Memorandum submitted by UNICEF UK
INTRODUCTION
1. UNICEF; the United Nations Children's
Fund, is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate
for the protection of children's rights, to help meet children's
basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full
potential.
UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights
of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring
ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards
children.
UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the
rights of children. In coordination with United Nations partners
and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities
for rapid response available to its partners to relieve the suffering
of children and those who provide their care.
This submission has been prepared by the UK
National Committee for UNICEF.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN
TERRITORIES: CRITICAL
ISSUES FOR
CHILDREN
2. The absence of a lasting political solution
to the world's longest running conflict remains the single challenge
facing the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), with profound
humanitarian consequences for children and women. Beyond violence,
most threats to survival and development arise from restrictions
to movement and access—whether this translates into healthy
births, nutritious food, safe schools, decent health care, or
protection from abuse.
3. Although the decades-long occupation
and the ongoing war with Israel remain the root to the impoverishment
and distress across Palestinian territory, 2007 has witnessed
previously unseen levels of violence, division and insecurity
within Palestinian society itself. The inter-factional fighting
in June 2007, the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and the
resultant political divide between the West Bank and Gaza have
resulted in a new and uncertain operational landscape for UNICEF.
Repeated interruptions in the provision of social services due
to strike action by unpaid civil servants, especially in the West
Bank, have also hindered programme implementation. Two years into
the Agreement on Movement and Access, there were some 530 obstacles
to movement in the West Bank, or more than 40% above the August
2005 baseline (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
2007). Gaza remained under virtual siege.
4. While indicators on infant and under-five
mortality have changed little since 2000, recent numbers on child
and maternal malnutrition are disturbing. In 2006, 1 in 10 children
was stunted, with proportions reaching almost 30% in North Gaza.
Only 26.5% of infants age 0-5 months were exclusively breastfed.
Anaemia prevalence among children and women is above 40%, indicative
of a public health problem.
5. Palestinians consumed an average of 75
litres of water per capita per day (2006), or half the amount
the World Health Organization (WHO) says is needed to drink, cook,
clean and bathe. Saline sea water and sewage have seeped into
the coastal aquifer in Gaza, and wastewater treatment and solid
waste collection are far from adequate. Schools and clinics have
inadequate water storage systems and poorly maintained connections
to networks. About 66% of the Palestinian population is not connected
to a sewerage network and approximately 70 to 80% of the domestic
wastewater is discharged into the environment without treatment.
In March 2007 an overburdened wastewater treatment plant in Northern
Gaza collapsed, killing five people, including two children, and
displacing thousands.
6. Primary school gross enrolment ratios
have dropped from 96.8% in 2000-01 to 91.2% in 2005-06, and the
rise in poverty and unemployment in 2006-07 has put schooling-related
costs beyond the reach of many parents. The threat of walkouts
by poorly-paid teachers persisted, and morale was extremely low
among education professionals. Closures, roadblocks and random
checkpoints continued to challenge student and teacher access
to schools in the West Bank, while the almost total shutdown in
Gaza following clashes in June blocked all education supplies
coming for the new academic year. Primary schools in areas hard-hit
by the conflict or movement restrictions lack basic teaching materials,
library books, laboratory and recreational equipment, and teachers
lack the skills needed to make learning enjoyable and productive
for children.
7. The conflict-related violence surrounding
children has seeped into their homes, schools and play areas.
In a Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics study on family
violence in 2005-06, half the mothers participating said that
their children age 5-17 years had been exposed to one form or
another of violence. Children are also reporting extremely high
levels of violence in their schools and play areas. While fatalities
from the conflict are lower than in 2006 (31 children as of end-July
2007), 26 children died as a result of Palestinian inter-factional
fighting. The higher levels of distress have translated into larger
numbers of children and families seeking psychosocial support
and counselling.
