Occupied Territories: Overseas Aid

(asked on 17th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for the efficacy of UK aid of reports by NGO Monitor that the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has distributed funds for Covid-19 relief efforts to organisations that employ members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.


Answered by
James Cleverly Portrait
James Cleverly
Home Secretary
This question was answered on 24th June 2020

The UK maintains robust measures to ensure that UK aid is not diverted. DFID’s funding agreements also commit partners to understand and comply with UK and international counter terrorism legislation.

No UK funds have been provided to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs for COVID-19 relief efforts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has provided £840,000 to WHO and UNICEF to help respond to COVID-19 in the OPTs. This funding did not go to any other partners and was used to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.

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