Humanitarian Aid

(asked on 14th February 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 217654, what steps were taken to determine which Grand Bargain commitments are the most critical enablers of transformative change.


Answered by
Alistair Burt Portrait
Alistair Burt
This question was answered on 21st February 2019

DFID is committed to the Grand Bargain. We are focussing on areas which are central to the UK’s Humanitarian Reform Policy of saving as many lives as possible in humanitarian crises, whilst ensuring value for money in the prioritised allocation of humanitarian resources - where DFID can have the strongest impact on achieving a more effective, efficient and accountable humanitarian system.

Evidence shows that cash can be cheaper to deliver and more effective than sending goods in-kind. Cash promotes the dignity of crisis affected populations by allowing them to prioritise needs themselves, and can contribute to supporting local markets in times of crisis. DFID co-leads the Grand Bargain workstream on cash and has been a world-leader in driving the increased use of cash in humanitarian response.

Accountability to people in crises is critical to improving the quality and impact of humanitarian assistance. Through our Grand Bargain commitments, we are working closely with other donors and aid organisations to ensure people receiving aid are included in the decisions which affect their lives.

The introduction of independent Joint Needs Assessments is vital to ensure a strong evidence-base, which leads to a stronger prioritisation of humanitarian assistance in responses based on the severity and urgency of need. This has the potential to reduce conflicts of interest between agencies fundraising for their own appeals, ensure better value for money and introduce more accountability into the system.

Reticulating Splines