Typhoon Haiyan: UK response praised by aid watchdog | Global development | The GuardianTyphoon Haiyan: UK response praised by aid watchdog | Global development | The Guardian










Close






Skip to main content

 









sign in








subscribe









search




jobs






more


from the guardian:


jobs


change edition:



switch to the UK edition


switch to the AU edition







US edition




switch to the UK edition




switch to the Australia edition













The Guardian


Winner of the Pulitzer prize











home


›
environment


›
development




cities










home




US




world




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment
selected







browse all sections
close







 











Global development



Typhoon Haiyan: UK response praised by aid watchdog









Swift reaction by Department for International Development mobilised wider donor support for Philippines, says Icai














The British public donated £85m to the Philippines through the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal. Photograph: Velar Grant/Demotix






Guardian Global development is supported by:

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation



Mark Tran






@marktran





Monday 10 March 2014 20.01 EDT







Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on LinkedIn







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp
















The UK was well prepared to act swiftly and decisively in response to typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and its early response helped galvanise the international community, a UK aid watchdog said on Tuesday.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai), which was set up to scrutinise UK aid, praised the Department for International Development (DfID), giving the overall response to typhoon Haiyan a green assessment, its top ranking.
Haiyan, also known as Yolanda, struck the Philippines with devastating force in November, killing more than 6,200 people, affecting a further 14 million people, and damaging 1.1m homes. Led by DfID, the UK provided £77m of humanitarian aid, making it the largest single donor. In addition to the UK government's response, the British public donated a further £85m through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal.
Though DfID does not have a presence in the Philipppines, the UK was among the first countries to respond, enabling it to mobilise support from other donors, said Icai. The watchdog was also impressed by DfID's co-ordination with the Ministry of Defence and other departments, calling it a good example of inter-departmental co-operation.
"DfID's preparedness to respond, combined with the effective use of military assets and pace of decision-making, meant that the UK was able to make an early and vital contribution to this international response," said Mark Foster, lead commissioner. "The Philippines is, alongside many other parts of the world, increasingly prone to natural disasters, and DfID has an opportunity to play an even more influential role in the global humanitarian system and increase the likelihood of future effectiveness."
DfID provided basic supplies, especially emergency shelter, which were critical in the earliest stages after the typhoon hit. The department's procurement was so effective that it brought more non-food items in the first six weeks than the UN's humanitarian response depot network, noted Icai.
The challenge for DfID now is to consider how to support the recovery, given that it does not intend to establish a permanent presence in the Philippines.
Icai attributes DfID's effective response to substantial changes the department took following an independent humanitarian emergency response review (Herr) in 2011, chaired by Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader. Among the review's key suggestions were a more anticipatory approach and an improvement in the leadership of the international humanitarian system.
After the Ashdown review, DfID set up a global risk register, which identified the Philippines as a very high-risk territory. It bolstered its conflict, humanitarian and security department to 17 people, many deployable at short notice. At any given time, there are six rapid response leaders available for deployment within six hours.
Other measures included: pre-positioned stockpiles in the UK and Dubai, such as tents, blankets and water containers for 18,000 people; a rapid response facility with pre-selected NGO partners that allows quick submission and approval of proposals; memoranda of understanding with other departments, including the MoD, on cross-charging costs and lines of command; and a larger communications and press team.
"Co-ordination across departments was effective," said Icai. "As a result DfID was able to deliver a joined-up response, combining military and civilian aspects in line with Herr recommendations. DfID had a clearly-defined leadership role for planning and co-ordination, including of military assets. This contrasted with some of the other military groups involved and helped to maintain central control and to ensure that the right resources were deployed."
Unlike other militaries, the UK put its armed forces under the explicit direction of DfID, winning praise from other agencies on Britain's effective use of military assets.
DfID sent a three-member team to the Philippines in the buildup to Haiyan so that the department had a presence at the start of the operation. Decision-making was prompt. Justine Greening, the international development secretary, approved DfID's proposal of support within one hour on the evening of Saturday 9 November, activating the rapid response facility. On 12 November, the first DfID-procured flights landed in Cebu and funding commitments were made to NGOs.
"We consistently heard from DfID's partners including DEC, UN agencies and NGOs, that DfID's early commitment of funding helped to leverage funds from other bilateral and private donors … the catalytic impact of DfID's early response should not be underestimated," said the report.
Icai said its rapid review lacked the scope to identify loss, wastage or fraud, but indicated that it did not hear reports of this and observed good practice at cash and food distributions, including operating complaints procedures. The watchdog recommended that DfID and the Foreign Office support the Philippines' reconstruction plan in strategic areas such as climate change resilience, and said DfID should build on the success of its response to strengthen its leadership within the global humanitarian response systems, and specifically of its stockpiling and logistics capacity.
"Britain was at the forefront of the international humanitarian effort in the Philippines, deploying DfID humanitarian experts just hours after the typhoon struck and delivering lifesaving aid to hundreds of thousands of survivors," said Greening, who visited the Philippines two weeks after the typhoon. "It is great to see that Icai has rightly recognised this and concluded that the UK's response to typhoon Haiyan was quick, targeted and effective … The UK will continue to work with the government of the Philippines to help them better cope with disasters like this in the future."



Topics



Aid




Independent Commission for Aid Impact (Icai)




Philippines




Department for International Development (DfID)




Typhoon Haiyan








Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on LinkedIn







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp



















 






more on this story














Was UK aid watchdog right to accuse DfID of failing to tackle corruption?
Heather Marquette, 
Richard Mallett and Mick Moore

Three academics, Heather Marquette, Richard Mallett and Mick Moore, give their thoughts on the Icai report, which said Britain is failing to address corruption in the countries it gives aid to. But what do you think?



Published: 5 Nov 2014




Was UK aid watchdog right to accuse DfID of failing to tackle corruption?












DfID not doing enough to protect poor from corruption, says aid watchdog

Independent Commission for Aid Impact says women and girls bearing brunt of corruption as department gets second-worst rating



Published: 30 Oct 2014




DfID not doing enough to protect poor from corruption, says aid watchdog












Food for thought: undernutrition policy could be better, says UK aid watchdog

Programmes rated as green-amber overall, but report criticised for asking wrong questions and inadequate conclusions



Published: 8 Jul 2014




Food for thought: undernutrition policy could be better, says UK aid watchdog












Aid watchdog bites: be more honest and listen to the poor, UK told

DfID accused of failing to admit shortcomings, ineffective use of £1.2bn research budget and poor engagement with beneficiaries



Published: 3 Apr 2014




Aid watchdog bites: be more honest and listen to the poor, UK told














popular












 








The Guardian






back to top














home




US




world




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment
selected







all sections
close







home




US




world




UK




europe




americas




asia




middle east




africa




australia






opinion




sports




soccer




MLS




NFL




MLB




NBA




NHL






soccer




live scores




tables




competitions




results




fixtures




clubs






tech




games






arts




movies




tv & radio




music




books




art & design




stage




classical






lifestyle




food




health




love & sex




family




women




home & garden






fashion




business




markets




companies






money




travel




USA




europe




UK






environment
selected




development
selected




cities






science




media




crosswords




video











Environment




›
Development




›
Aid








jobs

subscribe
all topics
all contributors

info and resources

contact us

feedback

complaints & corrections
terms & conditions
privacy policy
cookie policy
securedrop


© 2015 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.






















 
