Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department for International Development (following the oral
evidence session on Iraq on 31 January 2008)
DFID'S HEALTH AND EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR IRAQI
REFUGEES
1. At the evidence session on Iraq 31 January,
the International Development Committee requested further information
about DFID's support to health and education initiatives for Iraqi
refugees in the region. The Committee also specifically asked
whether DFID had provided support to the joint UN agency appeals
on health and education for Iraqi refugees.
UN APPEALS IN
2007
2. In 2007, UN agencies launched three separate
appeals for assisting Iraqi refugees and host countries. These
were:
— a $123 million UNHCR Iraq Supplementary
Appeal (of which $28.5 million was for operations inside Iraq
and the rest for assisting Iraqi refugees and host countries);
— a joint $129 million UNHCR-UNICEF
education appeal, primarily covering Syria and Jordan; and
— an $85 million Inter-Agency appeal
for health, covering Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Participating agencies
were UNHCR, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and WFP.
UK RESPONSE
3. DFID contributed £3 million towards
UNHCR's Iraq Supplementary Appeal in 2007. This appeal had an
$18 million health and nutrition budget and a $33 million education
budget, most of which was allocated to support Iraqi refugees
in Syria and Jordan. Activities included:
— reaching agreements for financial
support to the respective Ministries of Health and other bodies
providing primary medical care, to include the needs of vulnerable
Iraqis within their coverage;
— the development of joint health programmes
with national Red Crescent societies and other UN agencies that
would benefit Iraqi refugees and their host communities; and
— supporting the Ministries of Education
to start the construction of up to 10 schools and rehabilitating
up to 100 schools.
4. UNHCR has made good progress. The promise
of UNHCR support was an important factor in securing commitments
from the Governments of three host countries (Syria, Jordan and
Egypt) to provide access to primary health services for displaced
Iraqis on the same basis as for the local population. In collaboration
with national Red Crescent societies, UNHCR is also providing
subsidised access for Iraqi refugees to secondary health care
in Jordan and Syria. UNHCR has also helped to improve Iraq children's
access to education in host countries. Enrolment figures increased
from 14,000 to 24,600 in Jordan and 33,100 to 43,700 in Syria
between the current and previous school years.
5. The UK, as a major donor to the European
Commission, also provides support direct to Jordan and Syria's
health and education sectors. EC support includes a €30 million
Health Sector Modernisation Programme in Syria, of which $8 million
was allocated in 2007 specifically for areas with large Iraqi
populations.
6. DFID has also been pushing for better
coordination of the international humanitarian efforts inside
Iraq and in the region. We would like to see UN agencies getting
behind a joint strategy and agree priority areas for action. Having
several separate UN appeals for the Iraqi refugee situation, as
was the case in 2007, undermines donor confidence in the UN's
ability to prioritise activities and lead the humanitarian response.
We welcome the planned consolidated appeal for UN and NGO operations
inside Iraq this year. We will continue to push for better coordination
of the international humanitarian response to refugees in the
region.
7. In this context, we chose not to support
the Inter-Agency Health Sector Appeal or the UNHCR-UNICEF Education
Appeal for several reasons. Firstly, as noted above, we had for
some time been encouraging the UN to reduce the number of separate
appeals for the same crisis, in order to improve the coordination
and prioritisation of the international response. Secondly, our
contributions to the UNHCR supplementary appeal already included
activities in the fields of health and education. Thirdly, we
wanted to support the UNHCR's refugee registration work, which
remains a core part of the agency's mandate and the main mechanism
by which the UN can improve its information base and better understand
refugees' needs. Finally, we felt that the education and health
appeals could have set clearer targets for what they expected
to accomplish with the requested funds.
FUTURE PLANS
8. We are currently awaiting the launch
of the consolidated appeal for the international humanitarian
effort inside Iraq. This appeal will be issued in mid-February.
In addition, we will consider supporting appeals from the ICRC
and UNHCR. We are also looking into the possibility of providing
direct support to a few international NGOs with a proven track
record of delivering assistance across Iraq. In this regard, we
are currently awaiting a proposal from the International Medical
Corps.
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