8. Young adolescents are a particularly
vulnerable group and are most often exposed to the frontline of
conflict and violence. In 2006, almost 70% of the children killed
in conflict were adolescents; all the children placed under detention
that year were between the ages of 15 and 17. Due to disruptions
in schooling related to violence or closures, the number of teens
falling two to three grades below their level and eventually dropping
out continues to rise. Two out of three adolescents do not have
safe spaces to go to for recreation and interaction with their
peers, and most have few opportunities for positive and productive
play.
KEY ACTIONS
AND ACHIEVEMENTS
IN 2007
9. In close collaboration with local, national
and international partners, UNICEF's humanitarian response focused
on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, protection,
and adolescent development. Key challenges to implementation included
the institutional divide within Palestinian authorities; violence
related both to the conflict with Israel and internal Palestinian
fighting; ongoing public sector strikes by unpaid workers; and
restrictions to access and movement.
10. Routine immunisation rates (over 90%)
and services have been improved through increased technical and
supply assistance to the Ministry of Health and other partners,
reaching around 114,000 children under the age of 1 and around
250,000 schoolchildren. Some 24,000 moderately and acutely malnourished
children were also provided with nutrition supplies and 600 health
workers in about 150 facilities received training on improved
childcare practices. UNICEF provided daily drinking water to more
than 340 schools and some 40 medical facilities in Gaza, and with
partners UNICEF is repairing and improving water and sanitation
services and facilities in vulnerable communities in both the
West Bank and Gaza. UNICEF provided US$ 1.5 million worth of emergency
teaching and learning supplies to many of the oPt's most affected
schools and communities, and supported teacher training for more
child-friendly approaches, even during emergencies. As of end
August, 18 child-friendly spaces had been set up by UNICEF in
isolated or conflict-affected areas, providing educational, recreational
and counselling services to more than 85,000 vulnerable children
and about 42,000 adolescents. Some 13,375 children and 12,365
caregivers have received psychosocial counselling and care through
the 14 UNICEF-supported teams across oPt, with rising numbers
visiting newly established psychosocial/legal centres or dialling
up the 1-800 helpline.
CURRENT SITUATION
11. Facts on the ground and impact between
27 February and 3 March, IAF aircrafts conducted a series of air
strikes in various areas of the Gaza Strip, targeting Ministry
of Interior buildings, police stations, metal workshops but also
suspected militants' cells. In March, the IDF invaded an area
east of Jabalia camp (15-20,000 people) triggering a battle with
the militants, IDF withdrew from the area on 3 March. Due to the
closure, Gaza Strip faces electricity cuts for about eight hours
every day. This affects the four northern districts as follows:
Gaza district—12 hours
North Gaza—10 hours
Khan Younis—6 hours
Middle—4 hours
In Rafah district, thanks to its connection
to Egypt, electricity is only interrupted for four hours per week.
Israeli authorities usually permit the passage of 10,000 litres
of petrol in addition to 100,000 litres of diesel per day through
Nahal Oz crossing point. A kidnap threat to internationals remains
moderate to high. International staff remain on high alert and
movements are restricted.
12. Health
122 deaths and 264 injuries as a result of military
operations between 27 February and 4 March 2008, of which:
— 28 children and 5 women killed.
— 60 children and 10 women injured.
As a result of the increase in the number of
injuries, MoH has announced a shortage of vascular sets and anesthesia
instruments, medicine used in ICUs and operating theaters; medical
equipments and machines. Blood, renewable medical supplies and
fuel.
One PHC clinic in North Gaza Directorate (Abu
Shabak Clinic) was unable to function during the incursion, as
both staff and patients were kept away by the fighting. There
are concerns regarding the validity of the two weeks' stock of
vaccines (Hepatitis B, 74 doses; IPV, 60 doses; OPV, 100 doses;
OPT, 60 doses; DF3T+HIB, 100 doses; and measles, 70 doses) which
was not kept at the optimal temperature while electricity was
cut and no one was able to operate the generator. MoH is aware
of the situation and is testing the vaccines. On 3 and 4 March,
330 children from the affected area visited the clinic (which
represents a 60% increase). Parents and children complaints were
about fears, insomnia and bedwetting.
