Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the long-term stability of (a) NGOs and (b) aid agencies that (i) provide humanitarian support and (ii) have other operations in Afghanistan.

The UK is a strong supporter of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and aid agencies in Afghanistan. We are planning £161 million in aid to Afghanistan this financial year (2024-25), much of which supports NGOs to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid for women, girls and other marginalised people. UK officials regularly lobby the Taliban on the vital role of NGOs and risk of further restrictions on their activities. The UK underlined the importance of the humanitarian response in a G7+ senior officials' joint statement on 20 December, and in a statement by UN Security Council members on 27 December.