Table of contents

Highlights. 2

The global context 3

Emergencies on the increase. 3

Violations of International Humanitarian Law.. 3

Challenging economic times. 4

Humanitarian aid OPERATIONS. 5

Disaster preparedness and resilience. 9

EU Children of Peace. 10

Link to other EU Instruments. 10

Civil protection operations. 11

Financial and human resources. 13

Humanitarian aid and civil protection policy. 16

Conclusion. 18

Introduction

This Annual Report outlines the main policy achievements and activities of the European Commission in the field of humanitarian aid and civil protection, carried out principally through its Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) during 2013. While it does not describe in detail all the work and actions undertaken, it does present the ‘headline’ activities and major developments.

ECHO’s mandate encompasses both humanitarian assistance and civil protection. These are the two main mechanisms through which the European Union (EU) can ensure rapid and effective delivery of relief assistance to people faced with the immediate consequences of disasters.

The humanitarian aid provided by the EU offers relief assistance to the people most in need in third countries. It throws a lifeline to those who are hit by natural and man-made disasters, and prepares communities, victims of recurrent crises, to face the effects of future emergencies. Complementary to humanitarian assistance, civil protection operations offer immediate support with expert teams, rescue equipment and real-time monitoring of developing disasters, both within and beyond the European Union.

Whenever a disaster strikes, assistance is needed immediately. In this context, the timely and effective intervention by the international community can make the difference between life and death. Over half[1] of the global funding provided to address the needs of people struck by natural and man-made disaster situations is provided by the EU and its Member States. Through its humanitarian actions, the EU provides immediate response to disasters, prepares communities for upcoming challenges and strongly promotes the respect for international humanitarian law.

Highlights

Through the instruments of humanitarian aid and civil protection, the EU provided substantial needs-based emergency assistance in 2013, with total funding of EUR 1 353 million in commitments[2].

Some of the key facts and figures:

· Approximately 124 million people[3] affected by natural disasters, man-made or protracted crises were helped;

· Humanitarian aid was provided in more than 90 non-EU countries;

· The EU together with its Member States was at the forefront of all major crises globally, notably in the response to the Syria crisis, and was the largest international aid donor;

· Unprecedented EU collaboration was mobilised during the mega disaster caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines; EUR 180 million were donated by the EU and its Member States, in addition to in-kind assistance;

· The EU Aid Volunteers initiative[4] was confirmed; it will offer 18 000 volunteer opportunities between 2014 and 2020;

· The EU Civil Protection Mechanism[5] was activated 36 times (following requests for assistance, for pre-alerts, and/or monitoring);

A milestone in 2013 was achieved with the inauguration of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in May 2013, which greatly facilitates the management of operations – especially in terms of coordination and reaction to disasters – with a fully-fledged 24/7 duty system (as of 1 October 2013). The key mission of the ERCC is to provide operational support, integrated situational awareness and analysis for the coordination of actions through both humanitarian aid and civil protection instruments.

The global context

Emergencies on the increase

Worldwide, natural disasters are growing in frequency, complexity and severity, and are aggravated by challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanisation and under-development. Armed conflicts and protracted crises also show worrying trends across the globe. As the world’s largest humanitarian donor, the EU and its Member States have responded with determination to these challenges throughout 2013.

The year 2013 was marked by a very high number of humanitarian crises and disasters, and great vulnerability. Annual trends indicate that needs are increasingly outweighing resources available. The delivery of humanitarian aid and civil protection is also becoming more complex and due to the frequency and intensity of natural disasters with major consequences, humanitarian crises are occurring with less warning than before.

Statistics published by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)[6] and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)[7] show that there were 356 natural disasters of variable magnitude in 2013[8]. These disasters killed over 20 000 people and affected 99 million people worldwide. At global level, Asia was again the continent most affected by natural disasters. This was reflected both in the number of disasters (44 % of worldwide disasters) and the number of victims (80 %). The impact of disasters on less-developed economies is particularly significant: for example, the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and by floods in Bangladesh and Mozambique. Africa was severely affected both by drought and by floods. The consequences of major disasters were devastating and varied: lives were lost, and housing, crops and livelihoods were destroyed.

