Major charity members of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) have reported raising millions in response to the conflict in Gaza while the BBC has been accused of delaying the umbrella body from launching a collective appeal.
A recent report in the Guardian alleged that some insiders at the DEC, the BBC and aid agencies had accused the broadcaster of “blocking” the appeal because it fears a backlash from supporters of Israel in its war with Hamas.
DEC – an umbrella organisation made up of 15 leading aid charities including Save the Children, ActionAid and Tearfund – is independent from the BBC but reportedly wishes to launch a Gaza humanitarian appeal via the broadcaster.
Some member charities reported raising millions independently since October last year while ActionAid said it is “ready for a DEC appeal”.
The BBC said it was reviewing the possibility of a pan-broadcaster appeal while DEC said it was “ready to act when the moment is right.”
Member charity ‘ready for a DEC appeal’
Despite the lack of a DEC appeal, all of its member charities have launched their own humanitarian appeals to raise funds for Gaza.
Among them are Save the Children, whose appeal has so far raised £3.3m, Tearfund, which has raised over £730,000, and Concern Worldwide, which has raised just under £210,000.
A spokesperson for ActionAid, which has raised over £1.5m, said “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is more catastrophic than ever” and that the charity “urgently needs more funds”.
“Our team, recently back from visiting our partners, reports that this is the worst emergency they have seen, yet our partners continue to deliver critical support despite immense challenges and life-threatening risks.
“Since October, ActionAid has been providing essential supplies – including food, medical items, dignity kits, and hygiene kits – through the humanitarian corridor whenever accessible.
“Thanks to our partners in Gaza and members of the public who have donated over £1.5m pounds to our appeal, we have reached 218,889 people with aid in the past nine months, and 558,206 people have received healthcare services through our partner Al-Awda Hospital.
“With additional funding, we can extend our reach and support partners like Al-Awda in setting up mobile clinics to provide urgent care, including prenatal services for pregnant women facing severe risks from disease, infection, and starvation.
“We are ready for a DEC appeal and urgently need more funds to support our partners in Gaza.
“Palestinians tell us they feel abandoned by the international community, and our partners are desperately hoping one will offer some hope that people are willing to help despite the immense challenges in delivering this vital support.”
DEC ‘ready to act when the moment is right’
Before launching an appeal, the DEC has three criteria which must be met: the scale and urgency of the disaster must merit swift international humanitarian assistance; agencies must be able to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national appeal, and there must be evidence of existing public sympathy for the humanitarian situation, or the likelihood of significant public support should an appeal be launched.
It is reportedly the second criterion – regarding the delivery of aid – that has become the focus of discussion.
A DEC spokesperson said: “The DEC and our stakeholders are deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“The volatile situation in the region, as well as the complex issues around aid access, pose a huge challenge when reviewing our criteria for an appeal.
“The DEC’s role is to launch a national appeal with our broadcast partners at a time that will raise the most money and deliver swift effective aid to as many people as possible. We are ready to act when the moment is right.”
Possibility of broadcast remains open
In addition to DEC’s criteria, the BBC Trust also requires that fundraising appeals meet its rules on impartiality before agreeing to broadcast them.
The BBC Trust decided not to broadcast DEC’s previous Gaza crisis appeal in January 2009 but did promote the umbrella body’s 2014 campaign.
On a potential appeal this year, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are keeping the possibility of a pan-broadcaster appeal under review.”
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