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Humanitarian Aid
The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO)
It is a service under the direct responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel.
Since 1992, the European Commission has funded relief to millions of victims of
natural and man-made disasters outside the European Union. Aid is channelled
impartially to the affected populations, regardless of their race, ethnic group,
religion, gender, age, nationality or political affiliation.
Working with partners in the field
For humanitarian aid, the European Commission works with about 195 operational
partners, including specialised United Nations agencies, the Red Cross/Crescent
movement and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This narrow collaboration
with partners applies to the definition of policies and strategies as well as to
the management and implementation of humanitarian aid operations. The funds are
spent on goods and services such as food, clothing, shelter, medical provisions,
water supplies, sanitation, emergency repairs and mine-clearing. The European
Commission also funds disaster preparedness and mitigation projects in regions
prone to natural catastrophes (DIPECHO programmes).
A key donor
The European Commission is one of the biggest sources of humanitarian aid in the
world. In 2005, it provided €652 million for humanitarian programmes. This does
not include aid given separately by the EU 25 Member States. The European
Commission supported projects in more than 60 countries.
Our mandate
The European Commission mandate for humanitarian aid, as defined per Council
Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996, is:
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To save and preserve life during emergencies and their
immediate aftermath and natural disasters that have entailed major loss of life,
physical, psychological or social suffering or material damage;
To provide the necessary assistance and relief to people affected by
longer-lasting crises arising, in particular, from outbreaks of fighting or
wars;
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To help finance the transport of aid and efforts to ensure that it is
accessible to those for whom it is intended, by all logistical means available,
and by protecting humanitarian goods and personnel, but excluding operations
with defense implications;
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To carry out short-term rehabilitation and reconstruction work, especially on
infrastructure and equipment, in close association with local structures, with a
view to facilitating the arrival of relief, preventing the impact of the crisis
from worsening and starting to help those affected regain a minimum level of
self-sufficiency, taking long-term development objectives into account where
possible;
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To cope with the consequences of population movements (refugees, displaced
people and returnees) caused by natural and man-made disasters and carry out
schemes to assist repatriation to the country of origin and resettlement there
when the conditions laid down in current international agreements are in place;
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To ensure preparedness for risks of natural disasters or comparable
exceptional circumstances and use a suitable rapid early-warning and
intervention system;
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To support civil operations to protect the victims of fighting or comparable
emergencies, in accordance with current international agreements.
Beyond funding humanitarian aid
Apart from funding humanitarian aid operations, the European Commission also
raises public awareness of the humanitarian issues at stake, especially in the
EU and in countries where the EC is funding major humanitarian operations; it
develops preparatory and feasibility studies for its humanitarian operations; it
continuously assesses the impact and efficiency of the operations it is funding;
it organizes training schemes and general studies in the field of humanitarian
operations and facilitates coordination between its partners and other
humanitarian actors.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the European
Commission has funded humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness projects for
more than 110 million euros between 2002 and 2005. The following graphs give an
overview of EC humanitarian aid distribution by region and by sector.
More information on: http://europa.eu/comm/echo
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