Violations of International Humanitarian Law

Non-international armed conflicts remain the major cause of man-made humanitarian disasters, with civilian populations increasingly exposed to violence and suffering. Conflicts of this type are often marked by the disregard of the perpetrators for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and its principles. The year 2013 saw humanitarian organisations faced with growing problems in gaining access to people that need help. Governments and militia or armed groups often shrink the humanitarian space and sometimes disregard the most basic protection guaranteed under IHL.

Access restrictions faced by humanitarian organisations were most prevalent in areas of conflict and/or where there was a marked absence of the rule of law due to political obstacles. In 2013, the overall situation and working environment has deteriorated particularly in Syria, Afghanistan and the Central African Republic (CAR). In other countries, no improvement in security was observed since the previous year, in particular in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Yemen. In many conflict zones (e.g. Somalia, Syria and CAR) humanitarian workers witnessed particularly brutal methods of warfare. These included the targeting of civilians and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

The incidence of attacks on humanitarian aid workers, including kidnappings, expulsions and killings, was at the level of 2012. Humanitarian actors have to constantly cope with such risks to mitigate them.

Challenging economic times

The impact of worldwide disasters has greatly stretched the response capacity of the international humanitarian community over the last few years. In 2013, the United Nations launched the largest consolidated funding appeal ever worth USD 13 billion for humanitarian needs in 24 countries. There is an increasing mismatch between rising global humanitarian needs, on the one hand, and the increasingly scarce financial resources available to respond to these needs, on the other. This is especially the case in the light of the economic and financial crisis that has hit many Western donor countries. The chronic vulnerability seen in many parts of the world is compounded by the global economic crisis.

This means that donors have to step up their efforts to respond to disasters in a more efficient manner, by making even better use of their limited resources. For the Commission, this translates into identifying efficiency gains when working with its partners.

Humanitarian aid OPERATIONS

The EU’s mandate under Article 214 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Humanitarian Aid Regulation[9] and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid[10] is to save and preserve life. European Union's operations also aim to prevent or reduce suffering and safeguard the integrity and dignity of individuals by providing relief and protection at times of humanitarian crises. The Commission also facilitates coordination with and among the EU Member States on humanitarian action and policy, in order to enhance the efficiency and complementarity[11] of humanitarian assistance.

The overall priority is to ensure that the aid is managed in the most efficient way possible, thus guaranteeing that the assistance the EU delivers to people in need has the maximum effect and respects the principles of international law. The EU upholds at all times the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, humanity and independence, and provides assistance without regard for any political agendas and irrespective of victims' nationality, religion, gender, ethnic origin or political affiliation.

In 2013, the EU funded operations in a number of emergencies resulting from natural catastrophes including:

· The tropical cyclone Haiyan hit the Philippines in November 2013 causing unprecedented damage and desolation. The typhoon, among the strongest ever recorded, left thousands dead, displaced around 4 million and affected 14-16 million people. Teams of EU humanitarian and civil protection experts were deployed to the worst hit areas within hours after the disaster to support relief efforts and assess the most acute needs. The EU and its Member States provided considerable humanitarian aid and in-kind assistance, exceeding EUR 180 million. At the request of the Government of the Philippines, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated, allowing for enhanced coordination of the European relief efforts and facilitation of logistics, including through EU contributions to transport costs. The Commission also committed support to assist the medium-term rehabilitation, thus helping the population in the struggle to rebuilding their lives. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/philippines_haiyan_en.pdf

