Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) viability of supporting Afghan citizens through aid channelled through NGOs and (b) potential merits of increasing the funding allocated to those NGOs.

This question was answered on 10th September 2021
NGOs have been, and remain, vital partners for our work in Afghanistan. We are working closely with them to respond to the changing situation on the ground & consider how best we can respond collectively to the increasing humanitarian needs in the country

To ensure aid reaches the people that need it most, the FCDO are in daily contact with our partners in Afghanistan. We will continue to engage with them directly as the situation develops. Last week, in London, we hosted a round table with NGOs to better understand how we can support their life-saving work. On 20 August we met 30 NGOs working in the areas of development, humanitarian support, human rights and media freedom to understand the issues they are currently facing in country. There was a further meeting on 26 August, with 30 organisations, focussed on continued humanitarian access and the longer-term development needs.

Ministers are also in close touch with bilateral and multilateral partners, including the UN, on these issues.