EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 29.10.2021 COM(2021) 659 final REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual report on the European Union's humanitarian aid operations financed in 2020



Introduction Humanitarian aid operations supported in 2020 Overview – main aid operations supported Cross-cutting priorities Summary of evaluations completed in 2020 2020 budget Additional information and sources DG ECHO implementing partners (2020) Introduction This report presents the EU’s main activities and policy outcomes in 2020 in the field of humanitarian aid, as funded through the European Commission (the Commission). The report is prepared in accordance with Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996. Humanitarian aid operations supported in 2020 In 2020 humanitarian needs kept increasing due to complex crises, natural disasters, and health crises, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission, through its Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), remained a leading humanitarian donor, allocating EUR 2.1 billion in more than 80 countries in support to millions of people in need. The massive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the dire situation of vulnerable populations. The EU’s humanitarian response to needs resulting from the pandemic amounted to EUR 450 million, and the Commission also mobilised an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge as an ad-hoc operation bringing relief, through its 67 flights, to 20 countries across the world. Together with Africa, which received a substantial share, a significant proportion of EU humanitarian aid continued to be devoted to crisis-affected people inside Syria and its neighbouring countries, including through the humanitarian component of the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey. The EU also maintained its focus on supporting populations that continued to be hit by ‘forgotten crises’, such as in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Pakistan, Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, and the Philippines. In addition, the EU carried out a number of horizontal policies such as Education in Emergencies (EiE), disaster preparedness, cash assistance, innovation and private sector engagement, gender and age, and support for humanitarian transport services. Beyond funding operations, the Commission played a leading role in promoting principled humanitarian aid and advocating for compliance with International Humanitarian Law. It did so through active advocacy for specific humanitarian crises, but also globally as chair of the Donor Support Group of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and of the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative (with Switzerland), as well as through its commitment to humanitarian civil-military coordination. To address the growing humanitarian funding gap, the Commission promoted the implementation of the Grand Bargain commitments, notably in relation to multi-sectoral joint needs assessment.

Overview – main aid operations supported Sub-Saharan Africa Ethiopia Approximately 2 million people were displaced due to intra-ethnic violence and climate hazards, and natural disasters contributed to food insecurity. The conflict in Northern Tigray caused food insecurity for around 4.5 million people and an additional 2 million people were internally displaced. Despite advocacy efforts, Tigray region remained cut off from external assistance. The EU allocated EUR 24.8 million for the Tigray crisis and its spillover effects. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 63 million. Kenya Kenya hosts over 500 000 refugees, completely dependent on aid. The “triple threat” (COVID-19, locusts and floods) led about 2.3 million people into food insecurity. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 18.45 million. Somalia Floods affected Somalia during the long rainy season and the dry season. Due to the consequences of droughts in previous years, the impact of COVID-19, locusts and conflict, humanitarian needs remained high. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 50.9 million. South Sudan Communities were hit hard by the intensified conflict and sub-national violence, natural disasters (locust infestation and the second consecutive year of flooding), and COVID-19. In addition nearly 4 million people have been displaced since 2013. A spike in sub-national violence and floods triggered new displacements and increased food insecurity. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 59 million. Sudan 9.3 million people were in need of assistance due to the economic crisis, protracted conflicts, natural disasters (locust infestation and major flooding), the impacts of COVID-19 and a new refugee crisis triggered by the conflict Tigray. As a result, there were 1.8 million internally displaced people and 1.1 million refugees in Sudan, whilst the latest assessment using the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification showed increased food insecurity. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 67.6 million. Uganda Uganda hosts the largest refugee population (over 1.4 million) in Africa, mainly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The influx of refugees has overstretched the capacity of reception and transit centres. The main needs relate to food assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene and other basic services. Uganda is also to prone to natural disasters and epidemics.

Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 34.45 million. Burundi Due to extreme weather events, COVID-19 and protection concerns, 1.74 million people in Burundi and over 310 000 refugees in neighbouring countries were in need of humanitarian aid. The EU took a regional approach, allocating aid for coordination, disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction, including against epidemics. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 8.5 million. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Humanitarian crises here exposed 21.8 million people to acute food insecurity. The rampant conflict caused over 5 million internally displaced people and over 900 000 refugees in neighbouring countries. Malaria, natural disasters, epidemics and COVID-19 took a huge toll. The EU allocated over EUR 40 million for life-saving activities, EUR 7 million for humanitarian air services (ECHO Flight) and supported the emergency response to floods. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 47 million. Central African Republic (CAR) Due to the deteriorating regional crisis affecting over 1.6 million people, EU funds were used to support food supply and livelihood, agriculture, protection of civilians and basic services in the Central African Republic. Support was also given to reinforce humanitarian coordination, security and logistics. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 22.7 million. Sahel The EU covered emergency humanitarian needs in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon by allocating aid for more than 7.5 million people. The EU provided rapid reaction mechanisms, protection services, air services enabling access to hard-to-reach areas (ECHO Flight), humanitarian civil-military coordination and security management in conflict areas. It also provided treatment in response to the food and nutrition crisis. Finally, the Commission implemented the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to build the resilience of the affected population, reduce humanitarian needs and address the root causes of food insecurity and acute undernutrition. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 190 million.



Lake Chad Basin A decade-long crisis has been affecting over 10 million people in this region. The EU funds provided relief, protection and assistance to conflict-stricken populations in the region, and supported treatment for severe acute malnutrition. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 72 million.

Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region Emergency response to natural and man-made disasters, EiE and disaster preparedness were priorities in the region, given the increase of extreme weather events. There were also over 16 million people threatened by food insecurity. COVID-19 and its consequences had a serious impact on livelihoods, and EU funding contributed to preparedness and response. The EU also provided humanitarian assistance in response to the crisis related to armed violence and internal displacement in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 64.9 million. North Africa Libya The end of the armed conflict left 316 000 internally displaced people and 1.3 million in need of aid. COVID-19, violations of international humanitarian law and limited humanitarian access exacerbated the crisis. The EU allocated aid for assistance to displaced people, refugees, migrants, returnees and host communities, as well as helping with coordination and logistics support, including UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 9 million. Egypt Almost 260 000 registered refugees and asylum seekers are stranded in Egypt, of which 38% are children. EU aid focused on humanitarian protection, cash to cover basic needs and EiE. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 5 million. Sahrawi Crisis Tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees remain stranded in a 40-year-long forgotten crisis. They live in five camps with little access to outside resources, making humanitarian aid essential to their survival. EU aid covered food, safe drinking water and essential medicines, EiE and preparedness for COVID-19. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 9 million.





Central and South America, and the Caribbean Venezuela The socio-economic collapse of Venezuela resulted in over 14 million people being in need of assistance. This was then aggravated by COVID-19, violence, political polarisation, legal insecurity, fuel shortages and massive electricity blackouts. The number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees reached 5.5 million. Alongside aid, the EU continued its efforts on the diplomatic front. Together with Spain, the EU co-hosted a virtual pledging conference in response to the Venezuela migration and refugee crisis in May 2020. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 67.7 million. Colombia Humanitarian aid helped Colombia to cope with hosting 1.7 million Venezuelan refugees, ongoing internal conflict and COVID-19. In addition, over 590 000 people were directly impacted by natural disasters. The EU assistance covered sectors such as humanitarian protection, healthcare, water and sanitation, EiE and disaster preparedness. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 5.85 million. Central America El Niño, hurricanes Eta and Iota and COVID-19 exposed 5.5 million people to food insecurity. This was aggravated by organised violence, criminality and the migration crisis. EU aid included EUR 2.85 million released in emergency response to the hurricanes Eta and Iota. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 17.15 million. The Caribbean The COVID-19 crisis increased poverty and made migrants and asylum seekers more vulnerable. The hurricane season negatively impacted livelihoods and infrastructures. In the region, around 10 million people were exposed to food insecurity. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 3.76 million. Haiti COVID-19, violence and criminality exacerbated the socio-political crisis. COVID-19 also negatively affected livelihoods and the ongoing food insecurity, with over 4 million people in need of assistance. EU aid covered the food crisis, Covid-19 and disaster preparedness. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 21 million.





South Asia and Pacific Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran In Afghanistan there were 3.4 million internally displaced people, and 6.5 million Afghan refugees living in Iran and Pakistan. In Iran, increased pressure from USA sanctions limited access to basic services, whilst Pakistan’s food crisis was aggravated by COVID-19. All three countries were affected by natural disasters. The EU allocated EUR 69 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including emergency response and trauma care. And it allocated EUR 61 million to Iran and Pakistan, to help Afghan refugees and vulnerable people. In November 2020, during the international conference on Afghanistan, the Commission jointly organised a side-event on ‘Humanitarian Aid, IHL and Protection of Civilians’. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 130 million. Myanmar and Bangladesh There are around 900 000 stateless refugees in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, fully reliant on humanitarian aid, without freedom of movement and opportunities to earn a living. The EU jointly organised a Rohingya donor conference in October 2020 and provided aid to cover basic services and disaster risk reduction. It also supported vulnerable populations in other conflict areas of Myanmar, as well as support to refugees in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 60.9 million. Philippines Due to the long-standing internal conflicts in Mindanao, some 300 000 people were in need of humanitarian aid (including internally displaced people and returnees). The Philippines is also one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Emergency assistance was provided to the most vulnerable people affected by internal conflict in Mindanao and natural disasters. EU aid covered areas such as emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, food and non-food and EiE. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 5.6 million. Middle East and Neighbourhood Syria Over 11 million people were in need of humanitarian aid in Syria. EU aid helped the vulnerable, and covered the delivery of food, medicine, water, and shelter as well as improving living conditions – including in health, protection and EiE, and through cash assistance. The Commission organised and co-chaired the conference on ‘Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region’ and participated in the Humanitarian Task Force related to the International Syria Support Group in Geneva. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 197 million. Lebanon and Jordan

The EU helped Syrian refugees and local vulnerable population in Lebanon and Jordan. EUR 30 million of immediate aid was provided in response to the devastating explosions in the port of Beirut in August 2020. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 96 million. Palestine EU aid helped vulnerable civilians in Gaza, exposed to conflict in a deteriorating socio-economic environment, and supported vulnerable communities at risk of forced displacement and lacking access to basic services in the West Bank. The Commission continued to advocate for the respect of international humanitarian law in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 22.7 million. Iraq COVID-19 aggravated the political, security and socio-economic crises, with nearly 1.8 million people in acute humanitarian need. The government campaign to close and consolidate camps for internally displaced people triggered significant secondary displacement to informal sites. EU aid covered cash assistance, water and hygiene support, health, protection and legal assistance for the internally displaced, as well as COVID-19 emergency response. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 35 million. Yemen The world’s largest humanitarian crisis further deteriorated as a result of escalating conflict and a protracted economic blockade. Natural disasters and COVID-19 exacerbated the situation. As a result, 24.3 million people were in need of aid, with over 14 million in acute need. Yemen is experiencing one of the largest food security emergencies in the world, with 45% of the population facing severe food insecurity, including 16 500 people facing famine. In addition, over 4 million people have been internally displaced. EU aid addressed the needs of people directly affected by the conflict, along with food insecurity, malnutrition and health crises. The Commission played an active role within the donor community in mobilising international humanitarian support for Yemen and advocating for more funding and humanitarian access. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 119 million. Turkey In 2020 Turkey was hosting 4 million refugees, of which 3.6 million were Syrians who had fled the conflict. Existing vulnerabilities were exacerbated by COVID-19, which intensified the needs of refugees. Since 2015, the EU has supported more than 80 humanitarian projects through over 22 partner organisations. Under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey the EU budget and additional contributions from EU Member States had already provided EUR 2.4 billion for humanitarian projects. In 2020, an additional EUR 531.7 million was allocated. Of this, EUR 485 million covered two flagship programmes: ·Emergency Social Safety Net – providing 1.8 million refugees with monthly cash payments through debit cards, to address their basic needs.

·Conditional Cash Transfer for Education – the EU’s biggest EiE programme. It reached over 670 000 children and provided cash transfers to vulnerable families, to promote enrolment and regular school attendance. The EU also supported key humanitarian projects on health and protection. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 531.7 million. Western Balkans In 2020 some 8 000 refugees and migrants were stranded, with between 1 500 and 3 000 people sleeping outside in dire conditions. EU aid covered healthcare services, COVID-19 response, protection, support for unaccompanied minors and life-saving assistance for those in and outside the temporary reception centres. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 5.5 million. Ukraine 3.4 million people were in need of assistance in the conflict-affected parts of Ukraine. The situation was exacerbated by COVID-19 and food insecurity – the delivery of humanitarian aid in the areas not controlled by the government was impacted. EU aid covered multi-purpose cash assistance, EiE, mine risk education, measures to prepare for winter and COVID-19 response. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 23 million. Nagorno Karabakh The hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan resulted in thousands of casualties and pushed hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. The EU allocated immediate aid to cover basic needs. Total EU humanitarian assistance – EUR 3.9 million. Horizontal priorities Education in Emergencies (EiE) In 2020, more than 1 billion children were at risk of falling behind in learning, in an unprecedented disruption of education due to COVID-19. In line with its previous commitments, the Commission dedicated 10% of the EU’s initial 2020 humanitarian aid budget to EiE. This funding amounted to EUR 115 million, benefiting over 1.9 million children. Disaster preparedness In 2020, the Commission continued strengthening disaster preparedness and early action, by allocating EUR 50 million for specifically targeted action, benefitting 35 million persons living in disaster-prone regions.

