Funds sent to Gaza: FOI release

Information requested

1. How much money has been sent by the Scottish Government to Gaza
2. Who was the recipient of this money
3. What mechanism was used to approve this and by whom
4. As this is an area which is controlled by people designated as terrorists by the UK, was assurance received by the Scottish Government that this money will not be used to buy weapons

Response

On 14 October, the Scottish Government announced that it will provide £500,000 towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) flash appeal in response to the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip. On 2 December, a further £250,000 was pledged to the same Appeal. Further details on the UNRWA appeal can be found here: UNRWA Flash Appeal: 90 day initial emergency response to the escalation in the Gaza Strip | UNRWA.

These funds will be found from the Directorate for External Affairs budget and were approved by the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development.

We are satisfied that UNRWA, with the institutional substance of a UN agency, its established operations and its long experience of working on the ground in Gaza, is best placed to ensure that the funds are used to provide humanitarian aid to those in desperate need.

As per the terms of the agreement with UNRWA, the Contributions shall be administered in accordance with UNRWA’s Regulations, Rules, Organization Directives, Instructions and any other parts of its regulatory framework, as well as its policies, and procedures (collectively, the UNRWA Regulatory Framework).

UNRWA shall provide the Scottish Government with the UNRWA Annual Operational Report (AOR) for the period 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2023 and financial report and audited financial statements for the period 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2023, submitted by the UN Board of Auditors to the UN General Assembly, which will be available on http://www.un.org/en/auditors/board/auditors-reports.shtml

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.