EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 8.12.2010 
SEC(2010) 1505 final 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
On the mid-term review of the European Co nsensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan: 
Assessing progress and priorities in the EU 's implementation of humanitarian action 
  
Accompanying document to the 
  
Communication on the mid-term  review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian 
Aid Action Plan – implementing effectiv e, principled EU humanitarian action 
COM(2010) 722 final 
EN 2   EN 1. INTRODUCTION  
On 18 December 2007, the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid1 was signed by the 
Presidents of the Council, the European Parl iament and the European Commission. Since its 
endorsement, the European Consensus has provided the European Union (EU) with a common vision and approach to gu ide its action in the provision of humanitarian assistance in 
third countries. 
Among other things, the European Consensus co mmits the EU to working closely together 
and in partnership with other humanitarian st akeholders to provide needs-based emergency 
response aimed at preserving life, preven ting and alleviating human suffering, and 
maintaining human dignity wherever the need  arises if governments and local actors are 
overwhelmed, unable or unwilling to act. The European Consensus confirms the EU's 
commitment to upholding and promoting the funda mental principles of humanitarian aid and 
to enhancing commitments to the application of  good donor practice. It  also underlines the 
EU's support for a plurality of implem enting partners (the United Nations, Red 
Cross/Crescent Movement and non-governmental organisations) and sets out the standards 
and principles for the use of civil protection re sources and military assets in the EU's response 
to humanitarian crises. 
In 2008, the European Commissi on presented an action plan
2, with a series of practical 
measures to implement the Consensus. The Action Plan encompasses a five-year time period and is composed of 49 actions grouped into six 'action areas': 
• Area 1: Advocacy, promotion of humanitarian  principles and international law; 
• Area 2: Implementing quality aid approaches; 
• Area 3: Reinforcing capacities to respond; 
• Area 4: Strengthening partnership; 
• Area 5: Enhancing cohere nce and coordination; 
• Area 6: The aid continuum. 
The Mid-Term Review aims to assess overall  progress on the Action Plan thus far and 
identify areas of further prior ity. More specificall y, it looks at measures undertaken by the EU 
as a whole, i.e. the 27 EU Member States and the European Commission, to implement the 
actions defined in the Action Plan and provides suggestions for areas where there is scope for 
further effort. 
The Mid-Term Review is comprised of the Co mmunication on 'the mid-term review of the 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Acti on Plan – implementing effective principled 
EU humanitarian action' and th is accompanying Staff Working Pa per. The review process has 
involved consultation with stakeholders and liai son with the European Parliament, through the 
standing rapporteur on humanitarian aid. 
                                                
 
1 OJ C 25, 30.1.2008 
2 SEC (2008) 1991, 29.5.2008 
EN 3   EN This Staff Working Paper is structured in two main sections: 
(1) General appraisal of the implementation of the Action Plan since its adoption in 2008; 
(2) In-depth assessments of each Action Area, including areas of progress and of further 
priority. 
In the Action Plan, references are made to the European Community and the European Union. 
Of the 49 actions in the Action Plan, 37 were for the EU Member States and the European 
Commission working together and 12 were to be taken forward specifically by the 
Commission. For the sake of clar ity, in relation to the origin al Action Plan, the European 
Union is taken in this Sta ff Working Paper as referring to combined efforts of the 
Commission and EU Member States. Where ac tions foreseen refer to the European 
Community, the Staff Working Paper refers now to the European Commission and its 
humanitarian aid and civil pr otection Directorate-General. 
2. OVERALL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN 
At the halfway point in the implementation of the Action Plan, the EU has made  substantive 
progress in all of the six action areas. At the same time, there are a number of priorities where 
there is scope for further effort in its conti nued implementation over the next two years. While 
Section 3 provides detailed assessments of each action area, this section summarises overall 
progress and priorities. 
