By Nick Mann | 25 October 2012
The UK should focus its aid to Afghanistan more on reducing poverty and providing services than on trying to create a ‘viable state’, MPs said today.
Imminent changes in leadership, the withdrawal of international military forces and a reduction in total overseas aid meant Afghanistan faced an uncertain future, according to the UK Parliament’s international development committee. The country had also failed to achieve a political settlement to end continuing conflict.
Despite this, the UK Department for International Development was right to have a major aid budget for the country. ‘We have an obligation to the millions of Afghans who have resisted the Taliban and the British soldiers who have died in the country,’ the MPs said.
They noted, however, that these uncertainties meant the department would have to be flexible in how it spent its budget for the country, which was increased to £178m this year and will remain at that level until 2015.
‘The DFID has had some successes, for example in increasing tax revenue, but these gains will be difficult to sustain and further progress will not be made unless the Afghan Government is determined to achieve a similar outcome,’ the MPs added.
‘We recommend the UK government reconsider the DFID’s focus on creating a “viable state”, giving greater emphasis to the provision of services and alleviating poverty.’
In particular, the MPs called for a greater focus on improving the situation for Afghan women, which they said remained difficult and, in some cases, had got worse since the fall of the Taliban.
Malcolm Bruce, chair of the committee, said: ‘The DFID could be doing a lot more to help support women in Afghanistan. The department should start by examining what programmes have been effective for women in Afghanistan, then draw up a plan to expand these programmes, while doing all it can to secure commitments from other donors, such as the US, the European Union and the World Bank.’
The department should also address the difficulties it had in monitoring its programme on the ground.
‘We appreciate that working in Afghanistan is extremely difficult and commend DFID staff for the job they have done,’ the committee acknowledged. ‘Nevertheless, we are concerned about the high turnover, resultant loss of capacity and knowledge, weak institutional memory and, at times, a lack of staff with adequate training and skills.
‘We recommend that the DFID create a cadre of experts with knowledge of Afghan language and culture, who will work in London and in the country. Longer tours and routine rotations to Afghanistan would also aid this.’
Supporting work in insecure countries meant DFID should develop stronger partnerships with ‘trusted’ non-governmental organisations that can spend money effectively on the ground.
A spokesman for the DFID agreed with the call to prioritise women’s rights and highlighted the funding the UK was allocating in this area.
‘But we agree with the IDC that massive challenges remain. That is why the new secretary of state has pledged to do more to make sure Afghan women have the opportunity to take decisions that affect their own lives.’
He added: ‘Afghanistan will remain one of the poorest countries in the world for many years to come. The UK is committed for the long term and has pledged to maintain current levels of assistance until at least 2017.’
