Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people who benefit in Afghanistan from projects funded by UK development aid, and what steps they are taking to guarantee that UK development aid benefits women and children.

The rights and needs of women and girls are at the core of the government's humanitarian response in Afghanistan. We are equally committed to protecting the safety, health and development of Afghan children. In financial year 2023-24 (the most recent period for which we have verified data), UK aid provided over 2.7 million people, including over 1.3 million women, with humanitarian assistance. Implementing partners provide the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office with data on the number of beneficiaries they have reached through UK funding, disaggregated by sex. We remain committed that at least 50% of people reached by UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls and have met this target since financial year 2021-22 and expect to have to met this target in 2024-25 (data is currently being verified). UK aid is subject to strict monitoring and verification to ensure it is only used to help the vulnerable people for whom it is intended.