MANY DONOR COUNTRIES FAIL TO PROVIDE THEIR SHARE OF AID TO SYRIA

        New York, 12 Dzulqa’idah 1434 / 18 September 2013 ( MINA ) – An international aid agency Oxfam reveals that many donor countries are failing to provide their share of the urgently needed funding for the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

        Oxfam’s latest analysis shows France, Qatar, Russia are all giving less than half of their fair share; whereas countries like Denmark, Norway and Saudi Arabia are exceeding their fair share. In a report released on Thursday, said its research revealed that many donor countries were not fulfilling their pledges and urged them to prioritise funding the UN’s $5 billion appeal.

        France and Qatar, who back the Syrian uprising, and Russia, which supports the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, are among the countries most heavily involved in a conflict that in 30 months has killed more than 110,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.

        But Oxfam said all three countries have committed significantly less aid than what would be “fair” given the size of their national income relative to other donor nations. “Qatar and Russia have both committed just three percent of what would be considered their fair share for the humanitarian effort, while France is struggling to reach half of its fair share (47 percent),” said Oxfam.

          “Donors must make real commitments at next week’s meeting on Syria and ensure that the money is delivered as soon as possible. The situation demands committed funds in order to save lives,” it added. The UN in June launched its biggest ever appeal for donations to fund the humanitarian response to the Syrian war.

          “We’re seeing people go without food, shelter and water on a daily basis,” said Colette Fearon, who heads Oxfam’s Syria programme. “The scale of this crisis is unprecedented and some countries must start to show their concerns to the crisis in Syria by putting their hands in their pockets”.

           The analysis also identifies countries that are contributing more than their “fair share,” including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Britain.

The United States is the largest donor to the UN appeals, but gives “63 percent of its fair share,” according to Aljazeera report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

           The research, released in advance of next week’s U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, calculates the amount of aid that should be given according to a country’s Gross National Income (GNI) and its overall wealth.

            While the need for a political solution to the crisis is considered urgent, Oxfam says donors must also prioritize funding the U.N.’s $5 billion appeals. Qatar and Russia have both committed just three per cent of what would be considered their fair share for the humanitarian effort, while France is struggling to reach half of its fair share, according to Oxfam.

           In a statement released by Oxfam, Colette Fearon, Head of the Syria program, said: “Too many donor countries are not delivering the level of funds that is expected of them. While economic times are tough, we are facing the largest man-made humanitarian disaster in two decades and we have to seriously address it. The scale of this crisis is unprecedented and some countries must start to show their concerns to the crisis in Syria by putting their hands in their pockets.

          “Countries such as France and Russia are failing to provide the humanitarian support that is desperately needed. Donors must make real commitments at next week’s meeting on Syria and ensure that the money is delivered as soon as possible. This is not the time for pledges. The situation demands committed funds in order to save lives.”

          A third of all countries who are members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic and Development (OECD), whose members account for some of the richest countries in the world, have given less than half of what would be expected, given the size of their economies., according to the report.

          Japan, for example, has contributed just 17 per cent of its fair share and South Korea just two per cent. The United States is currently gives 63 per cent of its fair share. Several countries have given generously. Those who have exceeded their fair share include Denmark (230 per cent), Norway (134 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (187 per cent). In contrast, the UK has given 154 per cent of its fair share, according to Oxfam, and Kuwait tops the league table with 461 per cent.

          The aid agency welcomed new pledges of funding at the recent G20 meeting, but says funds need to be released as soon as possible to provide desperately needed aid.

          Fearon said: “When funding is so tight every aid pound counts. We’re seeing people go without food, shelter and water on a daily basis. By knowing who is providing what assistance and where, we can help as many people as possible.”

          Funding gaps are already affecting the ability of organizations to respond to humanitarian needs and forcing them to make difficult decisions about how to use limited aid money, according to the report. Oxfam is also calling on all donor contributions to be registered with the international Financial Tracking System, to maximize aid efficiency and accountability. 

         Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations working in approximately 90 countries worldwide to find solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives. Oxfam works directly with communities and seeks to influence the powerful, to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them. Each organization (Affiliate) works together internationally to achieve a greater impact through collective efforts.

         Oxfam was originally founded in Oxford, in 1942 as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief by a group of Quakers, social activists, and Oxford academics; this is now Oxfam Great Britain, still based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. It was one of several local committees formed in support of the National Famine Relief Committee. Their mission was to persuade the British government to allow food relief through the Allied blockade for the starving citizens of Axis occupation of Greece. The first overseas Oxfam was founded in Canada in 1963. The organisation changed its name to its telegraph address, OXFAM, in 1965.(T/P04/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)