· Across the Sahel, the persistent food and nutrition crisis continued to jeopardize the lives of millions: almost 16 million people were at risk from lack of food and, among them, 8 million were in need of emergency food assistance. Building resilience for the most vulnerable communities to withstand future crises was a priority in 2013. Vulnerable households were struggling to recover after the severe food and nutrition crisis that hit the region in 2012. To this end, the EU was a driving force in establishing the AGIR-Sahel initiative[12], which brings together all stakeholders around the pursuit of a ’Zero Hunger’ goal for the Sahel over the next 20 years. Support to building resilience is a key policy priority both worldwide and within Europe. The AGIR Regional Roadmap of Resilience Priorities, which sets out the principles, priority actions and indicators in great detail, was formally adopted in Paris in April 2013 by the main regional organisations and donors supporting the Sahel. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/sahel_en.pdf

· Three years after the devastating 2010 earthquake, the humanitarian needs in Haiti remained high. Of the original 1.5 million, 130 000 people were still displaced, the country still had the largest cholera epidemic in the world and it faced structural food insecurity. The EU stayed fully committed to helping Haiti survivors In 2013, EUR 30.5 million worth of EU humanitarian aid was allocated to further help homeless people, cholera victims as well as those affected by hurricane Sandy and the tropical storm Isaac. Backed by EU funding, humanitarian organisations carried out a wide range of emergency operations. As an example of the concrete impact of the EU's efforts to tackle the cholera epidemic, in the first year following the outbreak, EU funding made it possible to provide treatment to 158 814 people, support to 26 health facilities and 42 treatment units, oral rehydration to 122 500 people, access to improved sanitation facilities for 894 511 people and distribution of hygiene kits to 1.3 million people. The EU response has contributed to reducing the number of new cases and saving a significant number of lives, as the reduced mortality rate halved from 2.4% in November 2010 to 1.2% in December 2013. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/haiti_en.pdf

In addition, the EU provided humanitarian assistance to cope with the consequences of the following natural disasters:

· droughts in: Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, Djibouti and Ethiopia

· floods in: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;

· cyclones/hurricanes/tropical storms in: The Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Pacific;

· earthquakes in: The Philippines, Indonesia;

· epidemics: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Somalia, DRC, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Laos, Kyrgyzstan.

In dealing with natural disasters, the Commission adopted a two-pronged strategy:

· Rapid response, by providing humanitarian aid and by facilitating and coordinating civil protection assistance.

· Disaster preparedness, by identifying those geographical areas and populations which are most vulnerable to natural disasters and for which specific disaster preparedness programmes are established. In 2013, the EU continued its support to DIPECHO[13] programmes in South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia), Caribbean, Central America, South America, Pacific, Southern Africa and Central Asia.

In terms of man-made crises, the EU supported relief operations in several conflicts, some of which are now considered protracted and complex crises:

· The far-reaching conflict and civil war in Syria, with a massive exodus of Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries (including Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq) has required a large-scale humanitarian response from the EU since the outset. An estimated 9.3 million people, nearly half of them children, were at the end of 2013 affected by the on-going violence and were in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria. Around 6.5 million people were internally displaced at the end of 2013, whilst the number of refugees in neighbouring countries – more than 2.3 million in December – underlines the complex, regional dimension of the disaster. European aid has reached population affected by the crisis inside Syria as well as refugees and host-communities in the region and brought immediate impact for those in need of assistance. In 2013, the EU mobilised EUR 350 million for humanitarian aid in addition to the funding of previous years, which brought the EU and its Member States' total response to more than EUR 2 billion since the end of 2011. Moreover, material assistance (such as ambulances, heaters, blankets and hygiene parcels) was provided to neighbouring countries hosting the Syrian refugees. This included support from other Member States to Bulgaria, which faced an increasing influx of Syrian refugees over the year.

Whereas the Commission’s Humanitarian operations mainly gave priority to life-saving operations in Syria and neighbouring countries with a special focus on the most vulnerable people including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and host-communities[14], other EU instruments (ENPI, DCI, IFS, IPA)[15] were directed towards stabilization and medium to longer-term operations, mainly focusing on capacity building of local authorities and upgrading basic services (wash, health, education) to host communities as well as upgrading livelihood opportunities for these communities. Coordination meetings on the Syria crisis were held regularly between the different services of the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to discuss strategies and programming so as to maximize the impact of the EU response and avoid any risk of duplication.