The EU has conducted systematic advocacy and promotion of ke y humanitarian principles 
and guidelines . The fundamental humanitarian prin ciples and the Good Humanitarian 
Donorship (GHD) Principles guide EU donors in their provision of humanitarian assistance 
and have been integrated in many national fr ameworks. The EU has also worked hard to 
promote humanitarian space and compliance with  International Huma nitarian Law (IHL), 
which are necessary to ensure the safety and se curity of humanitarian wo rkers and to preserve 
access to affected populations. The EU should c ontinue to uphold its strong commitment to 
protecting humanitarian space and promoting the fundamental humanitarian principles and 
International Law. It is of particular importa nce to focus on advocacy efforts with an aim to 
enhance awareness of key guidelines and principl es among relevant actors , in particular the 
fundamental humanitarian principles, the Guide lines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence 
Assets in complex emergencies3 and the Oslo Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil 
Defence Assets in International Disaster Relief.4 
Considerable progress has been made  among EU donors in the area of sectoral policy 
development  on a number of key issues including hum anitarian food assistance, malnutrition 
in emergencies, the use of cash and vouchers  in humanitarian cris es, HIV/AIDS, gender, 
protection, and disaster risk re duction. These policies in turn serve to clarify and guide EU 
humanitarian funding to ensure th at humanitarian aid is more effective and takes into account 
the particular needs of vulnerable popul ation groups. With comprehensive policy 
development already well-underway, the EU must now work to implement policies and 
                                                 
3 Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defe nce Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian 
Activities in Complex Emergencies (March 2003) 
4 Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in International Disaster Relief – "Oslo 
Guidelines" (re-launched by UN OCHA in November 2006) 
EN 4   EN guidelines in operational cont exts. There are also a number of key issues which require 
continued particular attention, especially in the promotion of disast er risk reduction and 
ensuring appropriate and str ong links between humanitarian  and development actors, 
especially in transitional contexts. 
The EU is strongly committed to allocating humanitarian aid funding based on  assessed 
needs . Together, EU Member States and th e European Commission provided around 45-50 
percent of overall official humanitarian ai d over the past three years. The European 
Commission works to promote th e exchange of best practices  through the sharing of its 
sectoral policies and dissemination of its Gl obal Needs Assessment and Forgotten Crisis 
Assessment tools. With increasing global levels of humanitarian needs, the EU must ensure 
that humanitarian aid funding levels are able to  effectively meet and address these needs. 
Continued EU support for the development of common needs assessment, as well as for 
specific vulnerability and needs assessment tools in  the area of food assist ance, will also serve 
to enhance donor ability to ensure greater c onsistency in needs-based allocation of funding. 
The EU has supported capacity-building projects, particularly at the global level, and has 
commissioned and funded studies which have he lped to identify progre ss and gaps in global 
capacities. The EU should work together with othe r donors and partners to ensure that critical 
capacity gaps are clearly identified and begin to be addressed. In addition, while continuing to 
encourage the strengthening and consolidation of global capacities, the EU could also explore 
ways to support local capacities. Finally, furthe r discussions within the EU aimed at exploring 
how to appropriately and effectively support EU -12 donor capacity represents another useful 
measure in this area. 
Coordination  among EU donors has improved, notably  through the Council Working Party 
on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA). Dialogue between EU humanitarian and 
civil protection actors has also increased. C oordination with other humanitarian donors has 
been strengthened through bilatera l dialogue and particip ation in internationa l fora, especially 
the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) in itiative. Continued efforts to improve 
coordination and coherence at both headquarters and field level, on bot h operational and on 
policy issues, would help to enhance the effectiveness of EU humanitarian action. This includes supporting diversity in partnerships (including advoc acy for the 'Principles of 
Partnership') as well as facilitating dialogue among humanitarian, civilian and military actors. 
Coordination among EU donors could be furthe r enhanced through exploring opportunities 
for division of labour and information sharing.  There is also scope for further efforts in 
enhancing dialogue and links wi th other donors, including to promote increased awareness 
and ownership of the fundamental humanitarian principles. 
3. A
SSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION BY ACTION AREA: PROGRESS AND FURTHER 
PRIORITIES  
3.1. Advocacy, promotion of humanitarian principles and international law 
3.1.1.  Background 
The EU is firmly committed to upholding and promoting the fundamental 
humanitarian principles of human ity, neutrality, impartiality and 
independence…The EU will advocate strongly and consistently for the respect of International Law, including International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights Law and Refugee Law.   
EN 5   EN European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid 
Action Area One of the Action Plan proposes a series of measures related to advocacy and 
promotion of the fundamental humanitarian pr inciples and International Law. The overall 
expected result of this area is EU strengthened commitment to ensuring neutral and independent humanitarian action and to protecting humanitarian space. It is composed of five 
actions, including: general and case-specific ad vocacy for the respect of International Law 
through EU policy channels, promoting the funda mental humanitarian principles through EU 
coordinated positions in relevant intern ational bodies, and or ganising a high-level 
international conference on curre nt issues related to IHL. 
