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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 4WE
Deputy Moz Scott
Chair, Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel
BY EMAIL
10 May 2023 Dear Deputy ,
Thank you for your letter dated 28th of April 2023. It is with pleasure that I can provide you an update on the items requested. Where longer supporting documents are required, I have appended a suite of documents for the attention of the Panel.
- An example of an Ambassador Pack;
I have appended the link to the Ambassador for Jersey' packs that are under development. Ambassadors for Jersey, in the broadest sense – including athletes, Overseas Aid volunteers, businesspeople, civil servants, students and others – will be able to choose the papers most relevant to them to support them when representing their island abroad. The information includes key messages on themes including Jersey's constitutional status, economy, culture and environment. It is expected that these will be published within the next two weeks and will be downloadable from the Island Identity website. The information used to form these documents will contribute to the newcomer packs' as part of the work of the International Cultural Centre.
- An organogram of the diaspora work;
The above diagram reflects the membership of the diaspora engagement working group, consisting of Officers in the Department for External Relations and the Cabinet Office. When necessary, members of the diaspora engagement working group call upon the expertise of other External Relations and Departmental Officers.
- Further information around your meeting with the Minister for the Environment, regarding planning decisions and the Island Identity;
All planning applications are judged against the policies in the Bridging Island Plan, adopted in 2022, and therefore my engagement with the Environment Minister this term has not considered planning specifically.
In the formulation of the Bridging Island Plan, however, there was specific focus on Island Identity. Volume Two includes Strategic Policy 3: Placemaking and Strategic Policy 4: Protecting and promoting island identity. I have appended detail of how the Bridging Island Plan supports the protection and enhancement of Jersey's identity. I look forward to engaging with the Environment Minister on future Island Plans to ensure that identity remains a consideration during the Planning process.
My last meeting with Deputy Renouf , specifically on Island Identity, took place on the 29th of September 2022. This was a more general meeting about the recommendations for the Environment Minister, and to discuss his plans and intentions for the term. I have appended the recommendations of the project for the Environment department.
- Identification of the proportions of funding earmarked for emergencies, sustainable grants etc.
JOA's budget is divided into five categories: Grant Aid (IDG); Emergencies; Local Charities; Outreach and Overheads. The below chart indicates how JOA's 2023 funding is currently earmarked, but it is revisited throughout the year by Commissioners to ensure there is adequate allocation for emergencies.
JOA Budget Split (2023)
Grant Aid (IDG) 55.2% Emergencies 24.9% Local Charities 14.3% Outreach 1.6% Administration 4%
- Background of your interaction as Minister with the work carried out by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society;
As Chair of JOA's Board of Commissioners, I am involved in the funding decisions regarding these two bodies and receive regular updates on project progress and challenges. Funding for both Durrell and the RJAHS is subject to the due diligence and governance as per all of JOA's projects and expanded on in part 7 of this letter.
As Minister, I have represented Jersey in the Dairy for Development sector during the African Jersey Forum (est. 2019), in Rwanda (2019), Jersey (2021), and forthcoming: Malawi (2023).
In February 2022, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Zambia's Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to roll out Jersey's renowned dairy for development programme in a fourth African country. The MOU paved the way for JOA and RJAHS to begin work in Zambia in 2022.
In March this year I personally attended the project launch for Phase II, of Durrell's project in Madagascar: VALIHA: Resources for the wellbeing of people and nature to achieve development. I look forward also to opening the Conservation Lives & Livelihoods conference this October. I was on a panel in 2021 with the finance sector trying to encourage the "E" of the ESG (Environmental, social and governance) oriented investments to partner with Durrell. A scheme was then developed where a percentage of profits of new businesses in Jersey would go to a Durrell scheme.
- The overarching grant agreement with the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society (RJAH') that was mentioned in the Quarterly Hearing, as well as any other agreements made between RJAH and the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (JOAC') in the last three years and details of all payments made to RJAH over the last five years with respect to the provision of advice or other services;
Appended is the overarching Grant Agreement between the RJAHS & JOA, five other RJAHS & JOA Grant Agreements signed since 2020, and JOA-RJAHS payment information since 2018. It is kindly requested that this documentation is treated as confidential, as it constitutes commercially-sensitive information.
- Clarification of how the impact of dairy support projects are measured, particularly concerning health benefits;
How projects are measured:
In line with our Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, all JOA-funded projects are subject to reporting their impact. To do this, all international development partners are required to submit a logical framework to map out the anticipated long term impact, outcomes and outputs that the project seeks to contribute to, and/or achieve.
