Standard Operating Procedures for Pre-Clearance Mechanism from the Access Support Unit (Version 2)
Originally published 13 August 2024
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Pre-Clearance Mechanism (PCM) from the Access Support Unit (ASU): Version 2 (v2)
13 August 2024
Prepared by
Jackson al Khoury de Concini
I) Overview
1). Background
In order to consolidate and better streamline UN access mechanisms in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in January 2022, under the leadership of the UN Deputy Special Coordinator (DSC), Resident Coordinator (RC), and Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), the UN system in oPt embarked on a process of streamlining and enhancing coordination between various UN entities engaged on access issues across the oPt with a view to:
a). utilizing all available capacities and increasing efficiency;
b). ensuring synergies and avoiding fragmentation/overlapping; and
c). ensuring coherence of advocacy and maximizing political leverage.
As such, in January 2023, a consolidated Access Support Unit (ASU) project combining both access of people (formerly the Access Coordination Unit (ACU) and goods and materials (formerly the Project Management Unit (PMU) implementing the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) was established.
The GRM was created following the 2014 conflict between Israel and Gaza and within the framework of the 2014 Cairo Agreement as a tripartite agreement between the Government of Israel (GoI), the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the UN. The purpose of the GRM was to facilitate the entrance and use of much-needed construction and other dual-use materials required for post conflict reconstruction, humanitarian response and economic development in the Gaza Strip – and the monitoring of those items to ensure they are not ‘redirected’ for military use by armed groups.
The GRM was a rare example of functional cooperation between the PA and GoI. Although, in name, the GRM implies a limited reconstruction mandate, it was widely used to facilitate the entrance and use of various dual-use materials for infrastructure and other projects needed for both humanitarian support, early recovery and development projects in Gaza, including in the context of implementing Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) commitments and recommendations.
While the current war in Gaza has in the short term led to the suspension of the GRM activity thereby putting the GRM on hold since 7 October, the ASU rapidly adapted to the changing situations and was able to respond quickly and effectively using the CHI mechanism.
2). Additional Actors and Terminology
The term “humanitarian partners” refers to all the actors supporting the humanitarian response in Gaza, such as UN agencies, government departments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and companies (such as private logistics providers). The Palestinian Logistics Cluster (PLC) has a supporting role in seeking pre-clearance with the COGAT in coordination with humanitarian partners of the PLC.
The term Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) is the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) unit that oversees Israeli policy within the oPt. The Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) is the unit within the COGAT that is responsible for the Israeli government policy in Gaza.
The term Critical Humanitarian Items (CHIs) refers to any item that is not food, medicine, fuel, water or basic shelter equipment. Although the term “dual-use” has not been in use since the GRM was put on hold, anything other than food, medicine, fuel, water or basic shelter equipment risks being rejected at the crossing unless it is precleared through the ASU mechanism.
3). Current Mechanism
On January 11, 2024, ASU commenced coordinating the pre-clearance process for CHIs. The Palestinian
Logistics Cluster (PLC) has a supporting role in seeking pre-clearance with the COGAT in coordination with
humanitarian partners members of the PLC.
The ASU receives Pre-Clearance Requests (PCRs) for CHIs from humanitarian partners and then submits them to COGAT. The ASU manages the communication between these partners and COGAT, specifically in delivering COGAT’s pre-approvals, rejections, and requests for additional information to humanitarian partners. The ASU also coordinates the entry of pre-approved items through certain humanitarian corridors.
II). Requests
Humanitarian partners should submit requests through the Access Support Unit (ASU) Pre-Clearance Mechanism (PCM) Request Form.
1). Consignor Information
Humanitarian partners must submit this information about the person making the request. No personal information from this section about the requester is shared with COGAT. This information is collected to better enable ASU to coordinate the PCR. ASU will only share the name of the humanitarian partner with COGAT. This information about the requester is required:
First and Last Name,
Consigning Entity (ie. UN agency, INGO, or private company),
Job Title and Email,
Phone Number (and reachable messaging applications),
Secondary Contact (name, email, and phone number).
2). Item Information
a). General Information
Partners must submit this information about the item:
Name
Quantity,
Description,
Photo,
Technical Specifications, and
Primary Cluster (or special category).
b). Additional Information for Specific Clusters and Sub-Categories
Depending on the sector or sub-category of the item, partners Partners may be asked to provide additional required information based on the sub-category.
For all Emergency Telecommunication (ETC) devices, COGAT requires ASU to submit an additional form on behalf of humanitarian partners. This is the additional information that ASU must provide:
To whom will the items be assigned, and if they will use the item in a stationary location, multiple positions, mobile, or other arrangements;
Explain if the items are being used in a stationary location, multiple positions, mobile, or other arrangements;
Provide a full address for these locations, including city and street name;
Provide contact information for the people responsible for the items inside Gaza, including full name, email address, and telephone number; and
For PPE, the partners should provide a list of personnel who will utilize the PPE units in Gaza, including their first and last names, nationality, and ID/passport numbers.
Documents required for Specific CHIs Requests
3). Supply Chain Information
Partners must also submit this information about the item’s “supply chain.” The supply chain summarizes the transit route of the item(s).
Sending Entity,
Procuring or Donating Entity,
Country or Territory of Manufacture for Item,
Entry Corridor for Item,
Receiving Entity in Gaza,
Governorate(s) of Use or Distribution in Gaza,
Locations within Governorates(s) of Use or Distribution in Gaza, and
Purpose of Use or Distribution in Gaza.
