Jun152017

EU announces €143 million support package for the crisis in North East Nigeria

EU
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Nigeria is one of four countries across the globe experiencing or at risk of famine this year, along with Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. The package combines short term EU humanitarian aid with long term development support to help those in the affected area, which has been devastated by the terror campaign of Boko Haram. This reflects the Commission’s strategic approach to resilience, which was presented a week ago.

Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, made the following announcement today: “Our support package of €143 million will assist approximately 1.3 million internally displaced people and affected communities in and around the Borno State in Nigeria. Our assistance will not only target the immediate needs of the people but, it will also help to restore basic services, stimulate employment and create livelihood opportunities, particularly for women and young people“.

Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides added: “The European Union is committed to get lifesaving aid to those in need in Nigeria. Emergency aid can help them but to do so aid organisations need safe and full access to do their job. We also need to think about the long term affects and how to help communities recover. I have visited the country several times and seen the suffering caused by the victims of terrorism but also the strength and determination of the local people to rebuild their lives. It is this desire to rebuild a better future that the EU will support.”

This brings total EU support for the crisis in Nigeria’s Borno state to €224.5 million for 2017, following earlier announcements of €81.5 million in humanitarian aid.

In line with its strategic approach to resilience, the European Commission is providing a comprehensive package of humanitarian and development measures for the crisis in Nigeria. EU support will provide immediate humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable populations affected by the ongoing emergency situation, as well as for early recovery and restoration of basic services, such as health, nutrition, education, water access, sanitation and hygiene, solar power, in areas of return or resettlement. Furthermore, it will provide social protection, stimulate employment and livelihood opportunities, with a special focus on women, young people and vulnerable households. By strengthening public administration and financial management systems in the Borno State, it will help improve sustainable public service delivery, crisis management and coordination of related donor activities.

Background

The €143 million announced today consists of development aid of €123 million from the Nigeria 11th European Development Fund National Indicative Programme and €20 million from the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. It comes in addition to the previously announced €81.5 million in humanitarian funding.

It is further in addition to €177 million in development assistance from the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, which was recently allocated to support 17 projects in and around the Lake Chad area.

Borno crisis in Nigeria

Nigeria faces one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history over five million people in need of urgent food assistance. A large proportion of the Borno population has little or no access to clean water, sanitation, shelter, education, primary health care (60% of health infrastructure is either destroyed or damaged), and is food insecure.

There are an estimated 1.7 million internally displaced persons, the majority, living in and around the urban area of Maiduguri, the State Capital of Borno and almost 200,000 refugees from Nigeria in the neighbouring countries around the Lake Chad.

For More Information

Nigeria factsheet

Jun152017

Now SNP must publish its own damning CAP report

Scottish Conservatives
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15 Jun 2017

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The SNP has been urged to change its mind about keeping secret a damning report into the farmer payments fiasco.

Earlier today, Audit Scotland revealed it would be 2018 “at the earliest” before the Common Agricultural Payments crisis was sorted, and warned of further problems for farmers across the country.

However, the Scottish Government also has its own report into what went wrong, and has again confirmed its intention not to publish it.

Answering a question from Scottish Conservative MSP Finlay Carson, rural affairs secretary Fergus Ewing merely said “publishing such detail could compromise the security of the CAP payments IT platform”.

He added that “improvements identified in the report are already underway” and that his officials were working with the company behind the failed IT system.

MSPs on the rural economy and connectivity committee saw parts of the report – carried out by firm Fujitsu – and described it as “highly critical” and “damning”.

Despite that, and the fact Audit Scotland’s own report was made public this morning, the SNP still wants to keep the findings secret.

Scottish Conservative Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson said:

“Quite frankly, this stinks of a cover-up, particularly when Audit Scotland feels able to make public its own report into this fiasco.

“The SNP has presided over a CAP crisis which has seen Scotland’s rural communities starved of hundreds of millions of pounds.

“Now, in another blow to farmers, the SNP has ruled out publishing a report that might help us all get to the bottom of these many issues.

“That is an insult to everyone in Scotland who cares about our rural communities.

“It’s clear the Scottish Government is more concerned with saving face and playing politics than getting down to the job of serving our vital rural communities.”

Below is a parliamentary question from Scottish Conservative MSP Finlay Carson, and the answer from rural affairs secretary Fergus Ewing:

Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): “To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the report by Fujitsu regarding the IT system used to process CAP payments.”

