Annexes to COM(2013)658 - Annual Report on the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Policies and their Implementation in 2012 - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2013)658 - Annual Report on the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Policies and their Implementation in 2012. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2013)658  |
| date | September 25, 2013 |
This wide range of implementing partners enables the EU to cover a growing list of needs in different parts of the world, often in increasingly complex situations. Commission-managed grants and contributions are made by selecting the best proposals received. The 2012 breakdown for Humanitarian Agreements signed was: 47 % of actions carried out by NGOs (118 partners), 44 % by UN agencies (15 partners) and 9 % by international organisations (3 partners).
From the security point of view, the Commission took further steps to strengthen its own security management system. This was accomplished both at headquarters and in the field through improved coordination and collaboration with humanitarian partners, by monitoring and visiting projects, and by carrying out ex-ante controls, audits and evaluations.
3. Humanitarian and civil protection assistance policy
At policy level, the Commission invested time and effort in several initiatives of strategic importance:
· The Commission continued negotiations with the Council and the European Parliament on the new EU Civil Protection Mechanism legislation,[15] aiming to support, coordinate and supplement the actions of Member States in the field of civil protection to improve the effectiveness of systems for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters. In this connection, the Commission proposed a series of innovative initiatives, the most important of which were:
o the creation of a voluntary pool of pre-committed response capacities (ranging from search and rescue teams to field hospitals and relief supplies). These resources would be made available by the Member States concerned for EU civil protection missions, and quality criteria and a certification process would be developed;
o a gap identification process with the possibility of funding specific types of response capacities at EU level;
o a training network;
o a new approach to support Member States in the field of disaster risk management.
· Preparatory work on the creation of a voluntary corps.[16] Preparations for launching the EU Aid Volunteers legislative initiative advanced significantly in 2012 and the proposal to establish the programme was adopted in September. The proposal provided for financial support to train and deploy volunteers to complement humanitarian aid actions in non-EU countries, and to build capacity for volunteering in non-EU countries. In parallel the Commission continued the preparatory work started in 2011 and 2012. Financial support, focusing on building up resilience and civil protection capacity, was agreed for an additional five pilot projects involving approximately 150 volunteers.
The Commission continued to put emphasis on the commitments stemming from the ‘European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid’ and selected horizontal policy priorities. The year 2012 saw continued progress in the implementation of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. EU Member States and the Commission maintained their efforts to put in place the key elements of the Consensus Action Plan using both internal and external initiatives. As a follow-up to the Council conclusions, the Commission prepared the first Annual Report on the implementation of the Consensus in the previous year, which provided an overview of actions undertaken by the EU, including on a coordinated and joined-up approach of EU Member States and the Commission.
Enhancing coherence and coordination between the EU and its Member States in response to a disaster or protracted crisis is a key issue for improving the efficiency of the overall EU aid contribution. Since 2009 coordination with Member States has mainly taken place in the Council Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA).
On a strategic level, COHAFA has allowed the EU to increase the coherence and complementarity of the Commission’s and Member States’ humanitarian aid activities: there is an annual exchange on policies/strategies, information and analysis produced by the Commission are used by Member States, and individual EU donor activities in specific crises are better coordinated. The Commission also increased its efforts to follow and contribute to the work of EP committees. The European Parliament was briefed about policy initiatives and priorities, as well as about the Commission’s response to specific crises.
Building up the resilience of affected populations to future crises continued to be a key priority throughout the year. A Commission Communication sought to step up the resilience-building effort in EU external action. The lessons learnt from the recent Horn of Africa and Sahel food crises provided input into the policy framework. The Communication underlined the EU’s commitment to stronger links between humanitarian and development aspects, in order to address both the symptoms and the underlying causes of crises. The preparation of a joint action plan was launched to kick-start the initiative.
The Commission launched a public consultation to gather stakeholders’ views on the challenges, objectives and options for further enhancing the effectiveness and impact of EU humanitarian aid. It took into account the changing global context at the outset of the 21st century. The results of the consultation, entitled ‘The Union’s humanitarian aid: Fit for purpose’, will feed into the Commission’s future initiatives in 2013 and 2014 to further increase the impact of EU humanitarian aid.
Throughout the year, the Commission also maintained regular contact with relevant international organisations, in particular the UN and the Red Cross Movement, on policy development and operational issues. Regular meetings were held with key partners. Special emphasis was placed on close cooperation with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, in particular on efforts to obtain a more inclusive humanitarian system through outreach to new partners, and the Transformative Agenda which the IASC[17] agreed in 2011. The Transformative Agenda seeks to strengthen the international humanitarian system in the areas of leadership (especially the role of Humanitarian Coordinators), coordination (more efficient cluster systems) and accountability (including more coordinated needs assessments).