3.1.2.  Areas of Progress 
General and case-specific advocacy for Interna tional Law, the fundamental humanitarian 
principles and the protec tion of humanitarian space  
Relevant action(s): 2, 4 
Respect for the fundamental humanitarian prin ciples and International Law as well as the 
preservation of humanitarian space lie at th e heart of EU humanitarian action. They are 
essential elements for ensuring that humanitarian  assistance is delivered to those who need it 
most, autonomously and independently of ot her objectives. They also help to ensure 
humanitarian access to populations in need as we ll as the safety and security of humanitarian 
workers who often risk their lives in the cour se of duty (with the number of humanitarian 
workers killed having tripled over the past decade)5. Since the adoption of the Action Plan, 
the EU has made strong and consistent efforts to advocate for these important issues . 
Collectively, the EU has advocated for these issues most notably through the Council. In 
2009, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Geneva C onventions, the Council adopted 
conclusions reaffirming its strong support for th e promotion and protection of International 
Humanitarian Law (IHL).6 An updated version of the EU Guidelines on promoting 
compliance with IHL7 was adopted at that occasion. In its conclusions, the Council 
furthermore reaffirmed its commitment to en suring the implementation of these guidelines 
and the importance of continuing to impr ove the mainstreaming of IHL throughout the 
external action of the EU. Since the adoption of the Consensus and of its Action Plan, the 
Council has also adopted conclusions emphasising the Council's support for the promotion and the respect for IHL for speci fic humanitarian crises such as the Great Lakes Region, the 
occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), Sri Lanka, Sudan and Yemen. 
International fora offer furt her opportunities for EU advocacy in this field. Through EU 
statements and positions in relation to international humanitarian events and relevant United Nations (UN) resolutions, the EU has syst ematically expressed its support for the 
humanitarian principles and humanitarian sp ace. The EU also facilitates the annual UN 
General Assembly Resolutions "Safety and secu rity of humanitarian personnel and protection 
of United Nations personnel"
8 and "Strengthening of the coordination of emergency 
                                                 
5 See OCHA (2010) "World Humanita rian Day: Security Trends". 
http://ochaonline.un.org/whd/docs/SecuritySheet/whd_2010_security_sheet_en.pdf  
6 Conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union at the 2985th Foreign Affairs Council 
meeting, 8.12.2009 
7 OJ C 303/12, 15.12.2009 
8 Annual resolution, first adopted during the 52nd session of the General Assembly (A/RES/52/167) 
EN 6   EN humanitarian assistance of the United Nations".9 In conjunction with World Humanitarian 
Day, the European Commission this year laun ched the "Don't shoot! I'm a Humanitarian 
Worker" campaign aimed at raising awareness of the need to promote safety and security of 
humanitarian workers. 
As well as collective EU actions, EU donors ha ve also undertaken individual efforts to 
promote the fundamental humanitarian principles , humanitarian space and International Law. 
The European Commission has conducted such  advocacy through general and case-specific 
public statements. Member States have also  conducted similar advocacy efforts in their 
national capacities. Bilateral di alogue with specific countries has offered further opportunities 
in this field. 
UN bodies and non-governmental orga nisations (NGOs) represent key partners in the area of 
advocacy. With promotion and strengthening of  International Law as a key part of its 
mandate, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) represents an important actor 
in this regard. In support of this action ar ea, a number of EU donors have supported the ICRC 
and national Red Cross Societie s as well as other organisatio ns, including the UN Office for 
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( UN-OCHA), for IHL dissemi nation and promotion 
activities. EU donors represent 13 out of th e 19 members of the ICRC Donor Support Group 
(DSG) and together provided 46% of total DSG financial contribu tions to ICRC in 2009.10 
Advocacy for the fundamental humanitarian  principles and humanitarian access in 
complex emergencies  
In Sri Lanka , the European Union, has advocated str ongly for the respect of humanitarian 
principles on the part of th e Government of Sri Lanka, and continuously  supported its 
humanitarian partners in their efforts to perse vere in operating with a principled approach. 
In 2009, a major breakthrough was achieved th rough persistent awareness-raising on the 
part of the international community  over the violation of norms in  the treatment of internally 
displaced persons (IDPs) who for several mont hs were held in closed IDP camps. In 
response to these advocacy efforts by the EU and other international actors, the Government 
of Sri Lanka modified its treatment of the di splaced and initiated a rapid IDP resettlement 
programme. 