The EU played an important role in calling for additional funding from other donors, and sought to ensure that assistance would address the needs of displaced populations throughout Syria and not just in the ‘hotspots’. The EU also promoted humanitarian access to increase the number of relief organisations authorised to provide assistance inside Syria to cope with increasing needs. Unfettered access to conflict zones throughout the country and demand for civilians (including humanitarian workers and medical personnel) and facilities to be properly protected were among the priority actions. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/syria_en.pdf

· The EU provided significant humanitarian support (EUR 77 million) to the population of Northern Mali affected by the on-going armed conflict. Almost 70% of health facilities were functioning and an estimated 900 000 people benefitted from targeted food assistance thanks to the support provided by the EU's partners. From 2013, the Commission ensured a coordinated use of EU humanitarian aid and development cooperation instruments in the transition phase. In addition, EUR 20 million were allocated by the Instrument for stability[16] for short-term stabilization and security actions. Part of the EU's humanitarian assistance to Mali was approved through an EDF/LRRD[17] decision of EUR 23 million. This envelope aimed to support access to basic services during the transitional period while the Commission, through DEVCO, has made an initial commitment of EUR 225 million in a state building contract to assist the Government of Mali in restoring State authority, law, order and democracy and the delivery of basic services throughout Mali. In both countries, the EU actively supported refugees, by restoring access to healthcare, focusing on nutrition and food assistance and providing protection. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/mali_en.pdf

· The Central African Republic (CAR) has been experiencing a catastrophic humanitarian situation since December 2012. For too long, the crisis did not receive significant attention from the wider international community. Raising awareness of the situation in CAR was a major priority for the Commission in 2013, and Commissioner Georgieva undertook two missions to the country as well as co-organizing a high-level meeting on the crisis at the 2013 UN General Assembly, together with the United Nations and France. The EU allocated EUR 39 million of humanitarian aid to CAR – making it the country's main international donor. Out of these, EUR 18.5 million were provided by mid-December 2013, as inter-communal violence escalated dramatically after 5 December 2013, forcing hundreds of thousands in the capital Bangui and throughout the country to flee their homes. The majority of the actions funded were focused on life-saving activities. Funds were mostly allocated to health projects to allow the most vulnerable to benefit from primary and secondary health care as the public health sector is mostly inexistent in most parts of the country. Moreover, the EU organised repeated airlifts into the country to support the transport of humanitarian relief and aid personnel in the very challenging security environment. The EU organised a special airlift from Europe, carrying 37 tonnes of medical supplies, and two flights from Nairobi bringing emergency shelter and items to over 100 000 displaced people (blankets and basic household goods such as kitchen utensils, soap, mosquito nets). In order to intervene quickly, the EU directly purchased and sent over 20 000 plastic sheeting to build shelters for displaced people in Bangui but also in the countryside. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/car_en.pdf

Throughout the year, the EU maintained its particular focus on the world's "forgotten crises", allocating 15% of overall funding to assist people caught up in often protracted disasters, which largely escaped the attention of the international community.

The EU’s response to crises remained driven by needs and was tailored to the specific circumstances of each situation. Aid was delivered across a variety of means and sectors such as health (including psychological support, financing of clinics), protection (including activities addressing sexual violence), food and non-food items, shelter, water/sanitation, reconstruction and rehabilitation. The table shows the distribution of aid per sector of intervention in 2013:[18]

Disaster preparedness and resilience

The importance of building up preparedness and resilience of vulnerable communities is demonstrated by the long-term impact on lives and livelihoods in the aftermath of major crises, such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and recurrent drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. These disasters demonstrate how crucial it is to appropriately address longer-term rehabilitation and development needs at the very earliest stages of the humanitarian response. To reduce the devastating impact of recurring disasters and genuinely improve the prospects for sustainable development, it is essential that humanitarian and development actors work hand in hand. The Commission, through ECHO and EuropeAid, stepped up efforts in terms of resilience building in crisis prone countries. The Commission’s Resilience communication and its Action Plan provide the policy and operational framework for a scaling up of EU efforts for resilience building at different levels and within an expanded geographical scope.

