Ministers have been urged to maintain aid spending in Afghanistan after the Taliban barred aid groups from employing women.
Labour MP Dan Jarvis asked an urgent question on the issue in the Commons, urging Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell to confirm there will be no cuts to official development assistance to Afghanistan.
The MP for Barnsley Central insisted “this is not the time to reduce our support”.
The Taliban announced the ban on women working for non-governmental groups (NGOs) at the end of last year, in a series of measures rolling back women’s rights.
The decision prompted major international aid agencies to suspend operations in the country and raised fears that people will be deprived of food, education, healthcare, and other critical services.
Mr Jarvis said: “This severe disruption comes at just the wrong moment as the country faces a terrible humanitarian crisis.
“Twenty eight million people need aid and famine conditions are setting in. People are dying and more will die without women working in humanitarian relief.”
He asked: “Can he confirm that there will be no cuts to official development assistance to Afghanistan?”
This severe disruption comes at just the wrong moment as the country faces a terrible humanitarian crisis— Dan Jarvis, MP
On the importance of not reducing aid at this time, Mr Mitchell said: “The Government is absolutely seized of that point.”
He earlier stressed the impact of the ban, telling the Commons it would “prevent millions of Afghans from accessing life-saving aid”.
Mr Mitchell said: “Around 30% to 40% of all staff in NGOs across Afghanistan are women. They are critical to humanitarian operations.
“They have access to populations their male colleagues cannot reach, providing critical life-saving support for women and girls.
Around 30% to 40% of all staff in NGOs across Afghanistan are women. They are critical to humanitarian operations— Andrew Mitchell, Foreign Office minister
“According to the United Nations, approximately 47% of humanitarian organisations have currently either partially or completely suspended activities as a result of the edict.
“Foreign Office officials are working with the UN, NGOs and other donor governments to understand the impact of the ban and ensure a co-ordinated response.”
Mr Jarvis was not the only MP in the Commons urging ministers to maintain aid spending in Afghanistan, with Labour MP for Slough Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi noting it is “vital that this ban is not used as an excuse by donors to cut funding”.
He went on: “So, will the minister commit that there will be no funding cuts from the UK towards Afghanistan, while negotiations between the de facto authorities and the diplomatic and humanitarian communities are ongoing?”
Mr Mitchell once again claimed the Government is “enormously seized of the difficulties of the situation”.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Bob Blackman (Harrow East) insisted that because other donors are reducing their funding, “it’s even more important that our funding is safeguarded and concentrated on those people that need it most”.
He added: “So can he give me an absolute reassurance that we will ensure that not a single penny of our aid gets into the hands of the Taliban to restrict the rights of women in Afghanistan?”
The Foreign Office minister said: “He is entirely right that we do all our support through non-government agencies in Afghanistan and while we do not have normal relations with the Taliban, we recognise countries, not governments and we engage with the Taliban in a pragmatic and sensible way but we do not fund them.”