* 
Security is a key question in Afghanistan  where humanitarian workers, especially from 
Western countries, are seen as potential target s by insurgents. This issue is compounded by 
the blurring of lines between military and civilian  activities, in particular linked to the role 
of military  Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), which raise concern, not only in terms 
of quality of the interventions but also in terms of increase d security risk s for NGOs and 
their beneficiaries as the per ception of NGOs' neutrality may be compromised. This is why 
the European Commission has been advoca ting for the promotion and respect of 
humanitarian space and principles in Afghanistan  in all possible fora. The Commission also 
obliges its partners to abide  by the humanitarian mandate and base their work solely on 
humanitarian principles, notably neutrality, th ereby promoting the hum anitarian space in 
                                                 
9 Annual resolution, first adopted during the 46th session of the General Assembly (A/RES/46/182) 
10 International Committee of the Red Cross (2010) "Annual Report 2009" Available from: 
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0 .nsf/html/section_a nnual_report_2009 
EN 7   EN Afghanistan. 
* 
The European Union also continues to persist ently advocate for the respect of humanitarian 
principles and humanitarian space in Sudan . Alongside other intern ational actors, the 
EU has advocated for the Sudanese government to  facilitate humanitari an access to conflict-
affected populations, the most recent exa mple being Jebel Marra, and to respect 
humanitarian principles by allowing humanitari an partners to respond to the crisis without 
conditionality or bureaucratic impediment s. Through the Council Working Group on 
Humanitarian Action and Food Assistance, the EU has developed strong common messages 
which have been passed to the re levant actors at every opportunity.  
High-level international c onference (16 September 2008)  
Relevant action(s): 1 
A high-level international conference organise d by the European Commission and European 
Parliament was held on 16 September 2008. The c onference was attended by a wide range of 
stakeholders including representatives from EU Member States, United Nations, the Red 
Cross/Crescent Movement, and NGOs. Entitled "Res pect for International Humanitarian Law: 
a major challenge, a global respon sibility", the Conference highlighted the current situation 
for IHL and identified recommendations for the EU to enhance its promotion of respect for 
IHL. The conference further reaffirmed the EU 's commitment to supporting IHL and paved 
the way for a number of subsequent concrete measures, including general Council conclusions 
on IHL (see above). 
Since the adoption of the Action Plan, a number of EU Member States have also organised 
conferences and seminars on IHL at the national level. 
3.1.3.  Further priorities 
Strong and coherent EU advocacy efforts for IHL  
Relevant action(s): 2, 3, 4 
Despite advocacy efforts, disregard or even blat ant violations of IHL provisions continue to 
occur in the context of many complex emergenc ies. Case-specific promotion of compliance 
with IHL, including reaction to its infringement, is  a highly sensitive matter that often is dealt 
with through discrete advocacy and political channels. Such infringements have a profound 
impact on the humanitarian space to operate and on protection, making this  an area requiring 
continuous efforts for implementation . EU humanitarian experts need to reflect carefully 
upon additional ways to work together with ot hers, including the future European External 
Action Service (EEAS) to advo cate both in general and, wher e appropriate, on specific 
situations, for the protection of humanitarian sp ace and the respect of humanitarian principles 
and International Law. 
Efforts to support awareness and understanding of  humanitarian principles among all relevant 
actors  
Relevant action(s): 3, 5 
Over recent years, the context surrounding humanitarian aid has continued to evolve 
considerably. One such notable and welcome de velopment is the increasing involvement of 
EN 8   EN new and emerging donors in the provision of humanitarian assi stance and particularly in 
international humanitarian affairs. As such, the EU should continue to support their growing 
engagement, including through promoting awareness of the principles that  guide the delivery 
of humanitarian aid, such as the fundamental humanitarian principles. The EU should further 
discuss and explore ways to reach out to emerging donors, including through international 
fora (such as the GHD and the UN Econom ic and Social Council), to promote increased 
understanding and ownership of the humanitarian mandate . 
There is scope for further work within the EU as well, especially in ensuring that 
humanitarian dimensions are duly consid ered throughout EU external action . Particular 
focus should be placed on promoting awareness of  the Guidelines on the Use of Military and 
Civil Defence Assets (MCDA) in complex emer gencies and the Oslo Guidelines on the Use 
of Military and Civil Defence Assets in International Disaster Relief. 
