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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) released $54.52 million from the Disaster Relief Fund in the year ending March 31, 2013, to support various relief organisations in providing relief to victims of major disasters which occurred outside Hong Kong.
The amount represents the sum of grants made for 21 projects run by nine relief organisations for providing relief to drought victims and earthquake victims in Yunnan Province, the Mainland; flood victims in Gansu Province, Hunan Province, Jiangxi Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Mainland; drought victims in Mali and Niger; and typhoon victims in the Philippines. The nine relief organisations are Adventist Development and Relief Agency; Amity Foundation, Hong Kong; the Association of Chinese Evangelical Ministry; CEDAR Fund; Oxfam Hong Kong; the Salvation Army; Save the Children Hong Kong; Social Workers Across Borders; and World Vision Hong Kong.
Relief organisations receiving grants from the Fund are required to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts to the HKSARG on the use of the grants after the completion of each relief project.
The Disaster Relief Fund, administered by the Administration Wing under the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, provides an effective channel for the Government to respond swiftly to international appeals for humanitarian aid in relief of disasters that occur outside Hong Kong. The annual report on the activities of the Fund for the year 2012-13 has been uploaded to the website of the Administration Wing at www.admwing.gov.hk/eng/links/drfund.htm .
The Fund is operated from a capital amount of $50 million provided by the HKSARG when it was established. The Government tops up the fund at the beginning of each financial year and applies to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council for additional funding as necessary during the financial year, depending on calls for relief and the size of the fund balance and commitments.
The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Government on the policy and practices regarding disbursement of funds for disaster relief and on specific amounts to recipients, as well as monitoring the use of grants.
The Committee is chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration. At present, members include Mr Cheng Yiu-tong, Ms Starry Lee, Dr Priscilla Leung, Mr Cheung Kwok-che, Mrs Alice Chong, Mr Leo Kung, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare.
Ends/Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:15
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