WRITTEN QUESTION E-2860/98

by Concepció Ferrer (PPE) to the Commission

(28 September 1998)

Subject: Priority access to health care for men in Afghanistan

In accepting that access for women to education and health care should be governed by Islamic laws and Afghan culture, the memorandum signed by the UN on cooperation with the Afghan Taliban gives men priority as regards studies and medical treatment.

The memorandum also stipulates that, in hiring local employees, the UN must abide by criteria including the respect for Islamic values and traditions, which entails clear discrimination on the grounds of religion and gender.

Given the above facts, what view does the Commission take of this memorandum? Can any changes be expected in the humanitarian aid provided to this area?

Answer given by Mr Marín on behalf of the Commission

(22 October 1998)

Due to the predominance of a conservative rural culture throughout Afghanistan, which traditionally ascribes limited roles to women, the delivery of aid in equal measure to both sexes continues to be a difficult challenge. Afghanistan's poor indicators for infant mortality and pregnancy related death are directly linked to the very low level of female literacy. As such, aid operations have in recent years placed much greater emphasis on assisting women and children. This has led to confrontation with the Taleban who seek to superimpose an extreme policy of gender segregation and restriction on top of a traditional conservative value system. This policy has been most rigidly imposed in Kabul and contributed to the suspension of all Community assistance to that city as of 18 July 1998. In rural areas where most of the Afghan population live, the Taleban have neither the inclination nor the resources to impose their policies to the same degree. Therefore, the Taleban policy has disrupted aid operations in Kabul but has been less damaging in the rural areas.

The United Nations (UN) explained that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed in May 1998 had its shortcomings but stressed its function as a framework in which the UN was attempting to negotiate a workable engagement with the Talevan. It should be recalled that the MoU was signed between the UN and the Taleban only. However, the Commission has expressed its disappointment about the general spirit of the MoU and about the most problematic articles. With a view to improving these shortcomings, the UN has been holding joint consultative committee meetings with the Taleban in the framework of the MoU to negotiate issues of concern with the Taleban. Three committees were created in order to resolve problems related to health, education and non governmental organisation operations in Kabul. Donor members of the Afghanistan support group (including the Commission) have followed these discussions closely. They have not yet resulted in any definitive outcome and have been suspended since 20 August 1998 following the United States missile strike against terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.

Community financed activities in Kabul will resume only if significant progress has been achieved in the three above-mentioned committees, if basic humanitarian principles are respected and, if it is possible for agencies to operate and deliver aid in an equitable, non-discriminatory and principled manner, with no threats to the security of their personnel or equipment.