Training on the fundamental humanitarian principl es and IHL is important for enhancing this 
awareness among relevant professi onals, especially those worki ng in contexts where IHL is 
frequently violated. While Member States a nd the Commission have undertaken individual 
efforts to ensure appropriate and effective training provisions, there is scope to enhance 
coherence in these efforts, notably through the further development of an EU training 
directory/pack on humanitarian principles and IHL implications  for humanitarian assistance. 
It would be particularly timely to pursue this further in relation to the establishment of the 
new European External Action Service. 
3.2. Implementing Quality Aid Approaches 
3.2.1.  Background 
EU humanitarian donors will endeav our to ensure good donor practice 
through sharing understanding on need and appropriate responses and through concerted efforts to avoid over lap and to ensure that humanitarian 
needs are adequately assessed and met…As  donors, we have the responsibility 
to ensure that aid delivered represents  the best available option and is suitable 
for the purpose it is intended. 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid 
Action Area Two deals specifically with the importance of implementing quality aid 
approaches and has the following overall expect ed results: humanitarian needs identified and 
met more effectively, with increased focus on ne glected crises and specific vulnerabilities and 
results-oriented approaches; and aid delivered to the best possible quality standards and with good levels of accountability. It is composed of  12 actions, with focus on e.g.: operational 
guidelines and recommendations for thematic areas such as HIV/AIDS and protection; 
supporting common needs assessments; and en suring the efficiency and adequacy of 
humanitarian aid. 
3.2.2.  Areas of progress 
Efficiency of Humanitarian Aid Funding Procedures
 
Relevant action(s): 11, 15 
Collectively, EU Member States and the Europ ean Commission provide a substantial share of 
official international humanitarian aid. There are a number of channels through which the EU 
EN 9   EN can provide humanitarian aid, including: direct  bilateral allocation of funding to partner 
organisations for the implementation of sp ecific humanitarian operations; provision of 
unearmarked funding to partner organisati ons; and contributions  to pooled funding 
mechanisms and emergency response funds, such as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the International Federation of  the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' 
(IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DRE F). EU donors contribute variously through all 
of these different funding channels, and as such , the EU is well-placed to make sure they are 
used effectively and with good complementarity. 
The European Commission (which accounted for 34% percent of the ove rall EU humanitarian 
aid contribution in 2009) has a number of different kinds of funding decisions in order to 
allocate funding to partners for the implemen tation of specific human itarian aid operations. 
This means that rapid funding allocations (u p to certain thresholds) can be made under 
'primary emergency' or emergency decisions, wh ich can be adopted in very short timeframes 
to fund the immediate response through implementing partners. For example, in 2010, these 
rapid procedures allowed for contributions for the initial response to meeting humanitarian 
needs of people affected by earthquakes in Haiti and Chile; floods in Pakistan and Bangladesh; and displacement in Kyrgyz stan. The European Commission recently 
streamlined procedures for the adoption of th ese decisions, which represents an important 
measure to enhance the efficiency and speed with whic h the Commission can respond to 
crises while at the same time ensuring appr opriate and adequate financial management 
and control . 
Other recent changes that aim to increase th e efficiency of the Commission's financing 
decisions and modalities include changes that al low the Commission to now also be able to 
implement humanitarian actions with a larg er number of Member States' Specialised 
Agencies. These Specialised Agencies in the fi eld of humanitarian aid can offer valuable 
capabilities and expertise in re sponding to emergencies and so far three such Agencies have 
already implemented EU-funded pr ojects, with two others havi ng demonstrated interest in 
applying for recognition. By updating the recogn ition procedure for organisations wishing to 
implement EU-funded humanitarian actions, such  as Member States' Specialised Agencies, 
the European Commission has sought to reinforce its commitment to maintain a diversity of 
quality partners, in line with the Go od Humanitarian Donorship approach. 
The European Commission has also recently e quipped itself with a number of innovative 
financial decisions aimed at addressing small-sc ale disasters, epidemics and the replenishment 
of the DREF. The decisions, which compleme nt existing financial tools, have proven 
themselves to be effective instruments and have improved the Commission's ability to respond consistently, effectively and flexibly to humanitarian crises without increasing its 
administrative burden. 
