Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department for International Development—Letter from
Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, the Secretary of State for International
Development
The International Development Committee has
requested further information about the UK's plans to support
a UN access team to help get humanitarian supplies and personnel
through crossings and checkpoints.
The UN country team in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OPTs) approached the UK in April 2008 to co-fund
an access team to serve both UN agencies and NGOs. The UN's Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will fund
a senior policy adviser and a humanitarian officer with security
and access expertise. DFID has been asked to provide resources
for:
— several posts to facilitate coordination
and liaison, including in the office of the UN Special Coordinator
for the Middle East peace process (UNSCO) and the UN Department
for Security Services (UNDSS),; and
— mobile operational support (two staff
to visit crossings and maintain relations with Government of Israel
representatives) and staff in the radio room, which will become
the focal point for questions and reports of access problems.
The UN is confident that this will improve its
capacity to address access problems efficiently, to improve the
flow of humanitarian goods into and within the OPTs, and to reduce
the time and resources spent on these issues by humanitarian agencies
and NGOs. The creation of the team does not prejudice efforts
to reopen the crossings into Gaza and improve access throughout
the OPTs.
The budget is currently being finalised with
OCHA, UNSCO and UNDSS. We anticipate the access team will be operational
by October 2008.
Douglas Alexander
23 June 2008
| 
