The Inspectors General from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have launched coordinated, independent oversight projects related to their agencies’ respective roles in the ongoing delivery and distribution of U.S. humanitarian assistance to Gaza through the maritime corridor. The DoD and USAID Offices of Inspector General (OIG) oversight initiatives are part of a collaborative effort to review key aspects of DoD’s and USAID’s shared humanitarian mission in providing U.S. assistance to Gaza.
The DoD OIG review will assess the effectiveness of DoD’s efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the maritime corridor. The review will be conducted in phases, with the first assessing DoD’s roles, responsibilities, and controls and the second assessing their implementation.
“The agreements between the DoD and USAID establish roles and responsibilities that help enable U.S. humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza through the maritime corridor,” said DoD Inspector General Robert P. Storch. “Given this, the DoD OIG and USAID OIG are working together to address the challenges associated with this mission. Through our collaboration, we will leverage the unique expertise, resources, and capabilities of our teams to optimize our oversight in this important area.”
USAID OIG’s review will also take a phased approach as it will assess USAID’s plans and controls over the distribution of humanitarian assistance through the maritime corridor, including aid that has reached the beach in Gaza. In particular, USAID OIG will assess the handover of aid from the DoD-controlled maritime pier to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), USAID’s lead implementing partner for distribution of aid in Gaza.
“Congress and the American people can rely on USAID OIG to conduct independent and aggressive oversight of USAID-funded humanitarian assistance programming in Gaza,” said USAID Inspector General Paul K. Martin. “This initial review, in coordination with DoD OIG, will provide timely insight and transparency over the delivery of assistance via the maritime corridor.”
For more information, contact DoD OIG at DoD_IG_Public_Affairs@DODIG.MIL and USAID OIG at oigpress@usaid.gov.