§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (1) discussions her Department has had with the UNHCR regarding the protection afforded to refugees in Kenya and the security of refugee camps in Kenya: and if she will make a statement. [73275]
419W(2) if she will make a statement on the UNHCR's resettlement policy in East Africa, with specific reference to Kenya; [73277]
(3) what links her Department has with the UNHCR offices in Kenya; [73279]
(4) what discussions her Department has had with (a) the UNHCR, (b) the Kenyan Government and (c) refugees in Kenya regarding the resettlement of refugees in Kenya; [73276]
(5) what action she has taken to counter corruption in the Kenyan office of the UNHCR;[73280]
(6) what the UNHCR has spent in the last 12 months in Kenya. [73278]
§ Clare ShortThe UNHCR programme in Kenya currently assists a refugee population of over 213,000; 129,000 of whom are Somalis and 70,000 are Sudanese. The cost of the programme was over $25.2 million in 2001 (see table below), and has a budget of $18.1 million in 2002.
UNHCR's programme aims to provide international protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees in Kenya while exploring durable solutions to assist refugees, mainly voluntary repatriation to their country of origin.
Unfortunately local integration of refugees is extremely limited, due to limited freedom of movement, access to resources, markets and job opportunities. In addition, continued conflict in refugees' countries of origin seriously limits opportunities for repatriation. As a result, UNHCR's main activities, in cooperation with the Government of Kenya (as well as WFP, UNICEF and UNESCO), have been in providing asylum for refugees by guaranteeing their legal protection and physical security; as well as offering income generating activities, refugee employment, education, vocational training and healthcare. UNHCR also offers assistance to refugees who wish to voluntarily repatriate themselves.
The hon. Lady's second question asked if the Secretary of State will make a statement on the UNHCR's resettlement policy in East Africa, with specific reference to Kenya. [73277]
UNHCR's resettlement policy in East Africa, as elsewhere, is to help refugees with particular refugee needs and concerns over repatriation and local integration, to seek asylum in third countries. DFID has not discussed resettlement with UNHCR, the Kenyan Government or refugees.
The hon. Lady's third question asked what links the Secretary of State's Department has with the UNHCR offices in Kenya. [73279]
DFID contributed £550,000 in 2000–01 and a similar amount in 2001–02 to UNHCR's programme in Kenya.
DFID staff based in London and Nairobi undertook a monitoring mission on the UNHCR Kenya programme in January 2000.
The hon. Lady's fourth question asked what discussions the Secretary of State's Department has had with (a) the UNHCR, (b) the Kenyan Government and (c) refugees in Kenya regarding the resettlement of refugees in Kenya. [73276]
420WBoth DFID and BHC officials in Nairobi are in regular contact with UNHCR Kenya. We continue to monitor closely the refugee situation in the established camps and the border areas of Kenya through regular dialogue with UNHCR officials and other concerned agencies.
The hon. Lady's fifth question asked what action the Secretary of State has taken to counter corruption in the Kenyan offices of the UNHCR. [73280]
Allegations of corruption in UNHCR's offices in Kenya led to the security section of UNHCR undertaking an investigation in December 1999. The report, issued in June 2000, did not substantiate the allegations but recommended further investigation take place. While UNHCR branch officers in Nairobi were following up the allegations, threats were made against three officers. This led to the Inspector General of UNHCR calling in the UN Office of Investigation and Oversight Services (OIOS) in October 2000 to conduct an investigation.
The findings of the OIOS investigation suggested that outside expertise was needed. Hence in December OIOS approached 4 donor governments (including the UK) to provide qualified staff to participate in an international investigation task force. DFID provided (on secondment) the services of a Detective Chief Inspector. The UK cost of this secondment was £13,117. Overseas costs were met by UNHCR.
The hon. Lady's sixth question asked if the Secretary of State will provide a breakdown of the UNHCR's spending in Kenya. [73278]
The table below lists UNHCR's expenditure in Kenya for the period 2000–01. $ Protection, monitoring and co-ordination 1,884.948 Community services 306,195 Crop production 5,062 Domestic needs/household support 1,133,801 Education 1,033,720 Food 103,645 Forestry 146,633 Health/nutrition 1,833,852 Income generation 52,598 Legal assistance 1,392,474 Operational support to agencies 2,232,028 Sanitation 64,287 Shelter/other infrastructure 466,866 Transport/logistics 1,180,706 Water 628,294 Transit accounts 4,193 Instalments with implementing partners 3,405,684 Programme Support 7,881,027 Unliquidated obligations 1,468,447 Total 25,244,460 Source:
UNHCR Global report 2001 (page 171).
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she last visited Kenya; whom she met; what discussions she had; and when she next intends to visit Kenya. [73274]
§ Clare ShortI last made a substantive visit to Kenya in August 1998. I have visited the country very briefly on a number of occasions since then. I have no specific plans to visit again. The Under-Secretary visited Kenya earlier this month as part of her own induction programme. She met a wide range of people, including the Minister of Finance, and visited programmes supported by DFID. Her 421W discussions focused on the prospects for poverty reduction in Kenya, and how the international community, including DFID, can best support Kenya's efforts to achieve it.