In 2013, the Commission continued its efforts to promote resilience initiatives, such as the major initiatives AGIR and SHARE[19], which aim to increase the preparedness of West and East African countries towards recurrent natural disasters. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/what/humanitarian-aid/resilience

In addition, the Commission worked with the Member States to develop an EU position to help shape an ambitious revision to the Hyogo Framework for Action, to be agreed at an international conference in 2015, building also on the experience and achievements in Europe, and with a view to further the synergies between disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change.

Moreover, as part of the international humanitarian system, the EU played a key role in encouraging other countries and regions to increase their participation in humanitarian preparedness and response. This included working with emerging economies in order to mobilise more effectively resources for humanitarian action and disaster response.

EU Children of Peace

With the EU Children of Peace initiative, the EU pursued its commitment to help girls and boys around the world who are deprived of growing up in peace. Launched in 2012 following the award to the EU of the Nobel Peace Prize, the initiative funded education initiatives for more than 28 000 child victims of conflicts from Pakistan, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, and Syrian refugees in Iraq. The projects provide children with access to a safe learning environment, as well as with psychological support to heal their traumatic war experiences. In November 2013, the EU confirmed its decision to continue and step up the initiative by announcing additional funds for new projects in 2014 aiming to bring assistance to 80 000 boys and girls. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/what/humanitarian-aid/children-of-peace

Link to other EU Instruments

ECHO's operations endeavour to reflect coherence and complementarity with actions financed by other EU instruments. Based on previous DIPECHO actions, the Instrument for Stability funded 3 000 "brigadiers" in Haiti to reinforce response mechanisms of civil protection public structures. Another example is the contribution of EU-funded emergency actions to long-term development: cyclone-resistant shelters have a duration of more than one decade providing survivors with a home beyond the first emergency phase; income generation activities funded by the EU, coupled with rental subsidies, in most cases contribute to restoring coping mechanisms and to sustainable small-scale economic activities. The ERCC supported EU Member States and associated partners during disasters and crises inside and out the Union’s territory through the Copernicus Emergency Management service, which is managed by the European Commission. The ERCC also benefited from the analytical and technical support of the Commission-s in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre. Finally, EU's humanitarian aid direct response and control measures in relation to cholera epidemics were implemented in conjunction with the significant infrastructure and institution-building projects financed through EU development instruments.

Civil protection operations

The Commission strives to encourage and facilitate cooperation between the 32 states participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in order to improve the prevention of, preparedness to and protection against natural, technological or man-made disasters, both inside and outside Europe.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) was activated 36 times during 2013, including requests for assistance, pre-alerts, and monitoring. The majority of these activations were related to natural disasters (severe weather, storms, forest fires, floods, tropical cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis), and 10 involved man-made disasters (setting up of refugee settlement camps due to civil unrest, chemical and transport accidents). There were four requests for assistance made by participating states and 12 requests coming from countries outside the EUCPM.

The new Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), which was established within ECHO in May 2013, as a successor of the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), is the operational heart of the EUCPM. Its key assets are: the capacity to deal with several simultaneous emergencies in different time zones; to monitor hazards 24/7; to collect and analyse real-time information on disasters; to prepare plans for the deployment of experts, teams and equipment; and to work with Member States to map available assets and coordinate the EU’s disaster response efforts by matching offers of assistance to the needs of the disaster-stricken country. The ERCC acts as the information hub and entry point for requests for assistance from EU Member States.

The ERCC also plays an important role in promoting awareness of situations requiring a disaster response within the Commission, other institutions and Member States.

As regards natural disasters in 2013, the Mechanism was activated in response to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Myanmar, Madagascar; floods in Central Europe, and Nigeria; forest fires in Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina and severe weather conditions in Northern Europe.

