Memorandum submitted by the Department
for International Development
BURMA ONE-OFF
EVIDENCE SESSION
Follow-up to the Committee's Tenth Report of Session
2006-07, DFID assistance to Burmese internally displaced people
and refugees on the Thai-Burma border
1. There has been significant change, both
political and humanitarian, in the situation in Burma since the
Committee's report (DFID assistance to Burmese internally displaced
people and refugees on the Thai-Burma border, published on 25
July 2007) and the Government's response, published on 23 October
2007 in the Committee's Eleventh Special Report. The Secretary
of State for International Development welcomes the opportunity
to provide written evidence to update the Committee in connection
with the Report and its recommendations and on the specific points
which the Committee has highlighted.
OVERALL LEVELS
OF DFID ASSISTANCE
FOR: THE
BURMA PROGRAMME;
CROSS-BORDER
ASSISTANCE; AND
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
IN RESPONSE
TO CYCLONE
NARGIS
2. Before Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, the
Secretary of State agreed that DFID's regular aid programme to
Burma would double over the next three years, from £9m in
2007/08 (including an additional £1m allocated in-year following
September's uprising) to £18 million in 2010/11. In response
to the cyclone, we have in addition committed £27.5 million
for immediate humanitarian relief and early recovery, the largest
contribution from any donor so far.
3. Immediate humanitarian relief and early
recovery. Our £27.5 million contribution has been allocated
primarily to the UN Flash Appeal, to NGOs and to the International
Red Cross Movement. This has provided more than 1 million people
affected by the cyclone with clean fresh drinking water, sanitation
facilities, protection, basic healthcare and emergency shelter
as well as agricultural assistance such as seeds and tools to
re-plant lost crops. Our contribution has also been used for logistics,
including 22 relief flights and the supply of 14 flat-bottomed
boats to improve access in the Delta.
4. Though all figures should be treated
with caution, the UN estimates as of mid-June that over a million
people have yet to receive assistance; we believe that about 300,000
remain extremely vulnerable. Relief is likely to be required in
some areas until next year. The UN plans to use the initial findings
of ASEAN's assessment of needs—a process that is currently
underway—to revise its Humanitarian Appeal in early July.
Our response will need to take account of the contributions of
other donors and the operating environment provided by the Burmese
government for the international community.
5. DFID's regular aid programme. From this
financial year, DFID has increased its aid programme. Over the
next three years this means £12 million in 2008/09; £15
million in £2009/10; and £18 million in 2010/11. Our
approach centres on three sectors:
— Health. We plan to continue work
to tackle HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, through an increased contribution
to the Three Diseases Fund. We also intend to use this approach
to look at more systemic health sector issues.
— Education. We will continue to support
the work of UNICEF and Save the Children in early childhood and
primary education and will try to bring in other partners including
non-formal schools (such as those run by the monasteries).
— Rural growth. Taking account of the
devastation caused by the cyclone, we are increasing our work
to support rural livelihoods and growth, building on our experience
with UNDP.
6. In all our work, we will continue to
seek to build support for the foundations of democracy and poverty
reduction and to work with conflict-affected populations.
7. The UK's £27.5 million, committed
since Cyclone Nargis struck, is responding to immediate humanitarian
relief and recovery needs. This is our current priority.
We recognise that the scale of the devastation
caused by Cyclone Nargis—the worst humanitarian disaster
since the Asian tsunami of 2004—will require significant
longer term reconstruction needs. We will look at the scale of
our programme in accordance with the constraints of working with
the Burmese regime and the provisions of the EU Common Position.
The scale of any increase will depend on the extent to which the
Burmese authorities are delivering on the commitments they made
at the May donor conference in Rangoon and on the outcomes of
the ASEAN needs assessment. However, our current focus is rightly
on immediate humanitarian need.
