Briefing Paper - In-kind Donation to Gaza

Content

Background

Experience of recent emergencies has shown that international commitment to assist the people of Gaza, whilst vital to meet the needs of the affected population, has also resulted in donations of goods accumulating in Jordan and Egypt, instead of being delivered to beneficiaries.

In order to ensure that the kindly sent donations of aid reach and benefit the people of Gaza, donors are kindly requested to plan all donations through the Palestinian Authority /UN systems.

The Logistics Cluster can liaise with the PA and humanitarian community on behalf of the donors to ensure that the donation meets the needs of the population and is fully compliant with the national requirements for the importation of goods.

Experience has shown that cargo that lacks complete documentation and coordination will not succeed in entering Gaza under the current restrictions.

Basic Requirements for Donation of Humanitarian Relief Items

1. The donation must correspond to needs identified and must be relevant to the populations requirements

• The humanitarian community is organized into sectors (called “Clusters”) such as food, health,water and sanitation, shelter, education, agriculture, etc.
• Each cluster lead organization has a UN agency or NGO focal point that coordinates the assessment of the sector needs and the distribution of aid to the affected population. The Logistics Cluster can assist donors in identifying logistics solutions to send goods to Gaza. The Gaza Logistics Cluster contacts can be found on: http://www.logcluster.org/ops/gaza09a. Other Cluster focal points are available at: http://www.ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/gaza_crisis_calendar_cluster_contact_list_2009.xls

2. The items sent must be “permitted” by the Israeli authorities to enter Gaza

• All items for Gaza must pass through Israel in order to reach Gaza (with the rare exception of medical items which are occasionally approved to pass to Gaza through Rafah).
• The logistics cluster can advise on whether or not the items are permitted by the Israeli authorities to enter Gaza.

3. Consignee – who will receive the cargo?

• Humanitarian aid sent to Gaza must be addressed to an entity as the intended recipient (consignee). This can be a local or international NGO or UN agency or other entity who, by prior arrangement, has agreed to take responsibility for arranging collection of the cargo once it arrives at the port or airport and for onward delivery and distribution to beneficiaries. Sending goods addressed to “The people of Gaza” will not be sufficient.
• The PA and Israeli authorities will not permit any humanitarian aid to be sent to Hamas /Hamas affiliates. The Israeli authorities accept only consignees approved by the Palestinian Authority (Ramallah).
• The consignee can be arranged through the PA or Cluster focal point to ensure successful delivery to Gaza.
• The largest UN agency in Gaza is UNRWA which provides all services to the refugee population in Gaza (64% of the population). An updated list of UNRWA requirements is available from: www.unrwa.org
• The remaining 36 percent of the population are served by the de-facto authorities. WFP works with the Ministry of Social Affairs and International NGOs to provide food to the most vulnerable non refugee population and has lists of needy beneficiaries.

4. Palestinian Authority Donation Number

• All cargo for Gaza must have a donation number from the Palestinian Authority.
• Receipt of the PA donation number is the first step of approval for the donation and without the PA donation number the cargo will not reach Gaza.
• This process must begin before the humanitarian relief items are shipped to Egypt/Jordan.Cargo without the PA donation number will not be permitted to enter the territories.
• Either the consignee or the donor can request and/or follow up on the PA donation number 
• Make sure to submit the essential documentation required for application for Palestinian Authority donation number:
  • Letter of Donation, which includes the contact details of the donor and the consignee. It should also include the details and value of the donation and confirm that the donated supplies are not to be sold.
  • Packing list, which contains the description of the items, packing number of pallets, number of units per pallet, unit weight and the total tonnage.
  • Health certificate, describing the contents and confirming that it is fit for human consumption.
  • Certificate of origin
• Submit a covering letter and the above documentation to the Humanitarian Aid Unit, Palestinian Authority (contact details below)Once the PA donation number is received it should be forwarded to the consignee’s customs clearance agent.

5. Cargo Specifications

• All cargo, including humanitarian relief items arriving in Egypt or Jordan must be accompanied by the correct documentation in order to be accepted by the port and airport authorities, customs and others.
• Lack of documentation may result in cargo being refused entry into Jordan/Egypt or onwards movement - via Israel to Gaza- being delayed for failure to meet requirements of local authorities such as customs, ministry of finance and/or ministry of agriculture etc.
• Cargo will be offloaded, and palletised/ re-palletised (as required) to the required standard. The donor must be able to cover all expenses for logistical arrangements to ensure that the donation reaches its end destination.
• The cargo must be delivered palletized according to the following specifications:
  • Maximum height of 1.6 meters
  • Maximum weight of 1.2 metric tonnes
  • Footprint should not exceed 1.0 x 1.2 meters
  • Pallets must be wrapped with transparent nylon wrap and should have 4 layers of shrink wrap.
  • Pallets must be properly strapped and secured with labels indicating the relevant description and gross weight.
  • Pallets should be strong enough to resist handling 10-16 times.

6. Procedures and Documents Required

A. Cargo transiting via Jordan:
Goods sent via Jordan must be organized through UNRWA (who will make the arrangements with Jordan Hashemite Charitable Organization (JHCO) and the concerned authorities on behalf of the
donor).

