§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee's protection role on the Burma-Thailand border. [157617]
Mr. Gareth ThomasIn 2001–02, DFID provided £1 million to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) programme 'Care and Protection for Refugees from Burma in Thailand'. This programme was targeted towards the Burmese refugees residing in Thailand (approximately 110,000 at that time) and focused on
ensuring the admission and reception procedures for new arrivals in Thailand adhere to international standards;seeking access to asylum seekers at the border and working with the Thai authorities to establish a fair and transparent procedure for determining admission of new asylum seekers;continuing to search for a durable solution for this refugee population;facilitating, in cooperation with other UN agencies and NGOs, provision of care and social support to the refugee population;continuing to promote accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention.UNHCR faced many challenges during the period of activities which impacted on its ability to progress its objectives, including lack of access to both sides of the Thai-Burma border, continued insecurity in border areas of Burma, and continued problems with the definition and application of refugee admission criteria in Thailand. However, despite these constraints UNHCR continued the critical dialogue with the Government of Thailand on protection-related issues, including conducting re-registration of new arrivals and continued advocacy to prevent forced return. UNHCR also liaised with operational UN agencies and NGOs to facilitate provision of adequate living conditions within the camps. Within its care and protection activities, UNHCR implemented programmes to identify. prevent and respond to sexual and gender based violence, 1089W provided vocational training for refugees, educational materials for school age children, and mine risk education.
In addition to supporting UNHCR Thailand, my Department also provided £607.000 to UNHCR Burma in 2002–03. The UNHCR Burma programme focused on Repatriation and Reintegration for a target population of 86,000 returnees from Bangladesh in Northern Rakhine State. Its purpose is to help establish conditions for safe, dignified, and sustainable reintegration of Burmese refugees and to mitigate potential obstacles to successful reintegration. The programme includes monitoring of forced labour,
£ a. Grant to UN Administered Fund for HIV/AIDS in Burma 2,200,000 b. DFID financed Technical Assistance for work of UN HIV/Aids Fund 120,779 c. Grant to the BBC World Service Trust for Radio Soap Opera in support of HIV/AIDS education and improved livelihoods of poor people
588.972 d. Grant to NGO for Basic Health Care Programmes in Wa and Kachin 125,071 e. Grant to Christian Aid for Burmese Border Consortium food aid and relief programmes on the Thailand-Burma Border
450,000 g. Grant to World Health Organisation (WHO) for co-ordination of health services at Thailand-Burma Border 220,000 h. Small grants to civil society organisations 90,000 Total projected expenditure in 2003–04 3,794,822
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance with the supply of medicines his Department is providing for the 995 Karenni and 678 Karen internally displaced persons in the Muthraw district of Burma. [157625]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID is not providing assistance with the supply of medicines that target internally displaced persons in the Muthraw district of Burma. We provide support, through the Small Grants Scheme managed by the British Embassy in Rangoon, for a community based organisation to operate a mobile medical clinic in Kayah State which has also visited the Muthraw district.