The Commission remained actively involved in the negotiations for a new Food Assistance Convention on behalf of the EU, which was ratified in November 2012. The Food Assistance Convention is an international instrument which reaffirms the commitment of donors to addressing the food and nutrition needs of the most vulnerable.
The roll-out of the humanitarian food assistance policy was also pursued. Preparations were made jointly with DG Development and Cooperation - EuropeAid for a Communication to enhance maternal and child nutrition. Work was also started on a Staff Working Document ‘Addressing Under-nutrition in Emergencies’ to accompany the Communication and translate it into operational guidance.
The Commission prepared a Staff Working Document on Humanitarian Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, capturing best practice in this important humanitarian sector and providing operational guidance.
The Commission also remained committed to supporting the development and strengthening of the collective global humanitarian preparedness and response capacity. In 2012, EUR 23 million was made available for enhanced humanitarian response capacity programmes. These were undertaken within UN agencies, NGOs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The programmes focus on:
· increasing the effectiveness and reinforcing the capacity of international humanitarian organisations and non-governmental organisations. This includes the ability to assess, analyse, prepare for and respond to humanitarian needs, during man-made and/or natural disasters and in their immediate aftermath, in a coordinated and inclusive manner; and
· reinforcing the capacity of international humanitarian organisations and non-governmental organisations to deliver more varied and appropriate forms of food assistance, during emergencies and in their immediate aftermath.
During 2012, the EU provided funding for a project to identify how humanitarian principles are applied in practice, with a view to strengthening their implementation, and further support to provide training in IHL and related humanitarian norms to armed non-state actors. Assistance was also given to increase awareness of IHL and humanitarian principles among European humanitarian organisations and their implementing partners working in conflict-prone or post-conflict countries.
4. Conclusion
The Commission responded effectively in 2012 to the ever increasing need for emergency response and relief aid worldwide. Though more assistance was given in 2012 than in previous years, the EU was unable to fully meet the needs of all victims due to the increase in the number of disasters globally. With global warming already a reality, this trend is set to continue. Within the context of the financial crisis an even more concerted effort has been made to make every euro count. This has not only meant ensuring that the right aid reaches those most in need at the right time, but also finding ways of doing more with less. In 2012, significant emphasis was placed on increasing speed and efficiency and cutting out duplication of processes and actions. In addition, progress was made on major new initiatives, including working towards opening the Emergency Response Centre, which will greatly enhance our ability to carry forward the work done by the Commission into 2013 and beyond.
Financial information on the Commission’s 2012 performance on humanitarian aid and civil protection can be found at the following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/key_figures/echo_en.htm
Operational information can be found at the following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/about/annual_reports_en.htm
[1] According to the most recent (2012) data available (Global Humanitarian Assistance: http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org).
[2] Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid.
[3] The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (CPM) is made up of 32 states (27 EU Member States plus Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) which cooperate in the field of civil protection. The assistance can take the form of in-kind assistance, equipment and teams, or involve sending experts to carry out assessments. It relies on government resources and, if assistance is required in third countries, usually works in parallel with or hands over to humanitarian aid. The operational heart of CPM is the European Emergency Response Centre (ERC — formerly MIC — Monitoring and Information Centre) accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Any country inside or outside the EU affected by a disaster and overwhelmed by its magnitude can make an appeal for assistance through the MIC/ERC.
[4] € 1317 million for humanitarian aid and € 27 million for civil protection.
[5] Of which 108 million people were helped through humanitarian aid and food assistance and 14 million people through disaster preparedness programmes.
[6] As detailed in paragraph 2.2, a total of 16 activations concerned countries within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) and 22 concerned countries outside the Mechanism.
[7] www.cred.be.
[8] www.unisdr.org.
[9] DIPECHO (Disaster Preparedness ECHO) is a specific programme dedicated to disaster preparedness. It targets highly vulnerable communities living in some of the most disaster-prone regions of the world.
[10] Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), Development and Cooperation – EuropAid (DEVCO), Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), European External Action Service (EEAS), Home Affairs (HOME), Enlargement (ELARG), Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN), Budget (BUDG)
[11] This breakdown is simplified in that it associates projects to one single sector. In practice, most projects are linked to more than one sector. For instance, the figure for disaster preparedness (5.49 %) refers to those projects financed by the EU primarily linked to disaster preparedness. Nevertheless, if we take into account all the contracts including significant disaster preparedness components but for which the main sector of intervention is not DP, we reach a total of 15 %.
[12] EUR 1 109 million in payment appropriations (82 % of commitment appropriations).
[13] For civil protection the figures in the table are not broken down by country/region.
[14] One operation is delivered directly, namely the ECHO Flight programme in DRC and Kenya to provide logistical support in a region prone to access problems.
[15] (COM(2011) 934 final).
[16] Article 214(5) of the Lisbon Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
[17] Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Force.