Britain’s £180m annual aid budget to Afghanistan being wasted, MPs warn

October 25th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

The report accused Dfid’s operations in Afghanistan of being too reliant on
consultants based in Kabul and said staff postings were too short. Britain
had also let Afghan women down.

“The UK Government has talked a lot about women’s rights in Afghanistan,
but it has not followed this up with enough practical action,” he said.

“The treatment of women in Afghanistan after troops pull-out in 2014 will
be the litmus test of whether we have succeeded in improving the lives of
ordinary Afghans over the last ten years.”

But the report concluded Britain should retain a large aid budget in
Afghanistan as an “obligation to the millions of Afghans who have
resisted the Taliban and the British soldiers who have died in the country”.

MPs warned that the withdrawal of British forces from Helmand province before
the end of 2014 put at risk the gains seen from the British spending in the
province.

The report said the withdrawal of Dfid staff alongside the troops was certain,
but must not jeopardise British aid flows in the area.

It said: “Security gains in Helmand have been achieved at a very high
cost in terms of British lives, injured service personnel and support staff
as well as military and development spending. The UK must not walk away from
the province after 2014.”

The report said that the precarious security situation in Afghanistan already
made it difficult to ensure that Dfid funds were spent efficiently in
schemes free from the taint of corruption.

“A serious problem for Dfid in Afghanistan is the difficulty in
monitoring its programme since security conditions prevent Dfid staff
visiting projects,” the MPs said.

The department was too reliant on private sector consultants working in Kabul,
it added, at the expense of its operations at the grassroots.

“We recommend that Dfid be prepared, as Afghanistan, moves closer to 2014
to be able to shift the focus of its governance programme away from
consultants in Kabul towards helping the Afghan Government deliver basic
services at a local level,” the report said.

One witness at the committee said British aid was too focused on areas of
conflict, neglecting stable regions where there was a greater development
potential.

“OK, we should find some suicide bombers so that we get more funding,”
said Orzala Ashraf, an activist.

But MPs added that Dfid staff sent to Afghanistan got too much time off and
did not stay long enough at their jobs. At present staff work according to a “six
weeks on, two weeks off” rotation and many only complete a six month
contract.

“Dfid may need to re-evaluate the type of work that it is ultimately able
to effectively and accountably support after international troops withdraw,”
it said. “Some sectors or geographic areas may be more difficult to
monitor than others.”

A spokesman for Dfid said the department was committed to effective
development work that alleviated poverty and assisted vulnerable groups.

“We agree that women’s rights should be at the heart of our work in
Afghanistan. UK funding is already making a big difference – it has helped
get 2.2 million girls into school, and our £19.5 million Tawanmandi civil
society programme is providing over half its grants to Afghan women’s
organisations.

“But we agree with the IDC (International Development Committee) that
massive challenges remain. That is why the new Secretary of State has
pledged to do more to make sure Afghan women have the opportunity to take
decisions that affect their own lives.

“Afghanistan will remain one of the poorest countries in the word for
many years to come. The UK is committed for the long term and has pledged to
maintain current levels of assistance until at least 2017.”

Source Article from http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568301/s/24db14e6/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cworldnews0Casia0Cafghanistan0C963150A30CBritains0E180Am0Eannual0Eaid0Ebudget0Eto0EAfghanistan0Ebeing0Ewasted0EMPs0Ewarn0Bhtml/story01.htm