In addition, the European Comm ission is developing a new appr oach regarding its decision-
making on humanitarian aid funding which is inte nded to enter into fo rce as of 1 January 
2011. The purpose of the new approach is to reduce the overall number of financing 
decisions, whilst fully respecting the legal bases of the EU's Financial and Humanitarian Aid 
Regulations, including the strategi c needs-based approach of th e latter. The overall goal of 
this approach is therefore to increase th e efficiency of the working methods whilst 
maintaining expertise, flexibility and transparency. 
Whilst these changes represent important steps to increasing the efficiency of humanitarian 
aid decision-making, procedures remain in place to ensure the European Commission's 
EN 10   EN continued accountability to the European Parliament and the Council. The European 
Commission submits an annual report to the European Parliament and the Council with a summary of the operations finan ced over the course of the year
11. Its activities are also subject 
to scrutiny internally by the Commission's Internal Audit Services and externally by the European Court of Auditors, which reports to the European Parliament and the Council
12. 
Collectively, the EU provides a substantial shar e of official humanita rian assistance. In 2009, 
the 27 EU Member States provided approximate ly €3.4 billion in official humanitarian aid. A 
number of Member States have worked to furt her integrate needs-based approaches into their 
own national frameworks and strategies, as well as  to enhance the flexib ility of their funding 
to international organisations , notably through contributions to pooled funding mechanisms, 
such as CERF. EU Member States together ac counted for approximately two thirds of all 
CERF contributions in 2009. 
Sectoral policymaking  
Relevant action(s): 7 
In order to continue to ensure that its hum anitarian aid is administered according to a 
principled needs-based approach  while also taking into account  the particular  vulnerabilities 
and needs of certain groups, the European Commission has  developed a number of sectoral 
policies  since the adoption of the Action Plan. These sectoral policies have been developed in 
consultation with a wide range of stakeholde rs and humanitarian part ner organisations. In 
order to promote the exchange of best practi ces and lessons learnt among EU donors, these 
guidelines have also been shared with EU Me mber States. Although actio n 7 is designated in 
the Action Plan as a Commission action, a number of  EU Member States have also developed 
and put in place national po licies and strategies on some of these same issues. The EU is able 
to cross-fertilise best practice in sectoral po licies by working together in a coordinated way. 
In accordance with Action 7, the European Commission has adopted funding guidelines 
outlining its position on several key thematic issues, such as: 
• The use of cash and vouchers in humanitarian crises: these guidelines aim to encourage the 
systematic and comparative analysis of all fo rms of resource transf ers in the delivery of 
humanitarian assistance and to provide gui dance on the handling of cash through the 
project cycle; 
• Responding to HIV/AIDS in humanitarian ac tion: these guidelines, among other things, 
clarify how HIV patients should continue to receive treatment  during humanitarian crises; 
• Protection activities: these guidelines provide an overvie w of protection strategies 
(including protection against sexual and gende r based violence) and detail the provisions 
for funding them; 
• School feeding: these guidelines  include clear criteria for deciding whether school feeding 
activities should be supported from the humanitarian budget in a specific context; 
                                                 
11 In accordance with Article 19 of  Council Regulation (EC) 1257/96 
12 In accordance with Article 12 of  Council Regulation (EC) 1257/96 
EN 11   EN In addition, the Commission Communication 'A Special Place for children in EU external 
action'13 and the Staff Working Paper on 'Childre n in Emergency and Crisis Situations'14 were 
adopted in 2008 and endorsed by the Council (through Council Conclusions in 200815) and 
the European Parliament (through a resolution in 200916). 
As stated in the European Consensus, the EU recognises the importance of integrating gender  
considerations, protection stra tegies against sexual and gende r-based violence and women's 
participation in humanitarian aid. In support of  this, the European Commission commissioned 
a review of past and current methods used by hum anitarian actors to address gender, including 
strategies to combat sexual and gender-based  violence (SGBV), which was finalised in 2009. 
A number of key policy documents focusing on gender and SGBV have al so been adopted by 
the EU since the endorsement of the Consensus Action Plan. The Council adopted in December 2008 a 'Comprehensive Approach to the EU implementation of the United Nations 
Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on women, peace and security'
17, which covers 
humanitarian, development, securi ty and foreign policies for the  prevention, protection, and 
participation of women. In July  2010, the Council also adopted indicators to measure progress 
and assess gaps in the implementation the Comprehensive Approach. A number of EU 
Member States have also adopted or are preparing nationa l action plans on the 
implementation of the aforementioned UN resolutions. Finally, on 21 September 2010, the European Commission adopted its  new Strategy for equality between women and men that 
covers various policy areas and contains a sp ecific chapter on EC external actions including 
humanitarian aid. 
