Title: Humanitarian Response to the Gaza Crisis 2014
Project Purpose: To provide humanitarian assistance to Gazans displaced from their homes during the summer 2014 escalation in hostilities
Programme Value: £9,000,000 Country/ Region: Gaza Strip, Occupied
Palestinian Territories
Project Code: 204841 Start Date: 31 July 2014 End Date: 31 January 2014
Quest Number: 4650472
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What support will the UK provide? The UK will provide £9m for Gaza in response to the humanitarian crisis following Operation Protective Edge which began in July 2014, exacerbating an already chronically vulnerable situation. £6m will be for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and £3m for the UN World Food Programme (WFP). This business case covers the new funding allocated by the DFID Palestinian Programme to the crisis as part of a broader
£17m humanitarian response package. £5.1m of the remaining funding is managed by DFID’s Conflict,
Humanitarian and Security Department and includes £3.1m for rapid response projects by pre-approved
NGO partners a nd £2m in matched funding to the Disasters Emergency Committee public appeal. £3m of the package is existing support from the DFID Palestinian Programme which has been re-profiled to help agencies respond to the crisis; we have brought forward £3m in funding to the International
Committee of the Red Cross from 2015-16, i and have reallocated of an underspend of approximately
£156,000-£200,000 on an UNRWA Gaza schools construction project to help repair new damage to schools.
ii
What are the main programme activities? The UK will provide un-earmarked funding to UNRWA and
WFP to enable them to respond to the needs of the unprecedented number of people displaced during the conflict. Both UNRWA and WFP already have substantial roles in Gaza, with UNRWA providing basic health and education for 1.2m Palestinian refugees (70% of the population) and WFP providing food assistance to 285,000 food insecure non-refugees (15% of the population). During the latest crisis,
UNRWA has provided shelter to 290,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in 85 UNRWA schools and given them a wide range of assistance including food, cash and non-food items. UNRWA and WFP have worked together very closely on the distribution of food, with both agencies spending $0.5m a day on emergency food supplies to provide food to IDPs in UNRWA shelters and in host communities. WFP has more than doubled its caseload to almost 600,000.
Why is UK support required? Gaza has been in a state of extreme vulnerability since 2007, when
Israel increased restrictions on the movement and access of people and goods after Hamas took power.
57% of the population were already food insecure. There were regularly rolling power cuts of up to 16 hours a day and the water in Gaza’s aquifer is due to run out by 2020. The UN has warned that Gaza will be “unliveable” by that point.
iii
Against this backdrop, the humanitarian impact of Operation Protective Edge - launched on 7 July 2014 following a tense period across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) after the suspension of the
US-led peace talks in April 2014 - has been severe. The death toll has been much greater than previous rounds of violence. The UN estimates that over 2,100 Palestinians were killed; of the verified cases, over 1,460 (70%) are believed to have been civilians, more than 500 were children and over 250 women.
Over 10,200 have been injured and more than 370,000 children are in need of psycho-social assistance.
There has been severe damage to Gaza’s already-weak power and water infrastructure, with Gaza’s only power plant rendered inoperable following airstrikes on 29 July. 230 schools, 15 hospitals, 18 health clinics and 48 water and installations have been reported damaged or destroyed.
iv The Palestinian
Ministry of the National Economy puts the total value of damage so far at $6bn.
v This destruction has occurred in the context of a major slowdown in private sector economic activity. Gaza’s GDP had enjoyed a short-term boost fuelled by a construction boom using materials largely sourced from the tunnel economy, averaging at around 11% between 2009-12. In 2014, GDP is expected to grow at 3% in
Gaza – and that is an estimation which was made before the recent conflict. In June 2014 (before the conflict), 41% of Gazans were unemployed - more than twice as high as the figure in the West Bank of
18%.
The scale of displacement has been unprecedented: before the ceasefire was announced on 26 August,
485,000 people had been displaced. Around 290,000 of these were in 85 UNRWA schools, almost
50,000 were sheltering in government schools and over 140,000 were staying with host families. By comparison, during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9, 35-50,000 people were displaced. This has placed huge burdens on humanitarian agencies, particularly UNRWA (which only had stocks to provide for
35,000 IDPs) and WFP. The UN estimates that 108,000 will have no homes to return to. 18,000 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged, which nearly three times the number damaged during Cast Lead (6,700). The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched
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a revised Gaza Crisis Appeal for $551m on 10 September; $295m of this was for UNRWA and $63m was for WFP.
