Central Emergency Response Fund allocation for Gaza humanitarian relief – OCHA newsletter (excerpts)

February 2009

TAQA contributes $150,000 to CERF

The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) has contributed $150,000 to CERF. Spurred by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the private company announced the generous contribution on 28 January 2009. TAQA is the first corporate sponsor of CERF from the Middle East.

Peter E. Barker-Homek, CEO of TAQA said, "TAQA is fully committed to help ease the suffering of the people of Gaza. Over 1.5 million people are known to have been drastically affected by the current humanitarian crisis in the region. By supporting the United Nations, we hope to make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of the huge number of people whose lives have been turned upside down by the devastating events.”

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occupied Palestinian territories

Three weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip which began on 27 December has resulted in extensive casualties and destruction of homes, livelihoods and infrastructure.

The conflict killed over 1,300 people and has displaced tens of thousands. It significantly debilitated basic services, further compounding an already serious humanitarian situation resulting in large part from 18 months of economic sanctions and sustained closure of Gaza. Eighty percent of the 1.4 million population of Gaza was already receiving some form of aid before the crisis. Amidst the destruction, power, water, shelter, food and medical services remain in short supply.

Following visits by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the ERC, the UN and partners have issued a flash appeal seeking $613 million in comprehensive assistance for a projected caseload of 1.4 million people over a nine-month period.

To kick-start relief activities and address the most pressing needs, CERF has allocated over $7 million to relief agencies working in Gaza. Nearly $3.5 million has been given to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been assisting Palestinians for 60 years. UNRWA will use the funding to provide fuel for generators that power water pumping stations, hospitals and other municipal services in Gaza.

UNICEF will use $1.5 million in funding to provide safe drinking water to 200,000 people. WFP will use a $2 million grant to provide ready-to-eat meals to 16,000 internally displaced people staying in UNRWA shelters as part of the agency’s large food aid programme in Gaza assisting over 300,000 people.