amount in the short term: our estimate is that a total of $1 billion per annum will be required for a combination of humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction activities. Provided donors deliver on the pledges made at Tokyo, sufficient funds should be available.