13. Water and sanitation
For three days, the population under incursion
in East Jabalya had no access to water as wells were out of fuel
and the electricity was off. Eight transformers have been destroyed
during the military operation.
Since 1 February, the Coastal Municipalities
Water Utility (CMWU) only received 65,000 litres of fuel or 43%
of its monthly needs (minimum 150,000 litres needed month). As
a result about 20% of the population access water every other
day for a few hours only. However a better access to electricity
compared to last week has allowed CMWU to operate its wells longer
hours in spite of the limited quantities of fuel available. Since
July 2007, the Israeli authorities have denied coordination to
all CMWU spare parts and equipments (pipes, valves, water and
waste water pumps and electromechanical spare parts) required
for the maintenance and up-grading of the networks.
About 40,000 m3 of raw or partially treated
sewage are still pumped daily into the sea due to the power cuts.
As a result of the lack of maintenance and spare parts, the efficiency
of the water network has deteriorated from 70% in June 2007 to
53% today. In order to compensate for this deterioration, CMWU
has had to pump water from its wells beyond their capacity in
terms of replenishment and water quality. The lack of materiel
also exposes the water networks to the risk of contamination by
infiltration. In the long term, this increases the likelihood
of a negative impact on the population's health.
14. Education
Schools in and around the area of the military
operation were closed between 1 and 3 March. They reopened on
4 and 5 March, but attendance was limited. In the rest of the
Gaza Strip attendance was nil on 2 March; about 40% on 3 March;
and 90% on 4 March.
A Palestinian Authority school for boys with
1,314 students and another for girls with 839 students were the
most affected. During the incursion in East Jabalya, four students
were killed (grades 1, 5, 7 and 9), four UNRWA schools ware also
affected by the air strikes, and the electrical system was seriously
damaged during the fighting.
UNICEF RESPONSE
15. Health
In response to the shortages in equipment and
renewable medical supplies in Gaza's hospitals. UNICEF delivered
the following items from its emergency stock in Gaza:
— 2 new emergency health kits: basic
unit in Rafah (Najar Hospital) and in the middle area (Al Aqsa
Hospital).
— 1 new emergency health kit in the
northern area (Bait Hanoun Hospital).
— 2 obstetric surgical kits: in Gaza
City (Shifa Hospital) and in Khan Yunls (Nasr Hospital).
— 30 first aid kits were also delivered
to the NGO Patients Benevolent Friend Society, which is running
an ambulance service in Gaza City.
— 20 family water kits (200 families).
— 35 family hygiene kits (245 persons).
— 60 baby hygiene kits are to be distributed
to families who have lost their homes in East Jabalya through
the Red Crescent.
— Procurement of a fuel tank (10,000
litres) for the main pharmacy in Gaza City within 10 days.
16. Water and sanitation
UNICEF funds the following in East Jabalya:
— Cleaning the waste water manholes.
— Repair specific damaged parts in
the waste water networks and water networks.
— Replacement of about 500 metres of
damaged pipes used for water distribution.
— On-going provision of drinking water
to 220 schools in Gaza, Middle area and PRafah (200,000 children)
since 10 February 2008.
— A cleaning campaign around 4 pumping
stations started on 3 March 2008.
— Procurement of 100 boots and 60 suits
for workers, 6 mobile fuel tanks (1,000 litres) and 6 fixed fuel
tanks (5,000 litres).
17. Education
After consultation with counterparts and in
order to address the loss endured by families end the lack of
supplies, UNICEF is providing two schools in East Jabalya with
the following items:
— 10 school-in-a-box kits (800 pupils).
— 4 outdoor recreational kits (360
pupils).
18. Child protection
In response to the Jabalya incursion, UNICEF
and UNHWA activated the Emergency Mental Health and Psychosocial
Group. A coordination meeting was called at central level on 4
March 2008 where the different actors' interventions were discussed
in order to avoid duplications and gaps. It was agreed that a
common assessment tool will be used to screen the population and
identify individuals and families in need of psychological support.
