Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking to support Afghan civil society in delivering (a) humanitarian and (b) development assistance to vulnerable women and girls in that country.

Since April 2021, the Government has disbursed £514 million in aid for Afghanistan. We contribute to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund which includes a $20 million programme of support to Afghan civil society. The Government has committed to at least 50 per cent of our aid in Afghanistan reaching women and girls. We fund programmes that target women and girls, aimed at tackling gender-based violence and providing health and sexual reproductive health services. We continue to press the Taliban to reverse their ban on female aid workers as Afghan women are critical in providing life-saving support to women and girls.