Sunday 05 April 2020
The Overseas Aid and Development Commission (OA&DC) has agreed to provide additional support to the States of Guernsey's coronavirus response.
The Large Grants and Small Grants programmes for 2021 projects are being suspended, and the OA&DC is discussing with charities it supports, how much of their planned 2020 overseas work is affected by coronavirus restrictions in place in other countries.
The OA&DC anticipates this will mean at least £1m of the 2020 budget will be unspent and can be returned to General Revenue to support the States' coronavirus response.
The OA&DC will continue with its normal approach to Emergency Relief funding, which has a budget of £350,000 this year.
Deputy Emilie McSwiggan, President of the Overseas Aid & Development Commission, said:
"The Commission has, with regret, taken the decision to suspend our normal funding rounds for the time being. We recognise that the effect of coronavirus around the world means it will not be possible, for at least the next few months, to safely deliver many of the programmes we usually support. And, locally, the crisis has put enormous pressure on the public sector, and we've all had to consider scaling back business as usual so we can free people up to support the pandemic response.
"What we do want to emphasise is that this should not change the States' commitment to providing aid and support for international development in the long term. The coronavirus has shown just how connected a world we are, and helping other countries to recover will also benefit our own Bailiwick. But while it's not possible to do our usual work safely and effectively, we are glad to be able to support the local effort to address the crisis."