JOA partners must submit two reports a year, alternating between Informal Narrative Reports, and more in depth annual Interim Reports. These include a detailed description of Project Activities undertaken, difficulties encountered, and intended and unintended impacts, outcomes and outputs. Interim reports must also include the current results of the Project in the form of a results matrix. Financial reports, including Project expenditure in direct comparison with the Project Budget, are also required. Subsequent projects payments for the year ahead are subject to the submission and approval of Interim reports. Appended is a typical logical framework/ results matrix for the attention of the panel. It is kindly requested that this documentation is treated as confidential.
JOA's multi-year international development projects with grant values over £450,000 must undergo a midline evaluation and an independent final evaluation. Such grants are also subject to a JOA-conducted monitoring visit mid-way through implementation. Following the visits, a Monitoring Report and an Executive Summary of the visit's findings are produced and visited partners are invited to review the same and share partner feedback. A copy of the latest Executive Summary of Ripple Effect's current project in Rwanda is appended. The panel are kindly requested to keep this confidential as the document is undergoing a review process. Monitoring Impact of Dairy for Development Projects, including benefits:
Since the rollout of JOA's Monitoring and Evaluation policy in 2022, JOA has conducted two monitoring visits to projects under our Dairy for Development thematic focus – one in Ethiopia (2022), and the other in Rwanda (2023). I shared with the Panel the Executive Summary for JOA's visit to the Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow) project in Ethiopia following the November 2022 Scrutiny hearing, and now provide you with the Executive Summary for the recent visit to the Ripple Effect project in Rwanda which took place in February 2023.
To successfully obtain JOA funding, projects must speak to JOA's thematic priorities as outlined in our Dairy for Development Strategy (appended). At the impact level our Dairy projects must target:
- Increased Resilience – Project beneficiaries gain increased resilience to external economic and climate shocks.
- Income Generation – Beneficiaries generate increased and more stable incomes, contributing (in the long term) to poverty reduction.
- Sustainable Dairy System Development – Dairy systems are developed which are sustainable and inclusive, and which contribute to economic development and food security at a national level.
In terms of measuring the impact of the health benefits of our dairy projects, our current projects map proxy-indicators relating to:
• Household dietary diversity
• Household food security
• Household income security
Once again, it is kindly requested that where documentation constitutes commercially sensitive information, it is kept confidential.
- An electronic copy of the JOAC International Development Grants 2023 Decision Support Pack.
As requested, I have appended a soft copy of JOA's International Development Grants 2023 Decision Support Pack. This is commercially sensitive information and must be kept confidential.
- How emergency work is carried out in Syria given the ongoing conflict in the region.
How emergency work is carried out:
Prior to the earthquake, humanitarian intervention in the non-government-controlled areas of Syria was already hugely challenging and complex.
Many of those in the region (over 2.3 million) rely on aid arriving from across the border in Turkey including OCHA's Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF). UN Cross-border operations are dependent upon the approval of UN Security Council Resolution 2672. UNSCR 2672 allows the UN to run cross-border humanitarian programmes into northern areas outside the Syrian Government's control. On 9 January 2023, the Security Council agreed to extend UN cross-border assistance for an additional six-month period. Whilst the approval is welcome, the count-down to the next decision has begun with uncertainty impacting the ability to successfully plan and implement projects.
Aid Fund for North Syria (AFNS):
Knowing the scale of humanitarian need in Northern Syria and the complexities around UNSCR 2672, in early February 2023 (before the earthquake), JOA Commissioners agreed to allocate £200,000 to an innovative pooled fund (Aid Fund for North Syria - AFNS) established to meet the priority needs in the region. The AFNS is not a UN fund and is therefore not dependent on a UNSCR. It is complementary to, coordinated with and addresses gaps in the UN response.
This support meant that when the earthquake struck on 6th February, JOA funds were already allocated to the region and available to support hard to reach Syrian organisations at the frontline of the earthquake response.
The lack of funds going to local organisations had been a major critique of the international response and it is reassuring to see Jersey support a mechanism that has awarded 62% of funding to National Non-Governmental Organisations.
The allocation of £200,000 to the AFNS complimented other JOA funding to address the needs in Turkey and Syria, summarised below. The total amount allocated to the region, so far has been £463,792:
• British Red Cross, Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal (£150,000)
• International Health Partners (£40,000)
• RedR, Strengthening Earthquake Response and Reconstruction in Türkiye and Syria (£74,792)
In reference to your other questions, the Corruption perception index (CPI) was created by Transparency International and ranks countries based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.
Finally, the Sustainable Finance Ambassador Group is to help support Government's development of its sustainable finance strategy and the financing of its carbon neutral strategy for the Island. Members include Government representatives, the finance industry and other key stakeholders, including JOA, who have been involved since the very early discussions around sustainable finance and impact investment.
My Officers and I are always happy to provide additional information in regard to both the Island Identity programme and Jersey Overseas Aid activity. Please do not hesitate to contact me if we can be of any further assistance.
Kind regards,
Deputy Carolyn Labey
Minister for International Development