Countries participating in the EUCPM offered assistance to Jordan, Lebanon and Bulgaria to support the efforts of national governments in dealing with refugee influx on their territory resulting from the Syria crisis. Complementarity between humanitarian and civil protection assistance delivery was ensured in all these cases.

As part of civil protection policy, and in cooperation with Member States, the Commission also supported disaster preparedness and prevention activities within the EU. This covered inter alia the training of civil protection personnel and large-scale exercises, exchange of experts, and cooperation projects on prevention and preparedness.

In 2013, in support of field operations, the Commission provided EU Member States and associated users with reference and damage extent and grading maps using the Copernicus service (GMES Initial Operations-Emergency Management Service), for which the ERCC is the single entry point for activation. In 2013, the service was activated 42 times (out of which 18 activations were for floods and 11 activations related to refugee and Internally Displaced Persons crises) and delivered satellite-derived maps for various types of disasters or crises.

Financial and human resources

For the second consecutive year, EU humanitarian aid exceeded EUR 1.3 billion in commitment appropriations within the EU budget. This was achieved through substantial increases of the initial amount of commitment appropriations and a matching increase in the number of interventions and victims reached. However, the increases in payment appropriations, although substantial, did not match in full the identified needs stemming from previous and new legal commitments (contracts).

During 2013, the Commission therefore set up a series of ad-hoc measures, essentially by rearranging payment schedules, in order to cope with the given financial constraints. ECHO's Director-General (as Authorizing Officer by Delegation), in full respect of the principle of sound financial management, put forward requests for budget reinforcements and took ad-hoc mitigation measures to manage the insufficient level of payment appropriations, which included the reduction of advance payments (pre-financings) and the postponement of final payments. This ensured the continuity of operations and allowed the Commission to reach its operational objectives, although the financial impact of these measures created some cash flow problems, particularly for some of the smaller NGO partners.

Around 98% of the EU's 2013 humanitarian and civil protection budget was used for operational activities, whereas about 2% covered administrative and policy aspects. With respect to human resources, 53% is represented by operational staff, while the rest is divided between administrative and policy support.

Record levels of assistance were possible thanks to increased overall productivity driven by streamlining of procedures, simplification and rationalisation of processes. Such optimization was the result of the internal "Business Process Review" launched in 2011. This review has been a key management priority in recent years aiming to optimise the business processes and supporting systems to achieve both efficiency gains and higher quality/ effectiveness across ECHO. The ultimate aim is to improve the way disasters are coped with, thereby reducing the devastating impact on affected populations and their livelihoods.

EU funding was provided to the following regions (rounded figures, in € millions of commitment appropriations):[20]

The greatest portion of EU funding in 2013 was, as in previous years, allocated to Africa (40 %). Substantial assistance was also provided to the Middle East (Syria and neighbouring countries), and to Central and South-East Asia for the natural disasters that struck there.

The EU does not implement humanitarian assistance programmes itself.[21] As a humanitarian aid donor, the EU fulfils its mission by funding actions implemented by partner organisations who have signed a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the EU. The EU’s Partners include a wide range of professional bodies — European NGOs and international organisations such as the Red Cross and the various agencies of the United Nations (with which the Commission has signed a Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement - FAFA). The specialised agencies of Member States are also considered EU's humanitarian partners.

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 provided through selecting the best proposals received. The 2013 breakdown for humanitarian agreements signed was:

· 48 % of actions carried out by NGOs (115 partners)

· 42 % by UN agencies (16 partners)

· 9 % by international organisations (3 partners)

· 1% as a direct contract of ECHO flight (2 partners).

In 2013, the Commission had 321 staff members working at its ECHO headquarters in Brussels. In addition to be able to respond to disasters in non-EU countries, the Commission maintained its unique network of ECHO field experts deployed throughout the world. 149 field experts and 315 local staff made a total of 464 people working in the Commission’s 39 ECHO field offices as of 31 December 2013. Their main responsibility was to carry out needs assessments immediately following a disaster, to monitor the implementation of EU-funded humanitarian projects.

From the security point of view, the Commission took further steps to strengthen its own security and financial management systems. 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.

