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Afghanistan: UK Aid

Volume 685: debated on Monday 9 October 2006

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the current United Kingdom aid expenditure in each province of Afghanistan; which aid agencies are being supported; how many international and Afghan aid workers are being supported in Afghanistan; and how these figures compare for each province across the past five years.[HL7400]

Since 2001, DfID has spent over £390 million on reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is DfID’s fifth largest programme and we are Afghanistan's second largest bilateral donor, spending over £100 million in 2005-06. This will increase to £115 million by 2008-09.

DfID’s bilateral spend in Afghanistan over the last five financial years (from 1 April to 31 March) is as follows:

2001-02

£50 million

2002-03

£75 million

2003-04

£80 million

2004-05

£80 million

2005-06

£101 million

DfID does not have a detailed breakdown of spending in Afghanistan by province, as we put most of our money through the government budget, for example the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). In the past, we have focused particular effort in Mazar-e-Sharif, Bamyan, Kandahar, Gardez and Badakshan. Over the next three years we plan to spend up to £20 million each year in Helmand. We do not have information on the number of aid workers (international or Afghan) supported by us.

The table below illustrates where DfID provided direct financial assistance to provinces. This was largely support to provincial reconstruction teams, but also includes support to three NGOs (Aga Khan Development Network, Afghan Aid and Concern) in Badakshan.

Province

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

National

50 million

75 million

Badakshan

0.16 million

0.710 million

1.7 million

Mazar-e-Sharif

0.402 million

Gardez

_

0.126 million

Kandahar

0.811 million

0.0068 million

Bamyan

0.142 million

DfID is also providing funding of £7.4 million to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers in Bamiyan, Herat and Balkh provinces.

DfID has recently approved £30 million over three years to support rural and agriculture development in Helmand province. This will go towards supporting activities under the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), the National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), the Micro-finance Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA), quick impact projects in addition to the Water and Sanitation Programme (WATSAN).

Since 2001, DfID has provided direct financial support to a number of international organisations. Details of the organisations supported are shown below. Of theses organisations, we still currently provide direct financial support to Afghan Aid, Concern, Aga Khan, Womankind, BAGG, and The Asia Foundation.

International Organisations

Action Contre La Faim

Afghan Aid

Afghan Development Association

Aga Khan

Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development

Aide Medicale International

Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees

BBC World Service Trust

BRAC

British Agencies Advisory Group

British Red Cross

British Refugee Council

CAFOD

Care

Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

Christian Aid

Concern

Development initiatives

Greenshields Cowie

Halo Trust

International Rescue Committee

Islamic Relief

Mercy Corps

Merlin

Ockenden International

Oxfam

Pharmaciens Sans Frontieres

Refugee Studies Centre

Save the Children Fund

Solidarities

TearFund

The Asia Foundation

War Child UK

Womankind

In addition, over the past five years DfID has provided direct financial support to a number of national organisations. Details of the organisations supported are shown in the table below. Of these organisations, we still currently provide direct financial support to Southern Rehabilitation and Aid Committee and Helping Afghan Farmers.

Local Organisations

Afghan Fertiliser Company

Afghanistan Independence Human Rights Commission

Afghanistan Information Management Service

Afghanistan National Construction Co-ordination

Civil Service Commission

Co-operation Centre for Afghanistan

Helping Afghan Farmers Organisation

Irtiqa Development and Construction Organisation

Luqman Rehabilitation Organisation

Moqadas Reconstruction Organisation

Reconstruction Committee for Development of Afghanistan

Roshan Construction Company

Southern Afghanistan Development Association

Southern Rehabilitation and Aid Committee

Tribal Liaison Office

A significant proportion of DfID’s programme goes to NGOs indirectly through the Government of Afghanistan, who subcontract implementation of many of their national programmes (to which DfID contributes funding) to national and international NGOs, as well as other implementing partners. Other direct recipients of DfID funding, such as UN agencies, also use NGOs as implementing partners. We do not have a detailed list of these.