Eduardo González
The Government has distributed among the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in the form of voluntary contributions, the seven million euros provided for in the General State Budgets for the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria).
In mid-September, PNV MP Aitor Esteban assured, in a written parliamentary question, that “the Basque Parliamentary Group managed to include seven million euros in the General State Budgets for the year 2023, allocated to UNHCR for the maintenance of the infrastructure of the refugee camps in Tindouf.”
“However, and according to the information that this MP has been able to gather, almost nine months after these Budgets were in force, that item has not been executed,” continued the nationalist parliamentarian, who therefore urged the Government to confirm “that the seven million euros allocated to the Tindouf refugee camps, through UNHCR, remain unexecuted” and, if so, to explain the reason.
In its response, signed on October 19 and published this week, the Government assures that, “taking into account that the maintenance of infrastructure is not a priority of the work of humanitarian agencies in the camps and that UNHCR has few maintenance activities infrastructure among its multiple priorities in the area (protection, health care, vocational training, shelter or access to drinking water)”, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) explored in 2023 with UNHCR itself and with others humanitarian partners the best way to invest these resources.
To this end, they have taken into account, among other sources of information, “the statement issued by the United Nations in Algeria in August 2022, which highlights the urgent need for food and nutritional assistance, due to the deterioration of the humanitarian crisis. in the face of rising food prices and the urgent needs of Sahrawi refugees.”
“This is why, within the framework of the Agreement of the Council of Ministers of September 5, 2023, which approves the authorization of voluntary contributions from Spain to international organizations, programs and funds and other international entities, for total amount of 90,981,000 euros, including the contributions proposed to respond to this crisis, which distribute the seven million euros” included in the Budgets into three different contributions.
On the one hand, WFP receives 3.5 million euros for nutrition and food security and to “alleviate the serious food situation by guaranteeing distributions of the basic basket, destined entirely to Sahrawi refugee camps.” Likewise, UNHCR receives 1.75 million euros for health and security, more specifically for the maintenance of hospital infrastructure, health human resources, and other needs and to support the escort system of the Sahrawi Protection Agency (ASP). Finally, UNICEF receives 1.75 million for education in emergencies, for Sahrawi girls and boys to have access to regular childhood vaccines and to help with school canteens.
