Question Period Note: Canada's Development Assistance to the Situation in Afghanistan

Canada's continued commitment to Afghanistan and Afghans and the challenges of delivering development assistance following the collapse of the Afghan Government and the seizure of power by the Taliban

• Canada remains committed to Afghanistan and the Afghan people and we will continue to do all that we can to support them.
• Canada priorities for engagement on Afghanistan are: safe passage out of Afghanistan; delivery of humanitarian assistance; the Taliban's respect for its international obligations, notably the fundamental rights of all Afghans; and coordination with partners on counter-terrorism.
• Our development assistance in Afghanistan has been provided through third parties, such as trust funds or implementing partners. Most partners have paused their activities given the uncertain security and political situation.
• Canada remains in active communication with our development partners as we determine the best methods to support Afghans without providing the Taliban any legitimacy.

• Canada has no plans to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate Government of Afghanistan. The Taliban remain a listed terrorist entity under Canadian law.

· On August 15, 2021, the Taliban seized Kabul, President Ghani fled and the former Government of Afghanistan collapsed.
· On September 7, the Taliban declared an interim Cabinet comprised largely of sanctioned hardline religious and military Pashtun figures, excluding former leaders from the Republic and women. This signifies the Taliban's unwillingness to compromise and their intention to establish a theocratic state.
· Continued active international engagement is needed to defend the rights of Afghan women and minorities, to help prevent Afghanistan from becoming a source of regional or global insecurity, and to foster more inclusive governance. Significant hurdles exist on reaching international consensus on next steps, notably tensions between Western states and Russia and China.
· The human rights situation in Afghanistan is expected to continue to deteriorate as a result of the Taliban takeover, with the rights of women and girls, as well as ethnic and religious minorities particularly threatened.
The majority of Canadian development partners have paused programming in Afghanistan due to the security situation. Canada is actively engaging with our partners on the ground to determine what steps need to be taken to move forward.

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