HC Deb 19 September 2003 vol 410 c1012W
Adam Price

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what humanitarian contribution the Department has made since 1999 to help children in Kosovo who lost their parents owing to the conflict there in 1999. [130348]

Mr. Gareth Thomas

Immediately after the end of the 1999 conflict, DFID disbursed £108 million as humanitarian assistance, covering food supplies, shelter, health care, mines clearance and support to small enterprises, and funding for international relief agencies working with refugees both in Kosovo and in neighbouring countries. This assistance included the provision of £4.5 million to UNICEF for support to schools. DFID also provided humanitarian support through its contributions to the EC Humanitarian Office.

Since then DFID has collaborated with the Kosovo authorities and the World Bank to review social welfare policies, and is providing a £2 million grant to assist with social policy reform. This includes the provision of social assistance to families and children in need, and social services for the protection of children. DFID has also co-funded a major poverty assessment to assist the design and monitoring of social services and benefits. In parallel with this, DFID has provided support to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) for the strengthening of systems for setting standards and quality assurance for children's services.

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