UK pledges longer term support after Typhoon Haiyan
British support for reconstruction and recovery to help rebuild homes in the Philippines and get people back into jobs
Children at a 'child friendly space' on Leyte island, Philippines. Picture: Jess Seldon/DFID
Longer term British support will help rebuild homes in the Philippines and get people back into jobs, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced today. She has committed an additional £15 million to the early recovery effort, bringing the UK’s total contribution to over £75 million, to help over a million people affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
The UK is providing the money and expertise needed to start the longer term recovery of the Philippines and the restoration of livelihoods and buildings destroyed by the typhoon. The UK’s support will help people to earn an income again, by providing rice seeds, restoring irrigation systems on farms, and re-establishing fisheries.
The UK will offer British experts to advise on how to protect girls and women during the recovery, and how the Philippines can prepare for future weather disasters, while specialists from businesses will offer expertise on restoring infrastructure and jobs.
Justine Greening said:
The UK was at the forefront of the international emergency response in the Philippines, getting vital humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of survivors.
Now, British money and expertise will help rebuild homes, get people back into work, and protect the most vulnerable, especially girls and women.
By supporting the reconstruction and recovery effort in the Philippines we are helping the victims of Typhoon Haiyan rebuild their lives and secure a better future.
Long term, the UK will provide additional support to aid the Philippine Government’s plans for recovery and reconstruction, which include -
- constructing permanent housing where homes have been damaged
- restoring public infrastructure which has been destroyed
- rebuilding schools and hospitals and other social services, and helping them to prepare for future disasters
- restoring rural production systems by reconstructing irrigation for farming, replanting coconut trees, and re-establishing fisheries
- helping people get back into work through skills training and entrepreneurial programmes
During her visit to the Philippines last month, Justine Greening announced £5 million investment in resilience for up to four cities in the Philippines, so they can plan for and invest in measures such as flood protection and drainage systems that will help in the event of future extreme weather events.
Notes to editors
Click here to see new photos of UK aid being delivered
The UK’s total contribution is more than £75 million, which will help get shelter, clean water and emergency supplies to over a million people. This includes:
- matching the first £5 million donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal for the Philippines, ensuring leading charities have the resources they need to help victims of the typhoon and make the public’s generous donations go even further;
- £8 million for the Rapid Response Facility so partners on the ground can provide crucial humanitarian aid;
- £8 million to fly vital supplies such as water purification kits, cutting equipment and medical support, as well as teams of humanitarian and medical experts, to flood hit areas;
- up to £10 million for the deployment of MOD assets to support the aid effort;
- £30 million to support the UN and Red Cross emergency appeals for the Philippines. The funding will be used to deliver vital supplies to more than 500,000 victims of the Typhoon Haiyan and support UN and Red Cross teams working on the ground as they coordinate the international relief effort; and
- up to £15 million additional funding for the humanitarian response to cover unmet needs and provide support for early recovery.
See the UK’s response to Typhoon Haiyan - Latest updates on UK aid
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