Since 2011, the UK has been providing approximately £30m a year in development assistance for Gaza.
Much of this is through our contribution to the Palestinian Authority (£131m from 2011-15) and UNRWA’s
General Fund (£107m 2011-15). DFID also funds three Gaza-specific projects: £14.6m to build 13
UNRWA schools, £15.9m for the UNRWA Jobs Creation Programme and £9.6m for the WFP’s food voucher scheme from 2011-15. It is therefore appropriate for DFID to play a role in meeting the increased humanitarian nee ds following the 2014 Gaza crisis, alongside the UK Government’s political engagement to establish a ceasefire and support a return to meaningful negotiations on the underlying issues. DFID has a clear added value in being able to provide substantial, un-earmarked support to existing partners. DFID played a leading role in establishing WFP’s food voucher system so the fact that our funding will be used to scale this up is fitting.
What are the expected results? The UK will provide un-earmarked funding to enable UNRWA and
WFP to scale up their services flexibly to meet the needs of displaced Gazans. However, in terms of notional headline results, £6m would enable UNRWA to provide non-food item packages for 23,400 families covering their needs for three months. These packages include mattresses, blankets, tarpaulins, diapers, hygiene items and cooking equipment.
£3m would enable WFP to provide emergency food vouchers for approximately 300,000 people for one month.
How does the project fit with the count ry programme or department’s strategic objectives set out in the Operational Plan?
The DFID Palestinian Programme’s strategic objective is to support the UK
Government’s objectives for a successful Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) by helping build
Palestinian institutions and promoting economic growth, so that any future state will be stable, prosperous, well-run, and an effective partner for peace with Israel. Gaza is an integral part of the future
Palestinian state, and meeting immediate humanitarian need (combined with continuing diplomatic efforts) helps promote stability and keep the two state solution viable. DFID and the UK Government have a clear humanitarian objective to save lives during emergency conflict situations around the world.
Helping the UN to meet the needs of displaced people during this severe spike in a long-running humanitarian crisis is in line with that aim.
What are the key risks to the success of the programme? Working in Gaza is challenging. The security environment makes it dangerous for humanitarian workers to do their work – around 30 have been killed in the current crisis, including 11 UNRWA staff. The activity of armed groups and military action in an extremely densely populated area causes risks for the UN, notably through instances in which rockets were found hidden in unused schools and in separate cases where airstrikes hit UN schools sheltering displaced people. Movement within Gaza is constrained by the security environment including the expanded ‘buffer zone’ covering 43% of the territory during the peak of the fighting. The access of goods into Gaza - especially many construction materials which are on a ‘dual use’ list – is highly restricted. UNRWA alone has had $150m worth of construction projects awaiting approval by
Israel for 18 months. Access restrictions and the security environment make it difficult for people – including DFID – to get into Gaza to monitor the implementation of projects on the ground. Lack of access, alongside damage to agricultural and farming crops, can lead to shortages of certain food products and increases in prices. Given that the de facto authority has been administered by a proscribed terror organisation, monitoring the flow of resources to ensure they do not financially benefit
Hamas is extremely important.
These risks are mitigated by working with UNRWA and WFP as established partners. UNRWA has over
12,500 staff on the ground and WFP works through partners and mechanisms which enable it to deliver
(e.g. the use of vouchers redeemable in local shops). The UN has taken a clear position about the importance of respecting the neutrality of its sites and protecting civilians seeking shelter in its premises.
DFID’s funding of the UN Access Co-ordination Unit helps mitigate risks by facilitating access of people and goods. WFP has monitored food stocks and prices carefully to ensure that people can still afford to meet their basic needs. The UK has been maintaining diplomatic pressure to allow unfettered humanitarian access and to implement a new monitoring and verification mechanism for the import of construction materials into Gaza during the reconstruction phase. DFID travels to Gaza when possible and meets regularly with UNRWA and WFP counterparts in Jerusalem. We work with trusted partners who provide assistance on the basis of need alone. UNRWA and WFP have robust financial management systems in place to prevent the diversion of resources, as described in the Financial Case.
