Written question asked by Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 18 June 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 20 June 2008. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Thursday, 26 June 2008 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

United Nations: Humanitarian Aid

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development where the United Nations Development Programme's SURGE Capacity Initiative has been used in crises since its introduction in 2006.

Answer: The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Immediate Crisis Response, or SURGE, has been deployed in the following crisis situations:"Burma following Cyclone Nargis, May 2008;""Cameroon in response to a sudden influx of Chadian refugees, February 2008;""Chad after post-elections violence had destroyed UNDP's office in the country, February 2008;""Bangladesh following Cyclone Sidr, 2007;""Liberia after a string of natural disasters, 2007;""Solomon Islands following a tsunami, 2007;""Sudan in support of contingency planning for a potential expansion of support to Darfur, 2007."

Secondary information