Appendix 3: Response from Christian Aid
Letter to the Chairman of the Committee from the
Head of Programme Policy and Strategy, Christian Aid, 25 July
2007
I am writing to you in response to the findings of
the International Development Select Committee inquiry into DFID
Assistance to Burmese Internally Displaced People and Refugees
on the Thai-Burma Border. This is an important report and makes
many strong recommendations that we fully endorse. We believe
that this is a well balanced report that should help to further
enhance DFID's work in supporting the needs and rights of the
displaced people of Burma.
However, we were disappointed to read the serious
criticisms of Christian Aid's role in working with the Thailand
Burma Border Consortium (TBBC).
Christian Aid has been a part of the consortium for
over 20 years, officially becoming a member of its governing body
in 2004. It is this Members' body (made up of ten international
agencies from eight countries) that is responsible for ensuring
that robust strategies are in place to maximise the impact of
TBBC's work. Christian Aid has been an extremely active member
of this body.
You are right to suggest that TBBC has been faced
with a challenging financial situation. This has not just been
due to the complexity of meeting the needs of refugees but has
also been influenced by increasing food, oil and shelter prices
and the unprecedented strength of the Thai Baht against key currencies.
This has had a significant impact on TBBC's budget as much of
the funding increase has simply allowed them to stand still. Using
the exchange rates for October 2005 TBBC would have an additional
114 million Thai Baht (over £1.8 million) available.
You are also correct to note the challenges faced
by TBBC to maintain liquidity. Cash flow problems have often been
related to late payments and rigid bureaucracy in processing grants
by some major donors. However, to conclude that Christian Aid
has not sufficiently engaged in finding a solution to this problem
is simply wrong.
Christian Aid was active in the development of a
funding strategy that was drawn up at the Extraordinary General
Meeting in 2005 by TBBC members and management to address these
specific concerns. This recommended a commitment to the Good Humanitarian
Donorship Initiative with each Member responsible for engaging
their government donor. Christian Aid held active discussions
with DFID which led to a three year commitment with more flexibility
in the release of funds. More broadly this strategy had a significant
impact in reducing cash flow difficulties as some donors committed
funds earlier in the year. This was shared during Christian Aid's
submission.
To maintain an annual commitment to finance such
a large programme is of course a challenge, but to suggest that
there is no strategy and Christian Aid has not responded robustly
enough to this challenge is not based on evidence. Looking through
the transcript of the oral submissions I find it difficult to
see how the committee was able to come to this conclusion.
A fundraising strategy has been developed and agreed
by the Members, with clear roles and responsibilities allocated.
Due to this work, the commitment of donors and the acknowledgement
of the impact of TBBC's work we were successful in bringing in
additional support. This should be seen as a success of the strategy
rather than a criticism. In addition, Christian Aid has actively
engaged DFID throughout this process but was informed that due
to their limited budget there would be no additional funds available.
Another part of this strategy has been to try and
diversify donors whilst at the same time developing strategies
aimed at reducing aid dependency in the long term.
Christian Aid has worked closely with Trocaire in
Ireland to lobby for an increase in Irish funding; with some success.
In addition, we have held discussions with a number of agencies
in Germany to investigate opportunities to open up funding from
the German government.
The Committee for the Coordination of Services to
Displaced Persons in Thailand (CCSDPT) and UNHCR has developed
a comprehensive strategy which includes increased engagement with
the Royal Thai Government (RTG) to gain access for refugees to
the labour market in Thailand.
It is the governance structure of TBBC that makes
the Members responsible for ensuring that sufficient funding is
raised. Within this context Christian Aid has played a positive
role in supporting the resolution of both cash flow and financial
shortfalls within TBBC. It is also important to note that Christian
Aid provides £160,000 of its own resources to fund the particularly
sensitive area of cross border work, one of our largest grants.
The report is not clear in identifying the specific
capacity shortfalls of TBBC. I would again like to refer you to
the coordinating role that CCSDPT plays. It is within CCSDPT that
the broader challenges of livelihood development, advocacy with
the RTG etc. are developed and is done in close partnership with
UNHCR; TBBC plays a very positive role within this context. To
suggest that TBBC needs the capacity to deal directly with all
of the needs of refugees misses the point of CCSDPT. I would like
to refer you to the CCSDPT UNHCR Comprehensive Plan 2007-08 that
we shared with the committee.
I would also like to address the point made regarding
Christian Aid's lack of presence along the border. It is correct
that we have made a decision not to establish a physical presence.
This is for a number of reasons, including ensuring the most prudent
use of our limited resources. We believe that this has not significantly
constrained our ability to engage pro-actively both along the
border and inside the country as we work through partners on the
ground. We do have designated staff in London and the region and
have developed a relationship with another international organisation
to share staff capacity to monitor our programme inside the country.
I am sure many of you are aware that Christian Aid strongly believes
that we are most effective in working through local organisations
wherever possible.
In addition, five of the ten TBBC Members are based
in the region with two operational in the camps. Given this structure
Christian Aid's presence on the border would not significantly
strengthen our ability to address the strategic changes you allude
to in your report. As an active part of the consortium we are
closely linked to other Member organisations and share policy
insights and work closely together in challenge existing policies
and strategies, always with the aim of strengthening impact.
We have always encouraged DFID to engage in these
processes and have notified DFID staff that we are willing to
represent their concerns or raise specific issues through our
position as part of TBBC's governing body. DFID has yet to take
us actively up on this invitation, although I also believe that
this is as much to do with the recognised professionalism of TBBC
and their effectiveness in supporting the basic needs and rights
of the displaced.
We are concerned and disappointed that the committee
came to this conclusion. It would seem that you have not fully
understood Christian Aid's way of working or the role we play
as a Member of TBBC in supporting the development of robust long
term management, financial and capacity strategies.
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