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Overarching context and problem to be addressed:
The overarching context of Gaza’s problems is the unresolved IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Gaza’s population has been in a state of extreme vulnerability since 2007, when Israel imposed increased restrictions on the movement and access of people and goods after Hamas took power. 57% of the population were already food insecure and unemployment had reached over 40% in June 2014. There were regularly rolling power cuts of up to 16 hours a day and the water in Gaza’s aquifer is due to run out by 2020.
The latest crisis comes on the back of a significant security and political deterioration across the OPTs since the suspension of the US-led peace talks in April 2014 following the announcement of a
Palestinian interim technocratic government designed to reunify Gaza and the West Bank politically.
The murder of three Israeli teenagers prompted a heavy Israeli security operation in the West Bank. The apparent revenge murder of a Palestinian teenager led to violent clashes between protestors and police in Jerusalem and later across Arab cities in Israel. Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on 7 July
2014, involving air strikes at first and a ground incursion from 17 July.
Against this backdrop, the humanitarian impact has been severe. The death toll has been much greater than before. The UN estimates that over 2,100 Palestinians were killed; of the verified cases, over 1,460
(70%) are believed to have been civilians, of which almost 500 were children and over 250 women.
Over 10,200 people have been injured and more than 370,000 children are in need of psycho-social assistance. There has been severe damage to Gaza’s already weak power and water infrastructure, with the Gaza Power Plant rendered inoperable following airstrikes on 29 July, and severe damage to water wells, pumping stations and lines. The Palestinian Ministry of the National Economy puts the total damage so far at $6bn vi . 230 schools, 15 hospitals, 18 health clinics and 48 water and installations were reported damaged or destroyed.
vii
The scale of displacement has unprecedented. Before the ceasefire was announced on 26 August,
485,000 people had been displaced. Around 290,000 of these were in 85 UNRWA schools, almost
50,000 were sheltering in government schools and over 140,000 were staying with host families. By comparison, during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-9, 35-50,000 people were displaced. This has placed huge burdens on humanitarian agencies, particularly UNRWA (which only had stocks to provide for
35,000 IDPs) and WFP. The UN estimates that 108,000 will have no homes to return to. 18,000 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged, which is 270% more than the number damaged during Cast Lead (6,700). The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched a Gaza Crisis Appeal for $367m on 1 August; around half of this was for UNRWA and $48m was for WFP.
What the programme will do and how with evidence: The UK will provide un-earmarked funding to
UNRWA and WFP to enable them to respond flexibly to the needs of many of the 485,000 people displaced during the conflict.
UNRWA is providing a range of assistance to displaced people, including both Palestinian refugees and non-refugees. This assistance includes: food distribution in the shelters and in host communities; provision of non-food item kits; minor repairs to homes and UNRWA shelters; cash assistance to cover unexpected rental, health and burial costs; primary health care to an expanded caseload; psycho-social support to children and adults; emergency education for children unable to start the school year on time; cash for work to support early recovery activities; support to water and sanitation through water distribution, solid waste clearance, fuel and repairs to facilities. The exact number of people reached is still evolving and the future assistance will depend on funding received.
The UK has agreed to provide un-earmarked funding so that UNRWA can spend earmarked contributions first and use our funding flexibly to meet needs. However, to give a sense of what UK support can enable the agency to do in terms of notional results, £6m is enough to enable UNRWA to distribute 23,400 NFI kits to families sheltering in its schools, covering their needs for three months. The
NFI kits contain mattresses, blankets, tarpaulins, diapers, hygiene items and cooking equipment.
UNRWA will distribute these NFI kits from its warehouses in the West Bank.
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UNRWA is already a major service provider in Gaza, offering health and education services for 70% of the Gazan population who are Palestinian refugees. UNRWA has an established emergency relief programme including cash for work and food distribution. The UK i s the third biggest donor to UNRWA’s
General Fund, viii and we finance two UNRWA projects in Gaza – the Jobs Creation Programme, ix and a schools building programme.
x Our more recent annual reviews for these programmes scored A, A and
A++ respectively.
WFP is also responding to the food needs of many people displaced during the current crisis. WFP is targeting approximately 600,000 people, almost a doubling of its existing caseload of 285,000. WFP distributed ready-to-eat food to more than 350,000 IDPs during the fighting, and after 26 August WFP has continued to reach around 58,000 IDPs in UNRWA shelters. WFP has also provided emergency vouchers to IDPs in host communities. During the post conflict period, WFP is planning gradually to expand its recovery voucher programme to reach up to 300,000 people for 3 months. In hospitals, WFP is providing ready to eat rations for one month, focusing on vulnerable persons including the elderly, widowed women, female-headed households and orphaned children. WFP is provi ding one month’s emergency food vouchers to people whose livelihoods have been destroyed, including fishermen and farmers.