8. Cross-border assistance. The Secretary
of State's visit to Mae La refugee camp in January enabled him
to have discussions with the camp committee, recent arrivals,
women's groups and the legal assistance centre and to get a clear
picture of the circumstances which had brought refugees to the
camps, the conditions in which they live in camps, the restrictions
they face, and their aspirations for the future. He also met some
of the organisations involved in taking support to IDPs inside
Burma. Following his visit, the Secretary of State decided that
support for refugees and cross-border work should increase. Last
month we provided £1 million to the Thai-Burma Border Consortium
for 2008/09, for their work in the refugee camps in Thailand and
for their cross-border work. This figure represents a 50% increase
over the original DFID allocation for 2007/08 (we allocated an
extra £100,000 late in 2007/08 to help cover shortfalls in
TBBC's finances), reflecting higher rice prices and additional
funding for TBBC's cross-border work. It is consistent with the
analysis presented in UNOCHA's late 2007 review (see para 29),
which argued that cross-border work was an important way to meet
the immediate emergency needs of those people who could not be
reached by other means.
9. This grant to TBBC is for 2008/09 only.
The refugee issue is a long-running one. TBBC and others have
played an important role in difficult circumstances in providing
support over many years and keeping international attention focussed
on the plight of those in the camps. We believe the time is now
right for the donor community to take a more strategic medium
term approach to support the long term interests of the refugees,
taking account of the attitudes and policy of the Thai Government
on the refugee issue. Earlier this year, DFID undertook a review
of assistance to refugees and IDPs in the border area; the European
Commission conducted a strategic review at the same time. The
conclusions of the two reviews are broadly in line with each other;
the DFID review will be provided to the Committee ahead of 9th
July. Together, they present a range of ideas that would help
us to move to a more sustainable solution, with improved opportunities
available for the refugees. This approach is based on enhanced
donor coordination (and—ideally—pooled funding) and
greater donor engagement with TBBC, other implementing agencies,
and the Thai Government.
10. Following the Secretary of State's border
visit, he also agreed that DFID should support small-scale humanitarian
projects from Burmese groups in Thailand to help support IDPs
and other vulnerable groups. Funding so far approved comprises
£102,780 to a women's network for its work to improve health,
education, livelihoods and women's rights amongst displaced Shan
people in camps in Burma and Thailand; £100,000 to a clinic
for medicines, supplies and equipment for critical medical work;
and £19,680 to fund primary education for children living
in the ceasefire and remote areas inside Burma and children of
Burmese migrants in the border areas. Our support for cross-border
health-care work from China—£1.35 million over four
years—is continuing. We have not provided funds for political
projects, as this is not consistent with DFID's poverty and MDG
criteria. Before Cyclone Nargis we had been investigating options
for work on the India border, and will take this up again as soon
as possible.
DFID'S STAFFING
LEVELS IN
BURMA, THAILAND
AND THE
UK FOR WORK
ON BURMA
ISSUES
11. The number and location of DFID staff
working on Burma are organised to allow maximum flexibility to
respond to Burma's changing needs.
12. Staffing before Cyclone Nargis. Following
the closure of the Bangkok office in March 2008, we have had 9
staff in Rangoon and one member of staff in London in addition
to a significant proportion of the relevant Deputy Director and
Director's time. The Secretary of State also decided that we should
continue to have one member of staff in Bangkok. These staff have
managed the ongoing programme (including monitoring and review);
planned new programme activities in the light of the increased
funding; contributed to donor co-ordination in both Burma and
Thailand; and maintained relationships with key partners, including
Burmese groups in Thailand.
13. In-country staffing has been supplemented
by frequent visits. In addition to the Secretary of State's visit
to Mae La camp in January, DFID and FCO staff from London, Rangoon
and Bangkok have visited both Rangoon and the Thai-Burma border
areas and refugee camps: since September, DFID staff have visited
seven of the nine Karen and Karenni camps on the border; the Head
of the DFID office in Rangoon has visited the camps three times;
the Deputy Director in London has also made three visits; a planned
visit by the Director in May was postponed because of Cyclone
Nargis. Staff from Rangoon and London have visited Bangkok regularly
for discussions with Thai-based exile groups, NGOs, political
groups and other donors. FCO staff from the British Embassy in
Bangkok have also had frequent meetings with these groups; the
British Ambassador in Thailand has held discussions with Burmese
groups six times in 2008 and visited four camps.
14. Staffing since Cyclone Nargis. We have
posted 6 humanitarian experts in Rangoon to manage the relief
effort in country, 10 humanitarian staff in London to manage and
co-ordinate the DFID contribution and 3 additional staff in London
to handle communications, Parliamentary business and co-ordination
of work across government. We plan to retain 3 cyclone response
co-ordinators in Rangoon for a year, accompanied by a communications
officer for 6 months. To reflect the needs of the growing programme
we also plan to post an additional Livelihoods Adviser to Rangoon.
