DFID's management of crises inquiry
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“One of the Department for International Development's top 3 priorities is leading the United Kingdom's response to crises. Crises are emergencies—caused by, for example, conflict, natural disaster, disease, or climate change—anywhere around the world which have a humanitarian consequence and which can impact on a country's development. Crises may occur suddenly or develop over time. Since 2011 the Department has responded to over 30 crises. In 2014–15, it spent £1.4 billion of its annual budget of £9.4 billion on humanitarian assistance—a reasonable proxy for its spending responding to crises. The Department works with a number of different organisations when responding to crises—multilateral organisations, for example, and other government departments such as the Ministry of Defence. This review looks at how the Department prepares to respond to crises, how it manages its own resources and works with partners, and how it learns lessons from its interventions. The reviews draws on 5 case studies to illustrate the challenges the Department faces: the Syrian conflict the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone the Yemen conflict the Nepal earthquake food insecurity in the Horn of Africa.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
Responding to humanitarian crises is one of the main responsibilities of the Department for International Development (the Department). Its spending in this area has trebled in the 4 years to 2014–15, and now exceeds £1 billion. Many aspects of its approach to responding to crises are working well, leading to positive results. The Department is a major player in the international humanitarian system and is well regarded by its partners. It is seen as innovative, agile and influential. The Department’s staff and those of its partners show considerable commitment and bravery when working in volatile and dangerous environments. Nonetheless, the Department can improve value for money, particularly in its response to those complex, longrunning crises, such as Syria and Yemen, in which it is increasingly involved. It needs to strengthen its systems for resourcing and assessing the performance of its interventions, as well as improving its oversight of partners. It must also make full use of its influence if it is to secure much needed change to the international humanitarian system led by the United Nations (UN). The World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016 provides a timely opportunity for the Department to bring its influence to bear.
What the government said
No government response is linked to this report.
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 5 January 2016 to its close on 12 May 2016.
- Oral evidence 10 Feb 2016
- Report 20 Apr 2016
What it recommended
The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 35th Report - Department for International Development: responding to crises ↗ on parliament.uk.
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 10 Feb 2016No witnesses recordedparliament.uk ↗