The five organisations—including the Palestinian Centre
for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (PCOCR) with a capacity
of 20 social workers/psychologists in the affected area—with
the resources to deploy staff in schools, community centres and
to visit households, started their operations on 6 March.
14 March 2008
Memorandum submitted by John Ging, Director,
UNRWA Operations in Gaza
THE HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY IN GAZA—"A
SHOCKING AND SHAMEFUL SITUATION"
Thank you for the opportunity to present evidence
to the Committee on the Humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The two principal issues underpinning the shocking
and shameful humanitarian situation in Gaza are violence and the
lack of access for people and supplies to get into and out of
the Gaza Strip.
When it comes to violence and the pervasive
sense of fear that it has created in every household, the statistics
speak for themselves. The casualty figures for 2008 in Gaza are
a total of 344 Palestinians killed and 756 injured. In those figures
are the deaths of 60 undisputedly innocent children with a further
175 injured children.
The mortal danger which is daily reality for
the civilian population in Gaza is clearly evidenced by the death
toll; equally, the absence of credible mechanisms of accountability
for the use of lethal force is feeding an ever growing perception
of impunity, bad faith and sense of despair.
It is also very important when referring to
the security challenges faced by the civilian population in Gaza,
that we condemn the rockets fired from Gaza into Israel on an
almost daily basis. These rockets terrorize the civilian population
within their range. Over 2647 rockets and mortars were fired into
Israel so far this year. A total of three Israeli civilians were
killed and 20 injured as a result that rocket fire.
The second issue underpinning the humanitarian
misery of the population of Gaza is the severe restrictions limiting
the access for people and goods in and out of the Gaza Strip.
The entire civilian population is affected by
these sanctions and every family is struggling to cope with a
personal crisis as a result. The pathetic humanitarian state was
clearly visible on 23 January when tens of thousands of desperate
Palestinians broke out of Gaza through the boundary wall with
Egypt. They did so, in large part to buy food, medicine and other
vital and basic household supplies. Repeated warnings of an imminent
social explosion went unheeded and a desperate population was
left with no alternative other than to take such dramatically
desperate action.
But the respite was short lived and the Gaza
Strip is now under an even tighter sanction regime than ever before,
fuel supplies of diesel and petrol in steady decline for months
have now run out completely.
No diesel or petrol has entered Gaza since the
10th of April. Prior to that, the amount of fuel entering Gaza
has been less and less every month once again the figures speak
for themselves.
In March of this year 3.8 million litres of
diesel fuel and 340,000 litres of benzene was transferred from
Israel into Gaza. Compare this with over 9.1 million litres of
diesel and 1.4 million litres of petrol that was supplied in August
2007.
So in March Gaza received only 23% of the benzene
and little more than 40% of the diesel that it had received a
few months ago.
What this means in reality is unbearable hardship
and a looming public health crisis.
The streets of Gaza are virtually empty of cars
today, the few vehicles moving are those who have made a dangerous
conversion to run on cooking gas. This is not a stage managed
crisis; it is reality for Gaza's 1.5 million residents. The ordinary
people are paying the price, doctors and teachers, children and
patients all walking, that is if they can walk the distance to
the clinics and schools. 20% of the ambulances are not responding
to emergencies as they have run out of fuel, the remainder are
running critically low. Even UNRWA's fuel supply was cut forcing
an unprecedented three day halt to the Agency's food distribution
operation affecting over 650,000 refugees, thankfully UNRWA received
a one week supply of 55,000 litres of diesel on Monday allowing
our food operations to resume, however our situation continues
to be highly precarious as we run out of petrol today.