An FCO official was seconded to DFID in the period before the
Rangoon conference to help with co-ordination of our work. When
donor co-ordination on logistics was taking place in Bangkok,
we posted an additional staff member to the Embassy there. As
that work has now moved to Rangoon, that post has come to an end;
but we will review at the end of July whether we need to change
the profile of our representation in Bangkok, given the impact
of the cyclone and the increased political and international focus
on Burma.
DFID WORKING WITH
OTHERS: PROGRESS
ON SHARING
INFORMATION ABOUT
CROSS-BORDER
WORK WITH
OTHER AGENCIES;
PROGRESS IN
PROVIDING SUPPORT
TO COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANISATIONS; UK CONTACT
WITH CHINA
AND INDIA
ABOUT BURMA;
AND CO
-ORDINATION OF
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
WITH OTHER
AGENCIES, AND
BETWEEN DFID
AND FCO, IN RESPONSE
TO CYCLONE NARGIS
15. Sharing information with others on cross-border
activities has increased significantly over the last year, as
recommended by the Committee. During his visit to Thailand in
January, the Secretary of State had discussions with cross-border
aid groups, political groups and other donors in Bangkok. DFID
staff in London have met regularly with a group of UK-based NGOs
(including Christian Aid, CAFOD, Christian Solidarity Worldwide,
Oxfam, World Vision, Health Unlimited, and the Burma Campaign)
working in Burma and Thailand (and China) to exchange information
and views. Staff from Rangoon (often joined by staff from London)
have also made at least monthly visits to Thailand for discussions
with other donors and Thai-based groups. DFID's new liaison officer
in the British Embassy in Bangkok is building up contact with
Burmese groups based in Thailand and attends donor co-ordinating
meetings, accompanied as appropriate by staff from Rangoon. DFID
attends both the monthly donor coordination meetings organised
by UN OCHA in Bangkok and the Partnership Group on Aid Effectiveness
donor coordination meetings initiated by the European Commission
in Rangoon.
16. Support to community-based organisations
has also made good progress. We have begun a 3-year, £3 million
civil society programme to help people and communities engage
in change processes at a local level. The programme aims to develop
the skills of local organisations to work together to address
local problems that affect their lives, improve networking between
different organisations and create good examples for others to
follow. This fund has already been used to support some of the
community organisations involved in responding to Cyclone Nargis.
For example, one local NGO has been supported to do some immediate
relief work in Rangoon, helping it to demonstrate its capability
and to obtain UN support for a larger project to distribute food
and shelter materials in one of the worst affected areas of the
Delta. We continue to provide support for local civil society
organisations working with IDPs.
17. China and India are the most influential
of Burma's neighbours, with strong economic interests in the country.
Their influence on the regime is substantial, though not unlimited.
Both after the September 2007 uprisings and after Cyclone Nargis
the UK has been in regular contact with the two countries. We
pressed them to use their influence with the regime to put an
end to its violent and repressive response to the uprisings and
to take the necessary steps towards reconciliation. Since the
cyclone, we have sought to persuade both governments to provide
increased support to the relief effort and to put pressure on
the Burmese regime to allow free and unfettered access for international
aid workers and relief supplies. The Secretary of State has been
in personal contact with the Chinese Ambassador here in London.
18. The coordination of humanitarian relief
in Rangoon since the cyclone has gradually improved. The Secretary
of State and other Ministers, including the Prime Minister, have
invested significant personal effort in persuading ASEAN countries,
working with the UN, to lead the regional response to the cyclone
and to put pressure on the regime. We have also engaged in intensive
diplomatic activity in Brussels and New York. The Secretary of
State attended the donor conference in Rangoon at the UN Secretary
General's request. These efforts have helped to secure the agreement
of the Burmese regime to provide greater access for international
aid and aid-workers. The conference also established a UN/ASEAN/Government
of Burma mechanism—the Tripartite Core Group—to improve
the response to the crisis and facilitate the flow of assistance
and launched a joint ASEAN/UN assessment mission to undertake
a review of relief and recovery needs.