Disaster preparedness is mainstreamed in humanitarian assistance, and 46% of all EU humanitarian projects funded in 2020 included disaster preparedness activities (65% over the past five years). This is also linked to activities of improving climate resilience, with many of the countries suffering humanitarian crises being among the most climate vulnerable in the world. The Commission works actively to promote synergies between its activities related to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Paris Agreement. In a related effort to reduce the long-term causes of disasters, the Commission has also taken a phased approach to reducing the environmental footprint of the humanitarian assistance it provides. Cash assistance In line with the Council Conclusions on multi-purpose cash and the Grand Bargain commitments, the Commission encouraged the use of cash transfers, which offers affected people greater choice, flexibility and control over their own lives. To increase transparency and accountability, the Commission applied its guidelines on delivering large-scale cash transfers (which were being revised in 2020). In doing so, it took full account of each specific context. It also started to revise its policy on cash and vouchers at the end of 2020. The Commission actively contributed to the Donor Cash Forum. Innovation and private sector engagement The Commission participated in the World Economic Forum's Humanitarian Resilience Investing Initiative, designed to improve the organisational readiness of private sector and humanitarian organisations to work together. As part of the efforts to raise additional private finance for humanitarian aid, the Commission will pilot an innovative instrument involving private sector capital in 2021, within its existing financial and legal framework. The Commission also supported the European Innovation Council Horizon 2020 Prize for 'Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid', which was awarded to five humanitarian innovators in 2020. Gender and age, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) The Commission continued to advance the implementation of the approach to gender and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, which was outlined in the staff working document ‘Gender: Different Needs, Adapted Assistance’. Consistent with that, the Commission continued the implementation of its gender-age marker. These activities are in line with the EU’s comprehensive policy on women, peace and security and the 2016-2020 Gender Action Plan II. The EU has remained a member of the global initiative Call to Action on Protection from GBV in Emergencies. In September 2020, a new Call to Action road map was launched, covering 2021-2025. The EU confirmed its commitment to this road map. The Commission continued supporting prevention and response to sexual- and gender-based violence by incorporating these issues broadly across its humanitarian work, and through targeted actions and capacity building. The EU continued its work on child protection in humanitarian crises, and allocated nearly EUR 93 million of humanitarian aid to child protection activities. ECHO Flight (Africa), Humanitarian Air Bridge, and other support for humanitarian air transport services ECHO Flight is a humanitarian air service with four aircraft, and a budget of EUR 14.8 million, serving the Commission’s humanitarian partners and humanitarian organisations. It supported over 150 projects, and transported over 8 000 humanitarian aid workers and around 250 tons of humanitarian cargo. The Commission also implemented the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge (EUR 10 million): 67 flights were organised to beneficiary countries, transporting over 1 500 passengers and 1 200 tonnes of humanitarian cargo. Moreover, the EU contributed to not-for-profit humanitarian air services such as the World Food Programme’s 2020 COVID-19 Common Transport Service Plan. Summary of evaluations completed in 2020

Combined evaluation of EU humanitarian intervention in Iraq and the Protection Sector, 2014-18 https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/kr0220290enn.pdf The evaluation found that funding in Iraq and globally in the Protection sector achieved short-term objectives, but addressing broader threats and deeper vulnerabilities was more challenging. In Iraq, advocacy had multiple successes; efficiency and cost-effectiveness were appropriate, with possibilities for building staff capacities. But there was some variability in the quality of needs analyses, both in Iraq and in the Protection Sector. The recommendations focus on increasing funding for protection and improving advocacy, strategic planning, capacity for assessing efficiency and cost-effectiveness and deliberation around both humanitarian principles and the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Evaluation of EU humanitarian assistance in Ukraine (2014-18) https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/evaluation_eu_humanitarian_assistance_ukraine_2014-2018.pdf The Commission was rapid and effective, performed very well overall, and demonstrated system-wide leadership in strategic thinking and coordination. Member States praised the field team and appreciated its access to the non-government-controlled areas. In Ukraine, the Commission supported system-wide joint and impartial needs assessments, advanced an explicit Joint Humanitarian-Development Framework with the other EU services to facilitate the coordination and transition between humanitarian aid, stabilisation, early recovery and development, and supported the creation of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. All donors, including the EU, faced particular challenges in adapting their funding to the unusually high proportion of vulnerable elderly people in the affected population. Since needs in those areas remain high, the focus should remain on advocacy and funding in the near future, despite difficult access.

2020 budget The funding agreements for humanitarian aid concluded by the Commission in 2020 can be found on the website. Humanitarian aid budget implementation HUMANITARIAN AID 2020 BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION Excluding external assigned revenue from Member States Region/country Amount % Africa 637 30% Upper Nile Basin 158 Central Africa 117 Great Lakes 47 Horn of Africa 127 Southern Africa, Indian Ocean 65 West Africa 90 North Africa 23 EU trust fund for Africa 10 Middle East, Southeast Europe and Eastern neighbourhood 1 033 48% Middle East 470 Southeast Europe and Eastern neighbourhood 563 Asia, Pacific 197 9% South West and Central Asia 130 South East Asia and Pacific 67 Latin America, Caribbean 115 5.5% Latin America 91 Caribbean 24 Worldwide disasters 95 4.5% Complementary operations and support 72 3% TOTAL 2 148 100% ( in million EUR )



Additional information and sources •General information on DG ECHO: •Financial information on the European Commission's humanitarian aid activities in 2020: