Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support food supply in Afghanistan.

On 28 January, the Foreign Secretary announced £97 million humanitarian assistance, delivering on the UK's promise to double UK aid to Afghanistan to £286 million in 2021-22. Afghanistan is now the world's most severe food security crisis and UK Aid will provide emergency food assistance for 4.47 million people. We are working closely with the World Food Programme to ensure that food insecure adults and children receive the support they need. We have now disbursed over £176 million to Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to address the most urgent humanitarian needs.

The UK also played a key role in pressing for a resolution establishing a humanitarian exception under the UN Afghanistan sanctions regime. On 27 January 2022, the UK government laid legislation to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2615. This will save lives and reduce the impediments faced by humanitarian agencies.