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Supplementary written evidence submitted by the Department for International Development
5 February 2009
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 ANNEX A
Detail of incidents in the Rafah area, 16-18 January
Friday, 16 January 2009
Ø At approximately 08:20, Israeli gunboats fired shells at al-Mawasi area and at the south of Rafah.
Ø 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.
Ø At approximately 08:35, an IAF warplane fired a missile at agricultural land in al-Tannour neighbourhood east of Rafah.
Ø The IDF shelled houses in al-Shouka village east of Rafah, 16 civilians, including five children and four women were wounded.
Ø At approximately 13:00, IAF warplanes targeted an number of militants in Um al-Nasser village, north of Rafah, killing one of them.
Ø 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.
Ø At approximately 16:30, Israeli gunboats shelled al-Mawasi area and open areas in the west of Rafah.
Ø At approximately 21:00, IAF warplanes bombed the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Ø 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.
Ø 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.
Ø 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. Ø At approximately 17:30, a drone fired two missiles at Kherbat al-'Adas area in Rafah. Two houses were hit.
Ø 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
Ø 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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