Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department for International Development—Letter from
Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International
Development following oral evidence on 20 May 2008
At my recent evidence session on the Occupied
Palestinian Territories, I promised to update the Committee following
my attendance of the Palestine Investment Conference (PlC) on
21 May. I welcome the positive response from International Development
Committee colleagues to the PIC and to UK support for economic
growth in this challenging environment. As you know, the Prime
Minister took a personal interest in the PIC and places strong
emphasis on the role of the economy in the peace process.
President Abbas opened the PIC. He stressed
the importance of the event for the Palestinian economy and a
future viable state. He was followed by Prime Minister Fayyad,
Tony Blair, a number of Arab and Western ministers and myself.
I confirmed the UK's strong support for Palestinian economic development
and announced £3 million for a new project to support Palestinian
businesses to access new markets and develop new products: the
Facility for New Market Development.
The conference was very well attended by over
2000 people. The majority of investors were from the Gulf region,
with the US also well represented. There were about 30 UK delegates.
Israel fulfilled its promise to ease entry of conference participants,
approving all but a handful of visa applications and smoothing
passage through checkpoints. Over 100 Gazan business people were
able to attend.
Investment projects totalling £1 billion
were prepared for the conference with DFID support. These have
the potential to create 50,000 new jobs, which, as I highlighted
during the evidence session, is critical to economic recovery
and a sense of hope, particularly amongst young people. 10 investment
agreements were signed over the first two days of the PIC for
a total of over £700 million, primarily in housing, infrastructure
and telecommunications with Arab companies.
Looking forward, the priority will be to ensure
that investments are realised, jobs are indeed created, and that
the peace process is strengthened as a result. DFID's Facility
for New Market Development will help share the risks for over
300 small and medium enterprise projects and investments. UKTI
will follow up on the raised interest among UK investors. More
widely, DFID will retain its focus on economic recovery and growth.
Our funding to and capacity building for the Palestinian Authority
helps ensure the conditions are in place to attract new investment.
These conditions include improved public finances, security, and
an educated workforce.
The PIC was a success. But major challenges
to economic recovery remain. The lack of progress on movement
and access, critical to the flow of goods, workers and the investors
themselves, did cast a shadow over the event. Without progress
on that area, the economy remains under pressure and more likely
to decline than to grow. Annapolis provides the best hope for
peace and the improvements in movement and access that would go
with that. While ambitious, the Annapolis goal of tangible progress
in 2008 can still be achieved. That is why the UK continues to
do all it can through its diplomatic efforts and aid programme
to support the peace process. We will also continue to support
the work of the Quartet Representative, whose efforts helped make
the PIC a success.
I also promised to provide further detail on
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's expenditure and access
in Gaza and the review of the Temporary International Mechanism
(July 2007). These are enclosed.
Douglas Alexander
Additional information:
Interim Evaluation of the Temporary International
Mechanism (TIM), Main Report—http://www.delwbg.ec.europa.eu/en/tim/reports/InterimEvaluationOfTheTIM_JULY2007.pdf
Annexes—http://www.delwbg.ec.europa.eu/en/tim/reports/ANNEXES-InterimEvaluationOfTheTIM_JULY_2007.pdf
Annex A
UNRWA—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
UNRWA EXPENDITURE 2007
| | General fund
| Emergency appeal | Projects
| Total |
| West Bank | $77.7m |
$67.8m | $6.1m | $151.6
|
| Gaza | $150.2m | $119.4m
| $9.5m | $279.1 |
| | |
| |
TOTAL TRUCKS AND COMMODITIES DELIVERED TO GAZA THROUGH
CROSSING/TERMINALS
Item | Flour
| Rice | Sugar
| Oil | W/Milk
| Lentils | Medicine
| General Cargo | Total
Tons
| Total
Trucks |
Month | Tons
| Trucks | Tons |
Trucks | Tons | Trucks
| Tons | Trucks |
Tons | Trucks | Tons
| Trucks | Tons |
Trucks | Tons | Trucks
| | |
| January | 4,471 | 248
| 1,711 | 95 | 269
| 26 | 511 | 29
| 119 | 9 | 597
| 33 | 25 | 5 |
0 | 0 | 7,703 |
445 |
| February | 5,380 | 299
| 1,391 | 77 | 1,250
| 96 | 124 | 7 |
86 | 6 | 0 | 0
| 6 | 1 | 20 |
2 | 8,257 | 488 |
| March | 5,254 | 192
| 75 | 4 | 0 |
0 | 644 | 37 | 465
| 33 | 129 | 7 |
9 | 2 | 155 | 16
| 6,731 | 291 |
| April | 2,423 | 135
| 1,280 | 71 | 1,126
| 63 | 287 | 16
| 144 | 10 | 0 |
0 | 8 | 2 | 318
| 32 | 5,586 | 329
|
| May | 3,220 | 179
| 0 | 0 | 494 |
27 | 709 | 40 |
457 | 33 | 321 |
18 | 15 | 3 | 770
| 77 | 5,986 | 377
|
| Totals | 20,748
| 1,053 | 4,457 |
247 | 3,139 | 212
| 2,275 | 129 |
1,271 | 91 | 1,047
| 58 | 63 | 13
| 1,263 | 127 |
34,263 | 1,930 |
| | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Fuel
| |
| Issuing | |
| | |
| | |
Total inventory1 |
| |
Month | Fuel Type
| Total | Permanent
| | Total Non-
|
Total |
| | Receiving
| UNRWA | Other UN
| ADHOC | Inventory2
| Issuing |
| | |
| Orgs | |
| |
| January | Solar3 | 312,700
| 118,885 | 54,534 | 21,152
| 125,700 | 320,271 |
| Benzene | 10,000
| 18,375 | 828 | 208
| 0 | 19,411 |
| February | Solar | 0
| 96,125 | 35,778 | 24,630
| 61,350 | 217,883 |
| Benzene | 0
| 19,937 | 2,126 | 55
| 0 | 22,118 |
| March | Solar | 198,200
| 103,915 | 31,570 | 25,917
| 56,350 | 217,752 |
| Benzene | 20,000
| 18,842 | 2,511 | 711
| 0 | 22,064 |
| April | Solar | 155,000
| 95,215 | 18,982 | 26,231
| 63,650 | 204,078 |
| Benzene | 20,000
| 17,327 | 2,792 | 896
| 0 | 21,015 |
| May | Solar | 414,700
| 115,931 | 2,734 | 44,731
| 137,500 | 300,896 |
| Benzene | 57,500
| 18,794 | 3,235 | 2,049
| 0 | 24,078 |
1 Inventory: Fuel received for the use of UNRWA's regular
programme (Health, Education and Social Services)
2 Non-Inventory: Fuel received for the use of UNRWA's Emergency
Appeal programme and which is passed onto other organisations
3 Solar—diesel
2 June 2008
|