The UK is providing un-earmarked funding to WFP in line with good donor practice, but WFP plans to spend the UK’s funding on reaching beneficiaries through the food voucher modality which DFID has been instrumental in supporting. By way of a notional headline result, £3m is enough to enable WFP to distribute emergency food vouchers to meet the needs of around 300,000 people for one month. Each family is given an electronic debit card allowing them to purchase locally produced nutritious foods. The voucher programme stimulates the Palestinian economy by increasing sales of locally produced goods and supporting participating shops. Vouchers provide $12.50 per person per month, and can be used to purchase bread, cereal, milk, yoghurt, white cheese, eggs, pulses, vegetable oil, olive oil, rice, tahini and wheat flour. Participating shops receive an electronic terminal, similar to a credit card machine, where beneficiaries swipe their voucher cards to purchase food items.
WFP has a proven ability to deliver in Gaza through its implementing partners (Oxfam, in the case of the voucher programme). WFP already has a substantial role in Gaza. While the use of vouchers is a relatively new mechanism for delivering food assistance, it has been pioneered in the OPTs thanks largely to DFID funds – DFID has an existing £9.6m programme with WFP in Gaza providing electronic vouchers to over 60,000 people in 2014. This scored an A++ in its most recent annual review. As well as giving people dignity and choice, the use of vouchers stimulates the local economy; more than 90% of shops across the OPTs have seen an average 47% increase in sales using WFP’s vouchers. Voucher shops have increased paid workers by 47%, creating much-needed employment in the local economy.
xi
Relevant to operational plan and how programme contributes to DFID global and portfolio priorities of poverty reduction: The DFID Palestinian Programme’s strategic objective is to support the
UK Government’s objectives for a successful Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) by helping build
Palestinian institutions and promoting economic growth, so that any future state will be stable, prosperous, well-run, and an effective partner for peace with Israel. Gaza is an integral part of the future
Palestinian state, and meeting immediate humanitarian need (combined with continuing diplomatic efforts) helps promote stability and keep the two state solution viable. DFID and the UK Government have a clear humanitarian objective to save lives during emergency conflict situations around the world.
Helping the UN to meet the needs of displaced people during this severe spike in a long-running humanitarian crisis is in line with that aim. While the primary objective of the DFID Palestinian
Programme is not poverty alleviation, this intervention is targeted at the poorest people in Gaza, many of whom have lost their homes and livelihoods.
How the intervention will contribute to reducing gender inequality: While the conflict has affected all of the Gazan population, the intervention is designed so as to ensure that the needs of women and girls are met and that they are supported to make choices in their recovery. Of the civilian deaths, more adult men (710) were killed than women (250) leaving more female-headed households. WFP, which issues vouchers to the head of household whether male or female, is helping widows to meet their families’ needs despite the loss of often-male bread-winner. Almost 600 babies were born in the shelters and UNRWA distributed maternity packages to every mother consisting of a baby cot, diapers, hygiene items for both mother and baby, baby shampoo, body lotion and powder, underwear, baby clothes, and a
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baby's blanket. WFP posters advising on milk rations and the importance of breastfeeding are displayed in the main shelter areas. Overcrowding in the shelters and in host communities has increased risks of gender-based violence and abuse, which UNRWA is working to counteract through its social worker and health centre networks.
Throughout the current crisis, DFID has considered carefully at which stage humanitarian support would be appropriate, how this links with our diplomatic efforts and which delivery partners have the best capacity to deliver in a way that maximises value for money and manages risk.
From 821 July, DFID’s assessment was that it was not yet appropriate to provide additional humanitarian assistance on top of our substantial £30m a year investment because our existing partners were coping. We judged that the UK’s best option was to focus on diplomatic efforts to ensure a ceasefire and monitor the situation closely, both in terms of humanitarian agencies’ ability to cope, the donor response and the longer-term reconstruction needs likely to arise from the conflict. We argued that the key trigger point in deciding to allocate further funding was the scale of displacement – notably as this approached 30,000, given the UN only had enough stocks to provide for 35,000.