Humanitarian aid and civil protection policy

At policy level, several initiatives of strategic importance were developed in 2013. Policy priorities in the field of humanitarian aid were aid effectiveness, result-orientation and impact. These were defined management priorities for both the revision of ECHO's Framework Partnership Agreements and the setting up of the new Delegation Agreements for Indirect Management.

Among the main activities were the development of clear guidance on thematic and cross-cutting issues such as resilience, disaster risk reduction, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), gender, nutrition and others, and targeted dissemination, training strategies and monitoring of project implementation. These activities help ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable crisis-affected population are addressed efficiently and effectively. Furthermore, concrete efforts were undertaken to guide and foster the implementation of the Commission's Resilience Communication and the linkage between humanitarian and development actions.

A revised Civil Protection legislation was agreed in 2013. This will further improve the planning of European disaster response operations and ensure more effective, efficient and coherent disaster management in the years to come. Among other things, the new legislation enables the creation of a voluntary pool of Member States' assets (teams, equipment) available for immediate deployment as part of a joint European intervention. Prevention and preparedness are also covered by the revised legislation.

A political agreement on the regulation for the establishment of the EU Aid Volunteers programme was achieved at the end of 2013. The objective of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative is to contribute to strengthening the EU's capacity to provide needs-based humanitarian aid aimed at preserving life, preventing human suffering, and strengthening resilience of vulnerable or disaster-affected communities, particularly by means of disaster preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and by enhancing the link between relief, rehabilitation and development.

In December 2013, the High Representative and the Commission issued the Joint Communication on "The EU's Comprehensive Approach to External Conflict and Crisis" setting out a number of concrete steps that the EU, collectively, should take in the areas of early warning and preparedness, conflict prevention, crisis response and management to early recovery, stabilisation and peace-building. While in this context Commission services, including ECHO, coordinate closely with the EEAS, the specific nature of humanitarian aid (being based on the humanitarian principles and on the needs of the affected population) is fully recognised.

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) in which the Commission takes part. On a strategic level, COHAFA contributes significantly to the coherence and complementarity of the EU’s and its Member States’ humanitarian aid activities. As in previous years, in 2013 an annual exchange took place on the policies/strategies, information and analysis produced by the Commission. In 2013, the Commission also increased its efforts to follow and contribute to the work of European Parliament committees. The European Parliament was briefed about policy initiatives and priorities, as well as about the Commission’s response to specific crises.

In December 2012, the Commission had 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 "Fit for Purpose" stakeholder consultation was closed in March 2013 with 55 responses, which represented over a hundred stakeholders. As a follow-up, a stakeholder conference was organised in June 2013 bringing together nearly a hundred participants. The results of the consultation are planned to feed into the respective policy areas such as resilience, innovation and civil protection.

International cooperation is vital in the ever more challenging humanitarian landscape. Throughout 2013, the EU continued to speak out in multilateral forums. Taking a leading role in the Transformative Agenda, the EU has aimed to enhance the collective humanitarian response through improved global coordination, leadership and accountability. Embracing the motto "Acting together for those in need", the EU through the Commission chaired the OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG) starting in July 2013 (the mandate lasts until July 2014). The ODSG is an important mechanism for humanitarian donor consultation on the activities of the United Nations' Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The roll-out of the humanitarian food assistance policy was also pursued during the year. The EU's commitment to effective humanitarian food assistance is demonstrated through the work on the Food Assistance Convention (FAC). Consolidating the pivotal role it played in negotiating the FAC, the EU aims to take a leading role in the implementation of the FAC. The policy direction of the FAC has seen a shift from food aid to food assistance, promoting cash-based assistance, where appropriate, and using the Convention as a platform to push forward the policy agenda and innovative ideas and approaches in international forums.