• A formal letter must be addressed to UNRWA announcing the items, of comprising the donation, to the addresses below. Please also provide the JHCO with a copy of the letter and Packing List if the Shipment has to be sent via Jordan
• Only items listed in the UNRWA ‘List of Priorities for In-kind Contributions’ can be accepted by UNRWA
• The following documentation and information needs to submitted with the formal letter:
  • A detailed packing list with full description, quantities, weights and packing together with details Manufacturing date [if available] and Expiry date [mandatory especially for medicines].
  • Minimum Shelf life of one year.
  • A Certificate of Origin [Must not be Iran, Lebanon or Syria or they will be rejected]
  • A Certificate of Health
  • A Non-commercial invoice
  • Proposed Departure and Arrival dates
  • Proposed Transport from port/airport to JHCO Warehouse[s]
• Only in-kind contributions formally accepted by UNRWA will be handled for further transport

Financial Implications

• The Donor assumes the responsibility of delivering the material via the relevant land border crossing to JHCO Warehouses. If delivery is to a port or airport, JHCO will arrange collection by prior agreement.
• The Donor also assumes the cost involved in the transportation, handling and tracking of the donated material from the respective border crossing to Gaza. This part will be executed by the JHCO and costs from JHCO Warehouses to Gaza is approximately $2,310 per trailer [approximately16MT] , depending on the current exchange rate – please see the pallet specifications below. Additional charges may apply.

Notifications

• The date of transport to Gaza will be determined by the JHCO depending on the priority needs in Gaza and the capacity at the border crossing. Thus the date of transport cannot be determined accurately beforehand as the above factors are constantly changing. The donor will be informed 24-48 hours before transport begins.
• Please note that JHCO can provide the necessary re-palletisation service and storage subject to JHCO’s capabilities.

Labelling

• Only shipments bearing the UNRWA/JHCO labels can be currently be assured of entry into Gaza via Jordan. UNRWA will provide the donor visibility for the goods on arrival in Gaza.

B. Cargo transiting via Egypt:
All humanitarian aid to Gaza from Egypt must be sent via the Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERC), who is responsible for organizing and facilitating the storage and onward delivery of cargo
from El-Arish staging area in Northern Sinai through the main border crossings with Israel and Gaza.

• After receipt of the PA donation number, notify ERC of the planned donation (arrival date in Egypt and packing list) and PA donation number.
• ERC will inform the donor of the approximate transportation costs for these goods from Egypt to Gaza.
• Following agreement of the donor to cover the onward transport costs and ERC confirmation,ERC will inform the Egyptian of the donation to facilitate the entry.
• The donor is required to make the customs clearance themselves at arrival at the border with Egypt. The Egyptian Customs clearance requires the following documents to be sent in advance of the goods arrival:
  • Detailed packing list / manifest
  • Airway bills or bills of lading
  • Letter of donation
  • Health certificate (if required)
  • Non-commercial invoice
  • Certificate of origin
• ERC will manage the onward transport of the goods to Gaza- as long as all the documents are in order

C. Basic requirements to meet the Israeli Authorities’ requirements for the movement of humanitarian cargo from Egypt into Gaza via El Aouga/Nitsana:

• PA Donation Number (see above)
• Customs Clearance from Israel: The consignee inside Gaza must request the customs clearance of the cargo. The actual clearance procedures can be done by a customs agent on behalf of the consignee, but the consignee must be the named party for customs clearance. Currently, as part of the customs clearance procedures, customs will check with COGAT (Coordination Office for Government Activities in the Territories) to confirm that the actual items being imported into Israel will be accepted for movement from Israel into Gaza. If the clearance of COGAT is not given the items will not be allowed to enter Israel.
• For the documentation requirements see point 5 above.

7. Special guidelines for donations of medicines and medical supplies (Generic)

A. Quality assurance and shelf-life

• All medical items should respond to UN/ PA medical requirements list. No items will be permitted to enter the territories unless it is approved by UNRWA/WHO.
• All donated drugs should be obtained from a reliable source and comply with quality standards in both donor and recipient country. The WHO Certification.
• Scheme on the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products Moving in International Commerce should be used.
• No drugs should be donated that have been issued to patients and then returned to a pharmacy or elsewhere, or were given to health professionals as free samples.
• After arrival in the recipient country all donated drugs should have a remaining shelf-life of at least one year. An exception may be made for direct donations to specific health facilities, provided that: the responsible professional at the receiving end acknowledges that (s) he is aware of the shelf-life; and that the quantity and remaining shelf-life allow for proper administration prior to expiration. In all cases it is important that the date of arrival and the expiry dates of the drugs be communicated to the recipient well in advance.
• The argument that products with short expiry dates can be donated in the case of acute emergencies, because they will be used rapidly, is incorrect. In emergency situations the systems for reception, storage and distribution of drugs are very often disrupted and overloaded, and many donated drugs tend to accumulate.
• Cold chain requirements must be clearly understood and managed through to the main warehouses in Gaza. Otherwise the donated drugs or other items will be unusable upon arrival.
• All donations must be sent in quantities requested.

B. Presentation, packing and labelling of medical donations

• All drugs should be labelled in a language that is easily understood by health professionals in the recipient country; the label on each individual container should at least contain the International Non-proprietary Name (INN) or generic name, batch number, dosage form, strength, name of manufacturer, quantity in the container, storage conditions and expiry date.
• As much as possible, donated drugs should be presented in larger quantity units and hospital packs.
• All drug donations should be packed in accordance with international shipping regulations,and be accompanied by a detailed packing list which specifies the contents of each numbered carton by International Non-proprietary Name (INN) or generic name, dosage form, quantity, batch number, expiry date, volume, weight and any special storage conditions. The weight per carton should not exceed 50 kilograms. Drugs should not be mixed with other supplies in the same carton.