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Fergus Ewing:

“The report from Fujitsu contains sensitive commercial information as well as technical detail which has implications for cyber-security – publishing such detail could compromise the security of the CAP payments IT platform and, at this critical juncture in the payments schedule, I’m sure the member would agree that would not be a desirable outcome.

I can reassure the member that improvements identified in the Report are already underway and that my officials are working with CGI, the main IT supplier, and Fujitsu on an incremental improvement programme to provide longer term sustainability, scalability and flexibility to the CAP payment system.”

Audit Scotland blasted the Scottish Government’s failed CAP payments in a hard-hitting report published this morning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40274009

When the Fujitsu report was first shown to MSPs, the Scottish Conservatives urged the SNP to publish it in full:
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2017/05/snp-must-publish-secret-report-which-blasts-cap-payment-chaos/

Jun152017

News story: Annual return service for charities

HM Government
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A reminder to submit your annual return for 2016, and information about the 2017 annual return service.

All charities have a legal responsibility to send an annual return to the Charity Commission. Failing to do so risks the public’s trust in your charity and its reputation.

If you haven’t filed your return for 2016 you have 10 months from the end of your charity’s financial year to do so. If you are experiencing difficulties logging into the system, it could be that the service is experiencing high demand at that time – try it again later.

What you need to submit depends on your annual income. If your charity’s income is:

  • under £10,000, then you just need to submit your charity’s income and expenditure figures – the easiest way to do this is through the annual return service
  • between £10,001 and £25,000, you need to complete an annual return form
  • more than £25,001, you must submit an annual return form with a set of annual accounts as well as an independent examiners’ or audit report and a trustees’ annual report (TAR)

Our guide to the accounting essentials for charities will help you understand the type of accounts your charity has to prepare, and whether they need an audit or independent examination.

All Charitable Incorporated Organisation’s (CIO) need to submit an annual return and annual accounts. If your CIO has an income over £25,000 you also need to submit an independent examiners’ or audit report along with a trustees’ annual report.

We are developing a new, improved annual return service for 2017.

The new system will make it easier to file your charity’s accounts and will be available to use from 31 August 2017.

We will let you know when the new system is available. Keep a check on this website and our Twitter feed for information.

Jun152017

News story: Agricultural challenges in China: apply for innovation funding

HM Government
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Businesses and researchers can apply for a share of £8 million to work with Chinese partners on agritech solutions in the People’s Republic.

There is up to £8 million available for UK projects that partner with and aim to solve the challenges facing agriculture in China.

The competition is jointly funded by Innovate UK and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the UK, and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) in China. It is part of the Newton Fund, which uses science and innovation to the promote economic development and social welfare of official development assistance (ODA) partner countries.

What we’re looking for

We are seeking UK-China collaborations in 3 key areas:

  • precision agriculture, agriculture digitisation and decision management tools. This includes use of data and the internet of things, remote sensing and monitoring of crops and animals, digital management and innovative livestock housing
  • improving the efficiency of sustainable agricultural production, such as new approaches to tackling pests and disease, breeding, nutrition and new farming practices
  • agricultural products processing, including improved understanding of protein composition, evaluating nutritional quality of farm products, improved waste reduction and food safety, preventing food fraud and proving authenticity

Projects must be carried out either entirely in China, or in both China and the UK. They cannot be conducted solely in the UK.

Competition information

  • the competition is open, and the deadline for registration is 26 July 2017
  • projects must involve at least one UK business of any size, one UK higher education or research council institute, one Chinese business and one Chinese academic institution
  • a UK-based business or research organisation can lead the project
  • Innovate UK and BBSRC will fund the UK partners and MoST will fund Chinese partners
  • we expect projects to range in size up to £2 million and to last up to 3 years. The total project grant must not exceed £1 million per project in the UK
  • businesses can attract up to 70% of their project costs

Jun152017

Official Statistics: Forestry Commission England Corporate Plan Performance Indicators 2017

DEFRA
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Annual report of the key performance indicators for Forestry Commission England showing progress towards our key aims of helping enable the protection, improvement and expansion of the woodland resource in England. The publication includes both FCE’s six Headline Performance Indicators (also separately reported at quarterly intervals) and our annually reported indicators. This publication is also known as the Forestry Commission England Indicators Report 2017.