UK announces more humanitarian aid

20 March 2003
The UK's Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development (DFID) have announced a total of£40 million ($64 million) in fresh humanitarian aid for Iraq.

On 19 March, DFID said it would provide an additional £10 million ($16 million) for UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support their preparations for humanitarian needs in Iraq following any military action. This brings the total committed for contingency planning to £20 million ($32 million). Of the new allocation, £6 million ($9.6 million) will go to the UN World Food Programme which is pre-positioning enough food to meet the needs of 2 million people for one month to help cope with the possible interruption to the UN oil-for-food programme. Some £4 million ($6.4 million) is to be disbursed to NGOs, including the International Committee of the Red Cross. UK Development Secretary Clare Short flew to the US on 19 March for meetings with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the UN, the World Bank and the IMF about humanitarian action in Iraq.

Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary Jack Straw announced at press briefing in London on 20 March that the British armed forces will have £30 million ($48 million) for humanitarian purposes in the first month of the war for Iraq.

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