The European Commission and several EU Member  States also contributed financially and 
participated actively in the recent revision process of the 'Sphere Handbook' (the quality 
standards reference tool for the humanita rian community). This revision has updated 
variously the qualitative and qua ntitative indicators and guidan ce notes to take into account 
the latest developments in the humanitarian se ctor, such as the impact of climate change, 
disaster risk reduction, protecti on, the humanitarian reform pro cess and the cluster approach. 
The revision went through a robust and wi despread process of engagement among 
practitioners in each sector wh ich will create a greater sense of  ownership of the new 'Sphere 
Handbook' and enable it to play a bigger role  within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee 
(IASC) which brings together humanitarian organisations including UN actors, the Red 
Cross/Crescent Movement and some NGO representatives. 
Improving approaches to humanitarian f ood assistance and nutrition in emergencies
 
Relevant action(s): 13 
The European Commission has also taken steps to adjust policies regarding approaches and 
interventions to food assist ance and livelihoods support. On  31 March 2010, the Commission 
adopted the 'Communication on Hu manitarian Food Assistance'.18 This Communication sets 
out the policy framework for EU humanitarian f ood assistance with an aim to maximise its 
efficiency and effectiveness in accordance with  best practices and existing frameworks. The 
                                                 
13 COM (2008) 55 – 5.2.2008 
14 SEC (2008) 135 – 5.2.2008 
15 Conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union at the 2870th External Relations Council 
meeting (26-27.5.2008) 
16 OJ C 76 E/3 – 25.3.2010 
17 15671/1/08 REV 1 
18 COM (2010) 126 – 31.3.2010 
EN 12   EN Council endorsed the EU's humanitarian food a ssistance policy framework in its conclusions 
of 10 May 201019, also recognising its contribution to th e fulfilment of action 13 of the Action 
Plan. The EU is now working on the implementation of the Communication. Close coordination was ensured with work on the 'E U policy framework to assist developing 
countries in addressing food security challenges',
20 with their complementarity representing 
an important effort to ensure the linking of  relief, recovery and development (LRRD). 
The European Commission has also advanced its work on nutrition, both to clarify the 
objectives and priorities of its support to nutrition in human itarian crises, and to give guidance 
on the integration of nutriti on objectives into extern al aid more generally.  
The European Commission has also supported th e wider humanitarian community to improve 
approaches and interventions to food assistan ce, notably through the allocation of €5 million 
in 2010 from its capacity building programme to  reinforce the capacity  of international 
humanitarian organisations and stakeholders  (including the World Food Programme, the Food 
and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nati ons Children's Fund, the World Health 
Organisation and the Red Cr oss/Crescent Movement (IFRC and ICRC)) to deliver more 
varied and appropriate form s of food assistance.  
Supporting needs assessment  
Relevant action(s): 6, 12 
Thorough and quality needs assess ments are essential for donors to provide targeted needs-
based assistance in humanitarian crises. Ma ny organisations and clusters have made 
substantial progress in developing needs assessm ent capacities, methods and tools. However, 
it is essential to link these initiatives in order to ensure a coherent and consistent overall approach. 
To this end, the EU provides substant ial support to UN-OCHA 's Assessment and 
Classification in Emergencies (ACE) project. With support from donors, ACE has undertaken 
significant efforts towards the development of a common methodol ogical framework for 
needs assessment, notably through a mapping stu dy of key existing assessment initiatives. EU 
financial support has also been provided to Assessment Capacities (ACAPS), a project aimed 
at strengthening needs assessment by setting up and training a global roster of needs assessment specialists to support in -country capacities to prepare for and to respond to crises 
through better coordinated multi-sectoral ne eds assessments. The EU has also strongly 
advocated for the common needs assessment approach in international fora, and EU representatives participate as observers on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Needs Assessment Task Force (NATF) (an intera gency forum charged with developing and 
promoting an overall common fram ework for needs assessment). 
