Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis: UK Response Debate

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Department: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis: UK Response

Karen Buck Excerpts
Wednesday 9th February 2022

(2 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Karen Buck Portrait Ms Karen Buck (Westminster North) (Lab)
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Not only does famine kill, but starvation and malnutrition will scar the bodies and brains of a generation and beyond. Every day that we delay means that recovery will be more expensive than acting now. We need cash in the system and the Afghan economy. If the World Bank could release reconstruction funds today, how quickly could that cash be flowing through the Afghan economy?

Vicky Ford Portrait Vicky Ford
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I completely agree that it is important to keep money flowing through the Afghan economy and, as I said, we are working with the World Bank on that. On 25 January—a couple of weeks ago—the UK also supported the Asian Development Bank with a £405 million support package for the Afghan people, funded from the Asian Development Fund.