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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 15 October 2001
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Afghanistan
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what measures the Government plan to take to meet the humanitarian needs of Afghan refugees still in Afghanistan; [7687]
- (2) what measures the Government propose to take in the coming months for refugees from Afghanistan who have already crossed its borders; [7685]
(3) what special action has been taken to meet the needs of Afghan refugee children who have been displaced by the recent movement of people in Afghanistan since 11 September; [7679]
(4) what money the Government intend to make available for Afghan refugees who are (a) outside and (b) within Afghanistan; and when the money will be made available; [7681]
(5) what estimate she has made of the humanitarian needs of displaced Afghans over the next six months; and (a) what proportion of those needs is already covered by pledges made by Britain and by the European Union and (b) what proportion of the funds have already been released to agencies delivering help to Afghan refugees. [7677]
Clare Short: The UN estimates that there are at least 5.3 million vulnerable people inside Afghanistan. This is expected to rise by a further 2.2 million in coming weeks, bringing the total of vulnerable people in need of assistance inside the country to 7.5 million. In addition, there were already some 4 million Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries due to over 20 years of conflict and four years of harsh drought conditions.
The UN and their non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners have launched an appeal for $584 million to cover the period October 2001 to March 2002. Donors, including the UK and the EU, have so far responded with commitments of $301 million. $29 million has also been pledged to humanitarian agencies outside of the UN Donor Alert. In addition, donors announced pledges of a further $407 million in support for humanitarian assistance for Afghans. However, it is not yet clear how these additional funds will be allocated. Information is not available on what proportion of funds have actually been released to humanitarian agencies.
My Department has set aside a sum of £40 million to respond to the current crisis affecting Afghans in Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries. We have also set aside a further sum of £11 million for immediate short-term support to the poorer communities of Pakistan, especially those most directly affected by the influx of refugees from Afghanistan. Our top priorities are to help meet immediate life-saving needs (food, water, health care, shelter) within Afghanistan, as best as possible and for as
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long as possible, through the national staff of relevant agencies; support refugee needs in neighbouring countries; help host populations through programmes which benefit them, for example in health care, food, water and sanitation provision; and strengthen international humanitarian agency capacity and co-ordination.
These funds are being made available now through UN agencies, the Red Cross movement and NGOs. Their programmes include particular emphasis on children. For example, £3 million has been provided to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for disease control, nutrition supplementation, safe water and sanitation, and psychosocial support to traumatised children.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid has been provided in Afghanistan in each of the last three financial years and in the 2001–02 financial year to date; [7551]
- (2) if she will list aid provided by (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral sources for refugees from Afghanistan in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [7549]
Clare Short: The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) track donor contributions to humanitarian appeals. According to OCHA, donor contributions for humanitarian assistance to Afghans since 1996 are as follows:
| $ million | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 65 |
| 1997 | 44 |
| 1998 | 54 |
| 1999 | 111 |
| 2000 | 122 |
| 2001 | (1)222 |
(1) Up to 11 September 2001
It is not possible to differentiate from OCHA's data between assistance to Afghans inside Afghanistan and assistance to Afghan refugees; nor the split of assistance provided bilaterally and multilaterally.
Since 1997, my Department has provided over £32 million of humanitarian assistance to Afghans. This has included help to refugees in Pakistan and Iran who have themselves been so generous to millions of refugees over many years. Since 11 September, we have set aside an additional sum of £40 million to respond to the current crisis affecting Afghans in Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries; as well as a further £11 million for immediate short-term support to the poorer communities of Pakistan, especially those most directly affected by the influx of refugees from Afghanistan.
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures (i) the British Government and (ii) the EU had already taken to help refugees from Afghanistan who crossed the borders, before 11 September, into (a) Iran and (b) Pakistan. [7682]
Clare Short: Between 1997 and 11 September this year my Department has provided over £32 million of humanitarian assistance to Afghans. This has included help to refugees in Pakistan and Iran who have themselves been so generous to millions of refugees over many years.
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Our funding for assistance to Afghan refugees has been channelled through the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for protection and education activities, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for emergency feeding programmes, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for education and primary health care programmes, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) for improving the reproductive health status of refugees, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for education and livelihood building programmes.
Since 1991, the European Commission has committed some euro 430 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghan populations in need (approximately euro 81.7 million or £51 million of which is the UK share). This covers assistance to Afghans both inside Afghanistan and those in neighbouring countries.
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures the Government (a) have taken and (b) intend to take to co-ordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghan refugees. [7686]
Clare Short: Co-ordination for humanitarian assistance is the responsibility of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) who have appointed a Regional Humanitarian Co-ordinator based in Islamabad. My Department has provided £1 million to OCHA to support these co-ordinated efforts. This contribution will also be used to increase the capacity of the Offices of the UN Resident Co-ordinators in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan. This includes the provision of technical personnel to set up a Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) that will collate and communicate humanitarian information on the needs and programmes, to all concerned agencies.
We also welcome the appointment of Ambassador Brahimi as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, who will supervise the UN's overall humanitarian and political work in Afghanistan. We have offered to provide practical support to his office.
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policy her Department has to deal with members of the public who wish to make a contribution to humanitarian aid administered to Afghanistan refugees in Pakistan and Iran. [7680]
Clare Short: If members of the public wish to help Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran, the best way is to donate cash to a humanitarian agency, such as the British Red Cross, or other NGOs, working in the region. Although some people may have collected goods that they would like to give to those in need, it is better to find some way of turning collected or donated goods into cash, and then to donate the proceeds to a humanitarian agency's public appeal. The logistics involved in despatching donated goods (cleaning, sorting, packaging and freighting) are time consuming and expensive, and cash donations are a faster and more economical way to provide assistance to those in need.
Pakistan
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what levels of (a) bilateral and
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(b) multilateral aid have been provided to Pakistan in each of the last five financial years and in the 2001–02 financial year to date. [7434]
Clare Short: Levels of UK bilateral aid to Pakistan over the last five financial years are listed:
| Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 27.516 |
| 1997–98 | 27.818 |
| 1998–99 | 24.226 |
| 1999–2000 | 22.625 |
| 2001–01 | 15.038 |
Levels of total multilateral aid for the last five calendar years are as follows:
| Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 528.45 |
| 1996 | 609.40 |
| 1997 | 527.66 |
| 1998 | 521.82 |
| 1999 | 296.78 |
Published plans for bilateral aid for the current financial year allocated £15 million to Pakistan, of which we have spent £3.9 million to date. We currently expect to disburse this allocation in full by 31 March 2002, though of course it is in the nature of planning figures that they are subject to change in the light of events.
Information on multilateral spending for the current financial year is not available.In addition, I have allocated an extra £11 million to assist Pakistan with the short-term humanitarian and broader economic impacts of the current crisis. This is planned for disbursement in the present calendar year.
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