Between 21-31 July, the numbers of displaced rose rapidly (80,000 by 21 July; 150,000 by 25 July, and
240,000 by 31 July). This overwhelmed the resources of the UN. UNRWA launched a Flash Appeal
(first for $60m, then for $115m, later rising to $187m then $295.4m) to meet the emergency needs. WFP launched an appeal for $48m. At this stage, the option to do nothing was no longer viable because of the humanitarian imperative. DFID put forward three options for support to ministers in this period:
1. A contribution to UNRWA’s Flash Appeal. DFID identified UNRWA as the first priority for humanitarian assistance and recommended a contribution of £6m. This was because: (a)
UNRWA is the main agency directly addressing the needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced people; (b) it is effective, with over 12,500 staff on the ground, a mandate to provide services for
70% of the population, and good performance in existing DFID programmes; and (c) our money could reach the population rapidly given our existing relationship with UNRWA and their established delivery role.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact’s September 2013 assessment of UNRWA found that “the programme performs well overall against ICAI’s criteria for effectiveness and value for money ”.
xii We judged that a contribution of £6m / $10m would be an appropriate burden share among other donors (at around 9% at the time of making the decision), in line with our attribution to UNRWA’s General Fund.
2. Scaling up our support to WFP for food vouchers . DFID’s second recommended option for support was a £3m contribution to WFP. This was because: (a) WFP is working closely with
UNRWA and with IDPs in host communities to meet emergency food needs of 600,000 people;
(b) it is effective, using an innovative food voucher system to enable people to buy food from private sector shops with a regular usage rate of 95-99% and a redemption rate of 78-84% even during the fighting; and (c) our money could again have a rapid impact through scaling up an existing programme. As noted above, the voucher mechanism has been proven to be good value for money with a positive impact on the local economy.
3. A new contribution to OCHA’s appeal. We also considered that a contribution to the UN OCHA appeals – either through a contribution to OCHA’s Strategic Response Plan or the smaller
Emergency Response Fund - could offer a flexible way to respond to emerging needs, including through small, strategic infrastructure projects. However, we judged that this was a lower priority than support to UNRWA and WFP because their role in meeting immediate needs was more clear-cut and at a greater scale.
DFID Ministers agreed to options 1 and 2 between 21-31 July and announced these publicly.
xiii
As noted in the introduction, DFID’s CHASE department also programmed humanitarian support, focusing on addressing the needs of IDPs outside the UNRWA shelters. The needs assessment and
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appraisal for that covered sectoral needs in water and sanitation, shelter, unexploded ordinance, protection and medical assistance and involved the rapid allocation of smaller grants to NGO partners.
The theory of change for these interventions is that food and non-food item kits lead to the needs of displaced Gazans being met, which results in reduced hardship and hunger amongst IDPs affected by the conflict. Our support has the wider benefit of stimulating the struggling local economy through using local shops and suppliers wherever possible.
The intervention is being delivered through a third-party multilateral organisation.
Why is the proposed funding mechanism and partner appropriate for this intervention? UNRWA implements its support for displaced Gazans directly through an established infrastructure. In the immediate crisis, UNRWA has been delivering directly through its network of schools (over 250 in total – of which 85 were being used as shelters) and more than 12,500 local field staff. UNRWA has partnered with WFP to deliver food to displaced people sheltering in their schools. While UNRWA is not currently working with any NGOs, they are likely to do so in the recovery phase once a meaningful ceasefire is in place.
UNRWA works with a range of suppliers for the essential goods they provide (including blankets, mattresses etc.) and these suppliers are identified through competitive tender. UNRWA stores its NFIs in a large clearing house in East Jerusalem, adjacent to their field office. Trucks pick up these items from the clearing house before heading to Kerem Shalom into Gaza.
Oxfam GB is the implementing partner for WFP’s voucher distribution programme in Gaza. They are contracted to interact with the food stores, distribute the machines and ensure the stores well-stocked with nutritious and affordable food. Vouchers are for the value of $12.50 per person per month, and can be used to purchase bread, cereal, milk, yoghurt, white cheese, eggs, pulses, vegetable oil, olive oil, rice, tahini and wheat flour. Participating shops receive an electronic terminal, similar to a credit card machine, where beneficiaries swipe their voucher cards to purchase food items. More than 90% of shops across the OPTs have seen an average 47% increase in sales. Voucher shops have increased paid workers by 47%, creating much-needed employment in the local economy.