The vital public services, including health,
water and sanitation are in a pathetic state. Today there is no
solid waste collection in over 50% of the Municipalities in Gaza
as there is no fuel for the rubbish trucks. 60,000 cubic meters
of raw and partially treated Sewage is pumped out to sea every
day, again simply because the treatment plants have run out of
fuel. 15 diesel powered water wells have shut down completely,
leaving 70,000 people without water in their homes. The Costal
Water Utility now report that because of the regular power cuts
and a lack of diesel for back up generators, 30% of Gazans having
running water for only four to eight hours per week, 40% once
every four days and the remaining 30% every other day. The sewage
at Sheik Redwan in northern Gaza City and Jabalia camp are overflowing
into lagoons in residential areas which were designed for storm
water. In Jabalia, the amount is three million litres of raw sewage
since Monday. The list is endless, the misery immeasurable and
there is no tangible basis at the moment to hope that the situation
will not continue to decline.
The economy has also collapsed as no raw materials
for manufacturing or construction have been allowed into Gaza
since June 07, this has resulted in almost 80,000 people losing
the dignity of work, bringing the number now queuing for UN food
handouts to over one million. $213 million dollars in United Nations
Humanitarian and development projects are on hold because construction
materials cannot enter Gaza. Equally, because of the prohibition
on importing printing paper, 200,000 children returned to UNRWA
schools without their text books for most of the month of September
and again at the start of the second semester in January. All
too often, solutions to the most pressing, basic and obvious humanitarian
needs if delivered at all, are delivered late and only after the
inevitable crisis occurs. 90% of Gaza's 3,900 industrial companies
have closed since June 2007, resulting in 80% of Gazan's now living
below the poverty line.
The severe restrictions on freedom of movement
for the people to enter and leave Gaza has created an acute sense
of imprisonment which has had a pervasive and devastating effect
on the psychology of the population. The pain, anguish and despair
for the families affected cannot be adequately conveyed in words,
whether it is the sick, students or migrant workers, their suffering
exemplifies the certain fact, that these punitive sanctions are
indiscriminately collective in their impact and counterproductive
to their stated purpose.
In the deprived living conditions that is now
the daily reality for Gazans, parents are losing their personal
battle to insulate and protect their children from developing
a mindset and outlook reflective of their environment. Plummeting
academic standards coupled with no realistic prospect of employment
is fatally undermining their efforts.
While the imprisonment and impoverishment of
the civilian population in Gaza in not the publicly stated policy
objective, it is nonetheless its principal effect. History teaches
us that peace is the dividend of economic wellbeing, while poverty
and despair are the fertile ground for extremism and conflict.
The solution to reverse the current trend of
human misery and violence in Gaza is access. This is the carefully
judged assessment of the authors of the 2005 Agreement on Movement
and Access, those authors were Israel, Palestinian Authority and
Egypt assisted by the United States of America. The solution that
they identified together was simple, open the crossings. However
implementation is not simple as it carries very real risks, so
graphically evidenced by the 09th April terrorist attack on the
fuel depot at Nahal Oz where two innocent Israeli civilian workers
were killed. Nonetheless, risks must taken to restore a dignified
and humane existence for the population of Gaza, it is their fundamental
human right enshrined in international conventions. Abdication
of responsibility to uphold the legal rights of Gaza's civilian
population, means concession to the rule of the gun rather than
rule of law.
Urgent action is therefore needed right now,
the reality on the ground in Gaza is evolving rapidly, to date
all warnings have been ignored and yet inspite of the growing
evidence of the predicted and predictable negative consequences
of the current policies, there has been no change in approach.
Gazans need effective principled humanitarian interventions. In
essence this means, the protections proscribed in International
Humanitarian Law and Human Rights conventions. The absence of
effective and credible mechanisms to hold decision makers accountable
for their actions to International legal standards, is feeding
a growing sense of injustice and despair on the one hand and a
perception of arrogant impunity on the other. If the rule of law
is not credibly and effectively restored to its rightful pre-eminent
position in defining action in this conflict, then by what other
measure should actions be judged?
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is shocking
and the political failure to respond effectively and humanely
is shameful.
30 April 2008
| 
