The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
334.
The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International
Federation
of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched humanitarian
appeals on
20 March,
each for approximately US$80m.197
335.
Ms Short
wrote to Mr Boateng the following day to request an
additional
£120m from
the Reserve for humanitarian assistance for Iraq.198
336.
Ms Short
advised that she could provide £80m for humanitarian
assistance
from DFID’s
core budget in 2003/04 (£75m from its Contingency Reserve of
£90m
and
£5m from the existing Iraq programme). That was in addition to
the £10m
already
provided from DFID’s 2002/03 budget to UN agencies and NGOs. From
the
£80m available,
she had:
•
earmarked
£65m for the UN’s forthcoming initial Flash Appeal, which
was
expected to
seek US$1.9bn to cover the first six months of the crisis;
and
•
agreed to
provide £10m to support further preparations by the World
Food
Programme,
the Red Cross and NGOs.
337.
Ms Short
stated that with only £5m left, and with demand for funding
expected to
accelerate
fast as humanitarian agencies moved from preparing to delivering,
she now
needed an
extra £120m from the Reserve:
•
£35m for
the Red Cross appeals launched on 20 March;
•
£20m for
NGO programmes;
•
£15m for
DFID’s bilateral effort, to deliver direct emergency support to
fill gaps
in the
international response and to second UK relief professionals to
UN
agencies;
and
•
a further
£50m for the UN initial Flash Appeal: “Given the UK’s role in the
Iraq
crisis, we
cannot conceivably avoid meeting less than a 10 percent share of
the
UN
humanitarian appeal. My initial contribution of US$100million [£65
million]
will need
quickly to be followed up to get us closer to a 10 percent
share.”
338.
Ms Short
added that her bid did not include any funds for reconstruction:
that
would need
to be considered “in the longer term”.
339.
A Treasury
official advised Mr Boateng on 25 March that Ms Short’s
letter “does
not really
make a case in terms of actual humanitarian impact … DFID’s
argument is in
essence
about the need to be seen to commit funds”.199
There was
little detail on how
the money
would be spent.
197
United
Nations, June 2003, Humanitarian
Appeal for Iraq: Revised Inter‑Agency Appeal 1 April –
31 December
2003.
198
Letter
Short to Boateng, 21 March 2003, ‘Iraq Humanitarian Funding:
Reserve Claim’.
199
Minute
Treasury [junior official] to Chief Secretary, 25 March 2003, ‘Iraq
Humanitarian Funding:
Reserve Claim’.
498