For WFP’s in kind food distribution, they endeavour to purchase from the West Bank wherever possible.
Approximately 70% of the food staples included in WFP voucher list are locally produced. Where food items are not available from a Palestinian producer (approximately 30% of the time), they come from countries in the region (e.g. Turkey provides lentils). The food is transported over the border at Kerem
Shalom on Israeli trucks.
While Israeli products are not normally permitted on the voucher products list, to meet the dramatic increase in food assistance during the crisis, WFP has allowed conflict-affected people who receive emergency vouchers to buy whatever food is available in the shops.
What assurance has been obtained on capability and capacity to deliver?
Both UNRWA and WFP are highly reputable and experienced in this field. We will work collaboratively with them to ensure the appropriate terms are incorporated into the funding mechanism to ensure DFID ’s funding is maximised and delivers value for money.
Is there an opportunity to negotiate on anticipated costs?
This will be discussed during the formation funding agreement. DFID Commercial Adviser will be involved in this process to ensure maximum value for money .
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As noted above, Gaza has been in a state of chronic vulnerability since 2007 and the agencies working there have long been under-funded. UNRWA is operating on a financial deficit, with a shortfall of $70m in its General Fund for 2014 (covering its work throughout the region including Gaza) and an even larger deficit of £200m in its long-running emergency appeal for Gaza and the OPTs.
The scale of needs during the summer 2014 crisis has been unprecedented. UNRWA appealed for
$295.4m and WFP for $48m, rising to $63m, meet the needs of displaced people during the peak of the crisis and in the following months of early recovery. As of early September, UNRWA had received approximately $150m and WFP had received around $25m. Together with WFP, UNRWA has been spending $0.5m a day meeting the needs of people in its shelters. While the agencies are doing all they can, the situation is not financially sustainable and it is uncertain whether the donor contributions will be sufficient to meet the needs.
The UK ’s contribution is substantial in relation to known donor commitments so far. According to preliminary information, our overall humanitarian pledge (£17m plus support for medical assistance) makes us the second largest humanitarian donor behind the US (who have announced $15m for
UNRWA as part of a $47m package).
Our method of providing un-earmarked funding is in line with effective aid practices, helping agencies to respond flexibly by spending earmarked funding first and using our money to plug gaps where these arise. In terms of the cost of our notional headline results, UNRWA and WFP are able to purchase the following supplies with our funding:
Partner
UNRWA
WFP
Item Quantity
Non-food item kit 23,400 kits
Electronic food
Unit Cost
£250
300,000 vouchers £10 voucher
Total
£6m
£3m
Funding will be disbursed as soon as possible in August 2014 given this is humanitarian funding for a rapid onset emergency.
WFP and UNRWA will provide appropriate financial reports, the timings of which will be finalised in
September/October 2014 to ensure harmonisation with other donors. Annual Audited Statements will be provided by both UNRWA and WFP.
The evidence underpinning DFID’s judgement that the funds will be used for the intended purposes include the Fiduciary Risk Assessment (FRA) conducted of UNRWA in 2012 and the annual published accounts for UNRWA and WFP. The 2012 FRA concluded that there had been a dramatic improvement in UNRWA’s financial systems since 2009, reducing the overall fiduciary risk from moderate to low.
While UNRWA is fully in line with the procurement practices of all other UN procurement bodies, the
FRA recommended some further improvements in procurement and other areas of risk reduction which our next FRA in 2015 will assess progress on.
With regard to the Gaza crisis response, both UNRWA and WFP have selected beneficiaries on the basis of need (displacement and loss of assets and livelihoods) and have provided assistance to both refugees and non-refuees due to the severe humanitarian impact of the crisis on much of the population.
UNRWA procures NFI kits from suppliers in the West Bank appointed through competitive tender and transports these into Gaza. WFP has a strong financial management process in place for the voucher programme. Heads of households are issues an e-voucher card assigned to them which they can only redeem with ID and a password. This enables them to buy a defined list of basic food items at approved shops. WFP repays the shops on the basis of data which comes automatically into their database, crosschecked against paper receipts. DFID is conducting a Fraud Risk Assessment of WFP’s voucher programme in September 2014.