III). Responses
COGAT will notify ASU if a PCR is pending, requires additional information, pre-approved, or rejected.. ASU will notify humanitarian partners of COGAT responses and manage any follow-up communication.
1). Pending or Additional Required Information
For pending requests, COGAT will often (although not always) request additional information for the submissions. When COGAT requests additional information (ie. more specificity on intended location), the ASU mechanism will notify partners of these requests and submit additional information back to COGAT.
2). Pre-Approval
When responding with a pre-approval, COGAT will issue a specific “reference number” for the pre-approval. This number must be resubmitted back to ASU through the “Equipment Inspection Coordination” (EIC) form as explained in Section 4: “COORDINATING”;
When receiving pre-approval, organizations should note that pre-approvals are not universal. They are unique to the singular transit of an item. Each pre-approval is only valid once. For example, if pre-approval is given to a UN agency for one item, that pre-approval does not apply to any subsequent shipments of that same item by the same agency.
Similarly, if one INGO receives pre-approval to transit an item into Gaza, this does not grant pre-approval to another INGO for transiting that same item. Each humanitarian partner must apply for their own pre-approval each time they plan to transit CHIs into Gaza.
3). Rejection
When COGAT notifies ASU of a rejected request, they usually do not provide a reason for rejection. However, through the ASU mechanism, partners have the opportunity to request clarity for the reason of rejection. Similarly, through the mechanism they may either appeal for reconsideration with additional information or re-submit an amended request that may resolve objections that COGAT has to the request (ie. the donor or location of use in Gaza).
Please note, COGAT usually does not respond to requests of clarity on rejection nor appeals for reconsideration. However, ASU will still advise partners on additional options should they receive a rejection.
IV). Entry Coordination
In addition to CHI pre-clearance, the ASU also coordinates the actual clearance of sensitive items into Gaza. Humanitarian partners must submit the entry coordination in advance and receive tentative approval a week before the requested time. Humanitarian partners must complete and email the (updated) “Equipment Inspection Coordination” (EIC) form to the ASU focal point at least 48 hours (10:00 AM Jerusalem time) before a pre-approved item arrives at an Israeli crossing/scanning point in transit to Gaza.
Please note that although the specific details for submission are dependent on which corridor the CHI is entering Gaza, the EIC form is used for all ASU entry coordination, regardless of crossing point.
1). Egypt
a). Kerem Shalom
For items traveling from Egypt to Gaza, Kerem Shalom (across from Egyptian and Palestinian Karem Abu Salem) is currently the only Israeli scanning point for humanitarian items. Although the Israeli scanning point at Nitzana (across from Egypt’s El Ouga) is operational, it is not currently being used for items entering Gaza. For pre-cleared items entering through both Kerem Shalom/Kerem Abu Salem, humanitarian partners must complete and email the EIC form to the ASU focal point at least 48 hours before a pre-approved item arrives at Kerem Shalom.
Humanitarian partners should coordinate with the Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) for any required information on the EIC form that they do not already head (ie. driver’s identification or trailer license plates). Please also review the most recent ERCS SOPs for coordinating shipments from the Egyptian corridor. The most recent ERCS Gaza Response SOPs for Importation, published on January 24, 2024, are Version 4 (v4). Additional relevant ERCS documents, procedures, and forms are available on the Egypt webpage of the PLC website.
If organizations are unable to receive this information from ERCS, they should reach out to the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the PLC focal points in El-Arish, North Sinai, Egypt. The prevalent El-Arish focal points for OCHA and the PLC can be found at the bottom of these SOPs.
b). Gate 96
For trucks that are entering Gaza through Gate 96, entry coordination of pre-cleared items should be done directly with the World Food Programme (WFP), not ASU. The current focal point for WFP can be found through contacting the Palestinian Logistics Cluster Coordinator, whose contact information is at the bottom of these procedures.
2). West Bank & Israel
Humanitarian partners must complete and email the EIC form to the ASU focal point 48 hours before a pre-approved item arrives at an Israeli crossing/scanning point between Israel and Gaza. Of the available northern crossing points, Erez East (between Erez and Beit Hanoun) and Erez West (a new crossing on Gaza’s northern border between Al-Atara and Zikim), COGAT will typically open only one during a period of time. Thus, it is important that partners are aware of which northern crossing point their pre-cleared items are expected to arrive at.
ASU will coordinate the entry of pre-cleared items through any northern crossing point into Gaza. However, humanitarian partners are responsible for coordinating the entry of pre-cleared items through an Israeli port (ie. Ashdod or Ben Gurion). The ASU PCM is a separate process from Israeli customs rules and procedures at ports of entry. Humanitarian partners are expected to receive the required Israeli approvals before sending sensitive humanitarian items to Israel. Partners should reach out to the PLC to be connected with resources and other logistics partners who may be able to support customs clearance and other approvals.
3). Jordan
There are several separate coordination processes for CHIs entering Gaza through Jordan. If humanitarian Partners are coordinating with the PLC, they should reach out to either the Jordan focal point of the PLC to coordinate directly. The contact information is available at the bottom of their homepage.
Organizations should share confirmation of COGAT pre-approval (specifically the COGAT tracking number) with the PLC or other local humanitarian logistics partners, such as the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO).