Select Committee on European Scrutiny Seventh Report

2 EU humanitarian assistance

(28178) 16551/06 SEC (06) 1626

Commission Staff Working Document: Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) Operational Strategy 2007

Legal base	—
Document originated	1 December 2006
Deposited in Parliament	4 January 2007
Department	International Development
Basis of consideration	EM of 15 January 2007
Previous Committee Report	None
To be discussed in Council	To be determined
Committee's assessment	Politically important
Committee's decision	Cleared, but further information requested

Background

2.1 In its introduction, the Commission says that over the years it "has been confirmed as one of the world's most important providers of humanitarian aid". Through its Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO) the Commission provides "massive assistance to the victims of humanitarian crises". European humanitarian policy is "an example of the founding values of the European Union — solidarity, respect of human dignity, equality and tolerance".

2.2 The Commission says it "has a mandate to save and preserve life in emergency and immediate post-emergency situations, whether these are natural or man-made". It is careful to ensure the best possible transition between the humanitarian emergency and the development phases of a situation and works closely together with the other relevant services of the Commission and international partners. It assists in strengthening disaster preparedness measures and the reduction of the vulnerability of the populations most exposed to these risks. Its activities also seek to strengthen the coordination of humanitarian aid provided by others, with the Member States and on a global level, where it supports in particular the coordination role played by the United Nations through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

2.3 Implementation of humanitarian assistance "depends on the application of international law, and in particular international humanitarian law, and on the fundamental principles of impartiality, non-discrimination and neutrality". The Commission says that, following these principles, it is "committed to assisting the most vulnerable people in the world, adopting an impartial approach based on need", and places a particular emphasis on aid to the victims of "forgotten crises" (low media coverage, little political interest and scant presence of other aid providers).

2.4 Aware that humanitarian aid must not only be based on these principles but must also be provided "at the correct terms, efficiently and in an appropriate manner", the Commission, through DG ECHO, "is intent on implementing" the "principles and good practices of humanitarian actors" as defined and adopted at the June 2003 Stockholm meeting of the "Good Humanitarian Donorship" initiative.

2.5 Over the last few years, the Commission says that new forms of conflict and the growing complexity of humanitarian crises have broadened those engaged in humanitarian activities. New actors include military and civil protection teams: "the presence of humanitarian actors alongside other types of players in crisis situations demands a clear definition of their respective roles in order to avoid a negative impact on the humanitarian space". Recognising the need to make use of military logistical resources, particularly when dealing with major natural disasters, the Commission supports the Oslo guidelines of May 1994 on the use of civil defence and military equipment following natural disasters as well as the March 2003 guidelines on the use of such equipment in complex crises (MCDA guidelines).

2.6 In pursuing such aims, the Commission "will ensure the coherence of a European humanitarian approach based on the needs of the victims in order to guarantee the efficiency of the aid as well as the protection of the humanitarian space and the respect of humanitarian law and the fundamental humanitarian principles".

2.7 All this, the Commission says, has "to translate into the mobilisation of logistical resources as well as to a better coordination in the field". Methods of mobilisation and coordination both between headquarters and in the field will have to be re-examined in order to meet the desire of the European Union to increase its reaction capacity, to take into account the multiplicity of actors in the field and to ensure a positive image for the European action. Strengthened coordination "will also help unlock synergies between the different humanitarian, military and civil protection actors". A closer relationship with the UN family on the strategy — in particular thanks to thematic funding — as well as at the operational level will further reinforce the effectiveness of this action.

2.8 Finally, the Commission says that while it has already been "thoroughly evaluated" twice, the Commission/ECHO will have "to respond to its third global evaluation which was completed in 2006 and which focuses on the structure of the DG, its method of operation and its international presence". It notes that "while there are many points for reflection, it is already clear that among the priorities will be the qualitative strengthening of operational and coordination capacity of the humanitarian services of the Commission, and a particular attention to developing sectoral strategies for humanitarian aid as well as its role in initiatives like the above-mentioned "Good Humanitarian Donorship".

The Commission Staff Working Document

2.9 The document outlines the Commission's operational strategy for its planned humanitarian assistance spending during financial year 2007. It summarises the global humanitarian situation at the end of 2006: natural disasters aggravated by drought and famine, a worsening of conflicts in Sri Lanka, Darfur and the Occupied Territories, but also by the first reduction in 10 years in the global numbers of refugees (but still almost 24 million, according to the UNHCR). In 2007 the Commission says that "despite inevitable budgetary constraints" it will seek to face up to new crises while maintaining its close interest in numerous ongoing crises, and continue its attempts to ensure that aid is provided in an appropriate, efficient and timely manner while working towards a better coordination of aid and improving the ability of the local populations and humanitarian actors to react to disasters.

2.10 The relevant Commission services will also make "a particular effort" to ensure "improved articulation between humanitarian and development assistance". To this end, the Commission/ECHO, in consultation with the other DGs concerned, has established a tentative list of pilot countries emerging from a crisis — currently Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania, Sudan and Uganda — in which, with "competent actors", they will seek to develop the LRRD (link between relief, rehabilitation and development) approach, so as to secure the stabilisation process, encourage the safe return of displaced populations and avoid the resurgence of the crisis.

2.11 The Commission then underlines the challenges posed by the transfer of food aid to ECHO. This will allow the Commission to programme food aid as an integral part of a humanitarian response: but it will also require DG ECHO to maintain a close and continuous dialogue with those services of the Commission and other stakeholders who monitor the status of food security in food insecure countries. A special coordination effort is also necessary both inside the Commission and beyond to ensure that emergency assistance in countries affected by chronic famine and food insecurity is followed by longer term development programmes.

2.12 The Commission Staff Working Document also outlines the principles by which Community humanitarian assistance will be provided:

—  its Global Need Assessment methodology: ranking third countries according to their overall vulnerability (the VI index) and whether they are undergoing a humanitarian crisis (the CI index): 50 on the VI index and 23 on the CI, with 18 of these in sub-Saharan Africa;

—  six "forgotten crises": all high on the VI index and overlooked by the media and the international donor community

and reviews individually the countries in which ECHO is active.

2.13 Finally, it looks at ECHO's Horizontal Priorities

—  Food Aid, which will take €217.8 million (£147.1 million) of the €719 million (£482.8 million) budget for 2007, and which will require not only effective internal coordination but also coordination with other food aid donors;

—  disaster preparedness, via the DIPECHO programmes, both current and prospective; and

—  thematic funding and the grant facility: strengthening the institutional capacity of the UN organisations and the Red Cross movement and the management capacity and accountability of NGO's.

The Government's view

2.14 In his 15 January 2007 Explanatory Memorandum, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas) comments as follows:

"The Government welcomes DG ECHO's consistent emphasis on the use of internationally agreed humanitarian principles — in particular impartiality, neutrality and non-discrimination — in the allocation of its humanitarian funding. We support DG ECHO's use, and constant efforts to improve, its Global Needs Assessment methodology, by which it produces its analysis of the countries in which humanitarian needs are most likely to arise each year. We also support its policy emphasis on forgotten crises;

"We note the transfer of responsibility for emergency food aid to DG ECHO. We support the principle of all Community humanitarian assistance being managed within one part of the Commission, as it offers a greater opportunity for coherence in programming support to crises. This will represent a challenge to DG ECHO given their previously limited experience of managing food aid. We look forward to reviewing progress in a year's time;

"We are in broad agreement with DG ECHO over their geographical analysis of need. The detail of country-level global plans and decisions will be discussed at the relevant management committee;

"The Government supports DG ECHO's continued funding for disaster preparedness programmes. However, we would like to see increased attention paid to disaster risk reduction in the Community's development programming. We are in contact with other Commission services on this.

"The Government is pleased to see that the Commission plans to support ongoing reform within the humanitarian system (including especially co-ordination between different actors) through its thematic funding to the major agencies, and that it will also support capacity building in NGOs. We consider that the Commission could have said more about reform; we are disappointed that the Commission will not contribute to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)[2] as we consider this and the two pilot programmes on country-level pooled funding for the UN humanitarian co-ordinators to be key elements of systemic reform. We will continue discussion of these and other aspects of reform in forthcoming EU meetings".

2.15 On the Timetable, the Minister says that the operational strategy was discussed at the Humanitarian Aid Committee[3] on 22 November 2006, and at the European Council's Development Cooperation Working Group on 13 December 2006.

Conclusions

2.16 The Minister refers to areas in which he will be looking to see evidence of successful implementation, or to which he would like to see increased attention paid. For our part, when the relevant annual report is produced, we shall rely upon him to ensure that the outcome in these areas is assessed in his Explanatory Memorandum.

2.17 We also note what would seem to be a resistance by the Commission to what he clearly regards as "key elements of systemic reform".

2.18 We are surprised that the Minister makes no mention of the content or recommendations of the ECHO evaluation, which is highlighted in the Commission Staff Working Document but in only very general terms.

2.19 Although used to receiving ECHO annual reports reviewing past performance, we believe that this is the first time that we have received a document that looks ahead and gives some sense of what ECHO will be seeking to achieve and the challenges that it faces. Even so, although informed by a methodology and some general principles, it is hard to discern what might properly be termed a strategy in the midst of a great deal of description. Indeed, we are not aware of ever having seen any document setting out the strategy of what is clearly a highly important and visible Commission entity. Perhaps this will emerge in the Commission Communication on EU humanitarian activity which, we understand, is being prepared by the Presidency with a view to presentation at the May "development" General Affairs and External Relations Council.

2.20 We are content to clear the Commission Staff Working Document, but would be grateful if the Minister would write to us with more information about:

—  why the Commission will not contribute to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF);

—  the global evaluation completed in 2006 on the structure of the DG, its method of operation and its international presence;

—  the proposed Commission Communication on EU humanitarian activity.

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2   For further information on CERF, see http://ochaonline2.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=7480  Back

3   The Member States discuss fundamental humanitarian aid issues once a month in the Humanitarian Aid Committee (HAC), which is both an administrative and a regulating entity. All projects that cost more than €2 million must obtain its approval. Back

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Prepared 5 February 2007