The Commission also remained committed to supporting the development and strengthening of the collective global humanitarian preparedness and response capacity. In 2013, EUR 21 million was made available for enhanced humanitarian response capacity programmes, to support 18 new capacity building projects for up to two years. These were undertaken within UN agencies, NGOs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The programmes focused on:

· Enhanced global humanitarian architecture: emphasis was put on the strengthening of the humanitarian response system, for example through encouraging synergies between partners and pooling of resources and tools (such as rapid response teams) to back-up mainstreamed cluster-lead agency functions.

· Food assistance and nutrition: to support initiatives which further the implementation of the European Humanitarian Food Assistance Policy and coordination in this respect.

Conclusion

Throughout 2013, the EU responded effectively to the ever increasing need for emergency response and relief aid worldwide, reaching out to over 120 million people. Maintaining the high aid levels of 2012 (over EUR 1.3 billion[22]), the EU responded to all major emergencies (Syria, Central African Republic, Philippines, Sahel, etc.) and underpinned the EU's role as the leading global donor of humanitarian assistance.

The number of disasters continues to increase globally; a trend set to continue with climate change. This calls for ever more efficient humanitarian action. Reinforced by the context of economic crisis, further effort has been carried out 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 2013, significant emphasis was placed on increasing speed and efficiency and cutting out duplication of processes and actions.

Important progress was made on civil protection action, including the opening of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and the adoption of the new EU civil protection legislation which greatly reinforces collaboration among Member States in disaster response. The emergency in the Philippines in particular exemplified the successful combination of humanitarian assistance and civil protection operations, and close collaboration between the Commission and the Member States. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, all Member States reacted positively to the requests for assistance which were coordinated by the ERCC and complemented by the prompt humanitarian and other assistance provided by the EU.

General information on ECHO can be found at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm

Financial information on the Commission’s 2013 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 from previous years can be found at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/about/annual_reports_en.htm

[1] According to the most recent (2013) data available (Global Humanitarian Assistance: http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org).

[2] EUR 1 326 million for humanitarian aid and EUR 27 million for civil protection (EUR 20 million inside the EU, EUR 7 million outside de EU).

[3] Of which 106 million people were helped through humanitarian aid and food assistance and 18 million people through disaster preparedness programmes.

[4] Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 on the EU Aid Volunteers initiative was adopted on 3 April 2014. Around 18 000 individuals will participate in the initiative from 2014-2020, through deployments of EU citizens as volunteers, training of people from non-EU disaster affected countries and online volunteering opportunities. More information: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/what/humanitarian-aid/eu-aid-volunteers

[5] The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) was in 2013 made up of 32 states (28 EU Member States plus the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), which cooperate in the field of civil protection and was created to support their efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural or man-made disasters either within or outside of the EU. 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 countries outside the EU, it usually works in parallel with humanitarian aid. The operational heart of EUCPM is the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) 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 ERCC.

[6] www.cred.be.

[7] www.unisdr.org.

[8] According to the same sources, in 2012 there were 310 natural disasters of variable magnitude.

[9] Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid.

[10] The Consensus is a joint declaration of the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament that sets out a common vision aimed to improve the coherence, effectiveness and quality of the EU's humanitarian response.

[11] Article 214 (6) TFEU

[12] AGIR - the Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative

[13] 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.

[14] The Commission provided multi-sectorial humanitarian assistance to refugees and host-communities in neighbouring countries as well as to affected populations inside Syria with shelter/NFIs, food, wash, health and protection being the main sectors.

[15] ENPI – European neighborhood policy instrument; DCI – Development cooperation instrument; IFS – Instrument for stability; IPA – Instrument for pre-accession assistance

[16] Regulation (EU) No 230/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an instrument contributing to stability and peace

[17] Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development

[18] 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 (DP) (5.49 %) refers to those projects financed by the EU primarily linked to DP. Nevertheless, if we take into account all the contracts including significant DP components but for which the main sector of intervention is not DP, we reach a total of 15 %.

[19] SHARE - Supporting Horn of African Resilience

[20] For civil protection, the figures in the table are not broken down by country/region.

[21] One operation is delivered directly, namely the ECHO Flight programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya to provide logistical support in a region prone to access problems.

[22] Commission only, not including EU Member States contributions.