European Commission Humanitarian Aid Introducing DG ECHO 1 The EU - PDF document

1 European Commission Humanitarian Aid Introducing DG ECHO 1

The EU as a relief donor � The Commission is one of the largest single donors of humanitarian assistance in the world (about 25% of the annual global total) � Add to this, the humanitarian funds provided by the Member States => EU as a whole supplies about 50% of global humanitarian aid annually Commission humanitarian aid funding in 2003 : €600.3 million funding in 2004 : €570.34 million funding in 2005: €652.5 million funding in 2006: €671.3 million 2 3

Objectives Provide assistance to victims of crises in countries outside the EU Save and preserve life during emergencies and their immediate aftermath Provide relief to people affected by longer- lasting crises Protect the victims of fighting Carry out short-term rehabilitation and reconstruction work Ensure preparedness and early response capacity 3

I m plem entation The Commission is not an implementing agency that intervenes directly on the ground It is, however, an active donor , fully involved in programming aspects and policy development in the field of humanitarian aid The funds are channelled through individual contracts with partner organisations and agencies � EU non-governmental organisations (NGOs) � United Nations agencies � Other international organisations (ICRC, IFRC) 4 3

Com m ission hum anitarian staffing Com m ission hum anitarian staffing Brussels Around 200 staff � 4 operational units � 1 unit in charge of relations with Institutions, partners and other donors � 3 “horizontal” units (human resources and finance) � 1 information and communication unit In the field Nearly 100 field experts and 150 local staff in six regional support offices (Amman, Bangkok, Dakar, Managua, Nairobi and New Delhi) and around 30 field offices around the world. 5 3

Strengths Strengths Needs-based intervention Commitment to “forgotten” crises Operational efficiency and rapidity � Technical expertise/expert analysis: strong field presence Rapid decision-making Multiplicity of partners Thematic support – reference donor 6 3

Thematic funding � Supporting core capacities of humanitarian actors � Innovative activities � Nearly € 62 Million during the last four years � Some examples � UNICEF Emergency preparedness programme � UNHCR Protection surge capacity programme � IFRC Regional logistics units and Humanitarian Procurement Centre � Fritz Institute Certification in humanitarian logistics 7

Who is moving my cheese? � Emergency and protracted crises � Permanent needs � By the way, DG ECHO has spent € 87.5 Million in air transport in the last four years, (including nearly € 50 Million with ECHO Flight) � Consolidation of capacities, developing interaction and cooperation among humanitarian actors 8

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