19. These mechanisms are starting to work.
The Tripartite Core Group is meeting regularly and aims to resolve
issues of concern such as access and reports of forced relocations
of cyclone victims. The ASEAN/UN assessment team will report its
findings next month. The office of the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator
in Rangoon has been strengthened to help with the coordination
effort. But though access is improving and more aid is getting
in, still more and faster progress is required.
20. Close daily contact between DFID and
FCO in London has also been maintained. This builds on the close
working which takes place in Rangoon. We have also provided personnel,
equipment and financial support to the UN in Rangoon and Bangkok
to help coordinate the relief effort, including seconding 7 staff
into UN agencies.
DIALOGUE WITH
THE REGIME:
ACTIVITY SINCE
THE REPORT,
INCLUDING THE
IMPACT OF
THE SEPTEMBER
2007 UPRISINGS, THE
CONSTITUTION PROCESS/ELECTION
TIMETABLE AND
CYCLONE NARGIS
ON PROSPECTS
FOR DIALOGUE
21. Dialogue with the regime before the
cyclone. The Committee observed in its Report that, while any
dialogue with the SPDC had to be handled with great care, there
was a case for limited engagement on specific poverty and humanitarian
issues, and that DFID should do this as part of a group of international
actors.
22. As the Government noted in its reply,
dialogue in the areas of health and primary education have been
ongoing and have helped create greater understanding of the challenges
by the regime. Officials from the Ministry of Health took part
in the first review of the 3 Diseases Fund in April 2008. DFID's
participant in the Review noted the openness and frankness of
the discussion, which covered a range of issues including access,
registration of community-based organisations, and the need for
the Burmese government to allocate more of its resources to health
care. The conclusions of the meeting may be found at www.3dfund.org.
23. Wider, multi-donor dialogue on poverty
has not made progress. One of the outcomes of the September 2007
uprisings was a series of visits by the UN Secretary General's
envoy, Professor Ibrahim Gambari. While much of Professor Gambari's
work focused on the political aspects of the situation, it was
recognised that economic factors, including last summer's fuel
price rises and the hardship faced by many people trying to meet
their daily needs, had been one of the drivers of the unrest.
Professor Gambari therefore sought the agreement of the regime
to establish a Poverty Commission, to review the causes of, and
consider responses to, the country's economic problems. However,
the regime has shown no inclination to take the initiative forward.
24. Despite renewed impetus in the UN following
the regime's crackdown in September and a clear call for progress
from the Security Council, the regime has pressed ahead with its
`7 step roadmap to disciplined democracy', a political process,
neither inclusive nor consultative, viewed by most of the international
community as a means of entrenching military rule. In February
the regime announced that a referendum on a draft constitution
would take place in May and elections in 2010. On 1 May the Security
Council passed a short Presidential Statement calling for the
regime to guarantee fundamental freedoms in respect of the referendum.
Despite the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis the regime went
ahead with the referendum on 10 May, in all but the worst hit
areas, where it was postponed till 24 May. The reported 99% turnout
and 92% vote in favour lack all credibility.
25. Dialogue with the regime since the cyclone.
The urgent requirement to get more aid into all the areas of Burma
affected by the cyclone resulted in the first two Ministerial
visits to Burma for twenty years. Lord Malloch Brown pressed the
need for improved access directly with the Government during his
visit before the Rangoon donor conference. The Secretary of State
used the conference to call on the regime to honour its commitments
and allow a step-change in the aid operation and wider access.
Our immediate priority has been to bring relief to the suffering
of the victims of the cyclone. But our Government continues to
bring pressure to bear on the regime for political change; only
the restoration of accountable, democratic government will bring
the people of Burma long term prosperity and security.
26. Internationally we have seen strong
momentum and coherence behind the Cyclone Nargis humanitarian
work. ASEAN is more closely involved than it has been before.
None of the ASEAN states has so far welcomed the recent referendum
as a step forward, as they were doing before the cyclone. The
Government will continue to work with international partners to
maintain pressure on the regime for political change.
REFUGEES: UPDATE
SINCE THE
REPORT TO
INCLUDE THE
IMPACT OF
THE SEPTEMBER
2007 UPRISINGS AND
THE LIKELY
IMPACT OF
CYCLONE NARGIS
27. The Committee recommended that DFID
increase its level of engagement with refugee issues; that it
visit refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border more often to provide
more oversight of delivery of aid money; and that it conduct a
development analysis of the management of the refugee camps. We
have addressed these issues in paras 8-10 and 13-15 above and
in the forthcoming report.
28. Neither the September protests nor the
cyclone appear to have had a significant impact on the refugee
situation. There was not a large population increase in the camps
following the protests and military crackdown, although some new
refugees did arrive in Thailand. Similarly, although some people
from the Delta have arrived at refugee camps in Thailand since
the cyclone, the numbers involved are not large.
INTERNALLY DISPLACED
PEOPLE: UPDATE
SINCE THE
REPORT TO
INCLUDE THE
IMPACT OF
THE SEPTEMBER
2007 UPRISINGS AND
THE LIKELY
IMPACT OF
CYCLONE NARGIS
29. UNOCHA produced a draft of its review
of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in South
East Burma in late 2007. It has since received comments from a
broad range of organisations with an interest in the issue.
30. The report found that IDPs in Eastern
Burma are highly vulnerable and that their vulnerability is exacerbated
by the difficulties in getting assistance to them. It argued that,
despite the risks, cross-border support is justified for providing
immediate, emergency needs for the (approximately) 100,000 people
who cannot be reached by other means. It was, however, sceptical
of the benefits of tackling longer term needs through cross-border
approaches and suggested that, where possible, support should
be provided from within Burma. The report concluded that both
in-country and cross-border assistance were vital and that donors
should work together to build a coordinated strategic vision that
focused on the quality delivery of services to those who need
them.
31. The OCHA analysis is supported by the
data available and by careful argument. We have agreed that we
should do more, within the increased programme, to assist those
affected by conflict, including IDPs, and we have agreed that
more can be done cross-border, in line with the analysis presented
in the OCHA report. Increased funding for TBBC this year reflects
that agreement, as does the new funding for organisations which
support refugees and displaced people described in para 10. We
plan soon to allocate £550,000 to support in-country mechanisms
to reach people people living in or near conflict areas. (Last
year we provided £400,000.) We also hope to extend the work
of our in-country health programme to those affected by conflict:
the Three Diseases Fund is calling for proposals from local organisations
which may provide a route for getting assistance to those whom
international organisations find it hard to reach. We will engage
with other donors to develop the coordinated strategic vision
proposed by the OCHA report.
32. Ethnic groups were not heavily involved
in September's uprisings, which were led by the monks and by democracy
groups. We saw no evidence of increased military activity (beyond
regular seasonal variation) in the conflict areas as a direct
result.
33. Large numbers of people were displaced
in the Delta following Cyclone Nargis. Although Karen and Mon
states were affected by high winds and rain, they were not among
the areas worst hit by the cyclone and have not been the focus
of DFID's contribution to relief. DFID's contribution to the humanitarian
effort is separate from and additional to its regular programme
of aid to Burma, so there is no question of IDPs or refugees losing
support because of it.
CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
THE UN FOLLOWING
THE RESIDENT
CO -ORDINATOR'S
EXPULSION FROM
BURMA IN
NOVEMBER 2007,
AND FOLLOWING CYCLONE
NARGIS
34. The UN has played a leading role in
the relief effort and the political push to allow access for international
relief, thanks largely to the personal engagement of the UN Secretary
General, who visited Burma on 23 and 25 May and secured from the
regime commitments to improve access for aid and international
relief workers. We are encouraging the Secretary General to maintain
his close personal involvement, on the political as well as the
humanitarian side. We will encourage him to visit Burma again
towards the end of the year to review progress and maintain pressure
for next steps. Before that we would like to see, and are pressing
for, a further visit by the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator,
John Holmes, to assess the humanitarian operation and by Professor
Gambari to take forward political discussions. In country, the
UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator, Dan Baker, is co-ordinating the
international relief effort in Burma, and is part of the Tripartite
Core Group. A new UN Resident Co-ordinator, Bishow Parajulie,
arrived in May 2008.
35. The key immediate challenges for the
UN remain to ensure that the Burmese regime lives up to its commitments;
to make the Tripartite Core Group work effectively; to work closely
with ASEAN to ensure that aid is delivered in the volumes required
to all the affected areas; and to prepare for early recovery,
including the planting of the next rice crop. In the longer term,
the good relationship the UN Secretary General has been able to
establish with the Burmese authorities may create the opportunity
for political dialogue, difficult though this is likely to be.
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