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The following team has been assigned to manage this project:

1 x Team Leader of the Rights and Refugees Pillar, who will also be the Senior Responsible
Owner for the project. Responsible for the initial options analysis, putting funding recommendations to UK Ministers, leading on the business case, and high level interaction with partners and other donors. Existing full-time member of staff, spending 20%-100% of time on the project at various points during the crisis.

1 x Project Officer. Responsible for technical input on finances, monitoring, results and progress reporting and operational interaction with partners and other donors. Existing 60% member of staff, spending 20% of time on the project.

Oversight from Acting Head of Office and Director of DFID MENAD region.
 Point of contact in UNRWA’s External Relations Division in Jerusalem.
 Point of contact in WFP’s management office in Jerusalem.
Resource will be disbursed within 4-6 weeks of ministerial announcements of the funding, upon signature of MoUs and receipt of requests for payment. UNRWA and WFP were able to act on the basis of the UK’s public commitment by drawing on central funding.
WFP has in place a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system using a Results Based Management
Approach, which allows for changes to the programme as needed. WFP Field Monitors carry out monitoring and input this into WFP’s central database. They assess the immediate impact of WFP assistance at the household level on a monthly basis, using the post distribution monitoring form. For
‘Process Monitoring’, WFP conducts the shop monitoring visits on ongoing basis to ensure an appropriate implementation process and they take corrective measures if required. WFP co-ordinates with the UN Food Security Sector Cluster and line ministries to avoid duplication. Given the short-term nature of this funding (1-3 months), WFP will provide DFID with a final progress and financial report which will be used to feed into the Project Completion Report, and will respond to any ad hoc progress enquiries in a timely manner.
By the end of September, UNRWA will have in place an M&E system also using a Results Based
Management Approach. UNRWA will use this to provide regular online situation reports and will give
DFID ad hoc progress and financial reports throughout the duration of the project. The final progress report will be the Flash Report at the end of March 2015.
The situation in Gaza remains fluid. It is anticipated that the needs for ongoing humanitarian assistance and support for reconstruction will become clearer when a ceasefire is in place and in the run up to the
Norwegian/Egyptian pledging conference.
As noted in the intervention summary, there are risks to the programme but these are appropriately mitigated by working with established partners and we will monitor them closely through M&E.
While UK Partnership Principles do not formally apply to our financial support to UN institutions, DFID is content that our support helps contribute to short-term poverty reduction and the MDGs (especially eradicating extreme poverty and hunger). The UK supports UNRWA to uphold the rights of Palestinian refugees to protection and services and WFP to combat hunger. DFID is content that UNRWA and
WFP’s financial management and accountability is sound and that we are protected against the risks of funds being misused. Both UNRWA and WFP facilitate accountability mechanisms (e.g. reporting back on shops that increase prices of food commodities) in the Gazan population.
This programme will last for 6 months, with UK support covering notional results which last for 1-3 months. The end of this project will not mark the end of our support for Gaza or the end of Gaza’s problems. As we have been clear in our diplomatic and public messaging, the only long term solution for
Gaza is a sustained ceasefire followed by a return to negotiations for a two state solution where Israel lives in peace and security alongside a stable Palestinian state.
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i http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-1-203394/ ii http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-1-202611/ iii http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-2020-liveable-place iv Gaza Strip: Damaged Structures as of 12 August 2014, http://www.ochaopt.org/maps.aspx?id=96 v http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/04/uk-mideast-gaza-reconstruction-idUKKBN0G40QA20140804 , Deputy
Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa interview with Reuters, 4 August 2014. vi http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/08/04/uk-mideast-gaza-reconstruction-idUKKBN0G40QA20140804 , Deputy
Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa interview with Reuters, 4 August 2014. vii Gaza Strip: Damaged Structures as of 12 August 2014, http://www.ochaopt.org/maps.aspx?id=96 viii http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-1-202885/ ix http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-1-202375/ x http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-1-202611/ xi See Full economic appraisal WFP UVP 17 May 2011 Final (2) UNRWA JCP CBA 18 May 2011 Annex II – Full economic appraisal of Improving food insecurity for people in Gaza & UVP Mid Term review WFP/Oxfam GB UVP
MTR report- 31 Mar 2011 xii http://icai.independent.gov.uk/reports/dfids-support-palestine-refugees-unrwa/ xiii https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-2-million-in-uk-aid-for-the-displaced-of-gaza
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