Supplementary written evidence submitted
by the Department for International Development
Following my appearance on 21 January at
the first hearing of the International Development Select Committee's
Aid Under Pressure' Inquiry on Financing for Development I am
pleased to provide the further information you requested on the
situation in Gaza, tax evasion and the International Aid Transparency
Initiative.
Gaza
The Committee asked for more details on the
situation in the refugee camps around Rafah, and whether displacement
of Palestinians across the border into Egypt is taking place.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, tents
were being erected during the conflict by the Egyptian Red Crescent
on the Egyptian side of the border. This was part of the Red Crescent's
contingency planning should there be any large influx of people
across the border. To date this influx has not happened.
We don not have specific information regarding
the closure of Al Sarayh neighbourhood in the 48 hours prior
to 19 January. However, according to the Palestinian Centre
for Human Rights, several incidents took place in the Rafah area
during this period which resulted in three civilian deaths, a
number of injuries and the destruction of houses (See ANNEX A
for full details). With regards to the current situation in the
camps around Rafah, the initial humanitarian needs assessment
for Gaza was completed this week. Once the results have been processed,
we will be able to provide the Committee with further information
if this would be useful.
Tax Evasion
On tax issues we discussed, DFID recognises
that improving tax systems in developing countries is central
to state-building and the exit from aid dependency. My department
works very closely with the Treasury, which leads on tax issues,
and fully supports HMT and HMRC efforts to tackle tax evasion
by raising international standards on the transparency of tax
information, through the OECD Harmful Tax Practices Initiative
and Global Forum on Taxation (which involves both OECD and non-OECD
countries), the UN Committee of Tax Experts and the draft UN Code
of Conduct.
The scale of tax evasion in developing countries
is unclear and it is not possible, given available data to confirm
the accuracy of those figures frequently cited by NGOs and academics.
There is a need to develop the evidence base on this issue and
DFID in collaboration with HMT and HMRC is commissioning further
research in this area.
IATI
The International Aid Transparency Initiative
(IATI) is progressing well. The IATI statement has now been signed
by sixteen donors and endorsed by a growing number of partner
countries. A multi-stakeholder Steering Committee has been set
up to oversee the initiative, comprising representatives from
donors, partner countries, civil society and experts on aid information
and statistics. Detailed scoping work is being carried out to
ascertain the potential scope of the aid information standards
expected to be agreed under IATI and consultations with partner
countries and civil society organizations are planned for the
first half of this year. A multi-stakeholder IATI conference is
planned for mid-2009, at which participation by IDC Members would
be strongly welcomed. Further details and a formal invitation
will be made available near the time.
I would like to take this opportunity to assure
the Committee of my commitment to these issues.
Douglas Alexander
5 February 2009
Annex A
DETAIL OF
INCIDENTS IN
THE RAFAH
AREA, 16-18 JANUARY
Friday, 16 January 2009
— At approximately 08:20, Israeli gunboats
fired shells at al-Mawasi area and at the south of Rafah.
— Ten minutes later a drone fired two missiles
at a group of children collecting firewood from agricultural land
behind a fuel station in Omar Ben al-Khattab. One child was killed
as a result and another child was wounded.
— At approximately 08:35, an IAF warplane
fired a missile at agricultural land in al-Tannour neighbourhood
east of Rafah.
— The IDF shelled houses in al-Shouka village
east of Rafah, 16 civilians, including five children and
four women were wounded.
— At approximately 13:00, IAF warplanes
targeted an number of militants in Um al-Nasser village, north
of Rafah, killing one of them.
— At approximately 15:30, am IAF warplane
bombed agricultural areas in Kherbat ak-'Adas area in the north
of Rafah. A Palestinian child was wounded. On the previous day,
13 Palestinian civilians were wounded by IDF shelling.
— At approximately 16:30, Israeli gunboats
shelled al-Mawasi area and open areas in the west of Rafah.
— At approximately 21:00, IAF warplanes
bombed the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
— At approximately 01:05, IAF warplanes
bombed a 2-storey house in al-Junaina neighbourhood in which 10 families
live (40 people). A supermarket and two flats on the ground
floor were burnt and 2 people wounded.
— At approximately 11:20, medical crews
found the bodies of two Palestinian civilians in al-Nasser village,
north of Rafah. The two civilians were killed when an IDF artillery
shell hit a house belonging to one of them.
— At approximately 14:00, IAF warplanes
dropped dozens of bombs on the border between the Gaza Strip and
Egypt, south of Rafah. The bombardment continued until 22:00.
No casualties were reported, but houses in the area sustained
more damage.
— At approximately 17:30, a drone fired
two missiles at Kherbat al-'Adas area in Rafah. Two houses were
hit.
— At approximately 22:10, a drone fired
a missile at a tract of agricultural land near Abu Yousef al-Najjar
Hospital in al-Junaina neighbourhood. No casualties were reported.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
— At approximately 0200, the IDF redeployed
outside al-Shouka village east of Rafah. According to information
available to PCHR the IDF demolished a number of houses, damaged
others, razed areas of agricultural land and destroyed the civilian
infrastructure.
Source: PCHR: Weekly Report: On Israeli
Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
22 January.
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