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Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Volume 468: debated on Monday 26 November 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any (a) UK and (b) UN reports have been completed on international aid wastage rates in Afghanistan and instances of corruption in the disbursement of aid. (167399)

According to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 75 per cent. of aid to Afghanistan is spent outside government systems. This leads to a large degree of aid wastage and inefficiency.

The Peace Dividend Trust, in a study recently funded by DFID, found that aid spent through government systems was four times more effective than funds spent through international companies or NGOs. This is one of the reasons why DFID currently puts over 80 per cent. of its bilateral aid programme through government systems. We are unaware of any specific UN reports on international aid wastage rates in Afghanistan.

There have been no reports undertaken by the UK or the UN into instances of corruption in the disbursement of aid.