To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral evidence by Fawzia Koofi to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 17 October 2023, Q3, HC 1888 of Session 2022-23, what monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure that UK aid (a) is prevented from benefitting the Taliban and (b) reaches the people for whom it is intended.
Answered on
21 November 2023
UK funding is provided directly to implementing partners: UN organisations, the Red Cross, and national and international non-governmental organisations. We do not provide any aid to or through the Taliban. UK aid is subject to strict monitoring and verification to ensure it reaches intended beneficiaries. Our partners are experienced in delivering in difficult circumstances and we work closely together to mitigate risks. We remain committed to ensuring that at least 50 per cent of people reached with UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls. We achieved this in 2021-2022 and are on track to do so in 2022-2023.