In the field of humanitarian f ood assistance, the EU has provided  support to projects that aim 
to strengthen the needs assessment and res ponse analysis capacities of main humanitarian 
food assistance actors. Signifi cant support was provided by th e EU to the World Food 
Programme (WFP) and its project on 'Stre ngthening of Emergency Needs Assessment 
Capacity' (SENAC) as well as the one on 'E nhancing Capacities in Food Security and 
Response Analysis (ENCAP). The Food and Ag riculture Organisation (FAO) was supported 
                                                
 
19 Conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union at the 3011th meeting of the Foreign Affairs 
Council (10.5.2010) 
20 COM (2010) 127 – 31.3.2010 
EN 13   EN for the set up of the Integrated Classifi cation System (IPC), the Response Analysis 
Framework (RAF) and the Livelihoo ds in Livestock in Emergencies Guidelines and Standards 
(LEGS). 
A common needs assessment approach and a humanitarian Dashboard  
The EU plays a leading role in ensuring co mparable, credible and transparent humanitarian 
needs assessment and it conti nues supporting the efforts of UN-OCHA towards the building 
of a consensus on a common needs assessment approach . It also advocates for the need for 
non-EU donors to provide the same support. 
In this context, the humanitarian Dashboard  developed by UN-OCHA in consultation with 
the IASC Needs Assessment Task Force will c ontribute significantly to informed decision-
making and prioritisation by donors, by Huma nitarian Coordinators and by humanitarian 
country teams. The humanitarian Dashboard is a tool designed to provide an easy to read 
overview highlighting the consolidated cros s-sector needs in a sudden onset disaster. 
The purpose and the added value of the humanitarian Dashboard are: 
• To consolidate core, common and more comparable information for 
humanitarian decision-makers in an easily  accessible format, focusing on ‘the 
need for international response’, on th e 'constraints on international response’, 
and on the ‘adequacy of response’; 
• To provide a common platform for or ganizing data and for di scussing essential 
‘big-picture’ and cross-sectoral information among key stakeholders, fostering 
greater consensus and thus a more coordinated and eff ective humanitarian 
response; and 
• To provide a ‘big picture’ monitoring t ool to be used as a basis for setting 
common operational targets and to track progress towards those targets.  
In addition to supporting effo rts towards common needs assessment, the Commission also 
administers the Global Needs Assessment (GNA ) and Forgotten Crisis Assessment (FCA) 
tools to promote and facilita te needs-based allocations am ong donors. The GNA classifies 
countries according to their rela tive vulnerability and the existen ce of a crisis situation while 
the FCA attempts to identify severe, prot racted humanitarian crises where affected 
populations are receiving no or insufficient inte rnational aid. These instruments have been 
widely disseminated, including to EU Member States, many of which use the GNA and FCA 
in their operational strategies and funding deci sions. In addition, the EU regularly shares 
analysis of humanitarian needs,  particularly in light of ongoing response to protracted crises. 
3.2.3.  Further priorities 
Continued support for common needs assessment  
Relevant action(s): 6 
The EU should continue to support efforts towards common needs assessments , in 
particular through supporting the work of UN-OCHA and the NATF to build consensus on a 
common framework for needs assessment. The EU should continue advocacy efforts for close 
EN 14   EN cooperation among agencies and partners to en sure comparable, credible and transparent 
needs assessment, notably through the deve lopment of the humanitarian Dashboard. 
Ensuring support for key them atic / sectoral issues  
Relevant action(s): 7, 10 
The development of funding guide lines represents an importa nt action and the European 
Commission is now focusing on their effective implementation , through: 
• Their mainstreaming in human itarian aid funding decisions; 
• A wide dissemination strategy; and 
• Evaluation exercises, such as a recent eval uation undertaken on prot ection activities funded 
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which led to practical suggestions on ways for 
improving effectiveness and effici ency of protection projects. 
To follow up on the gender review completed in 2009, the European Co mmission is currently 
working on the development of a gender policy  that intends to clarify which strategies it will 
put in place to try to systematise gender inte gration in its humanitarian aid and how the 
Commission can better c ontribute to protection against sexu al and gender-based violence 
through its humanitarian assistance. This polic y will be coordinated with and complementary 
to broader European Commission policy on ge nder and should be finalised in 2011. 
The Council Conclusions on the Food Security Communication cal l for the development of a 
policy on nutrition that would encompass huma nitarian and development interventions. The 
Interim Position Paper on Nutrition is a first step in the process of developing further 
guidance for the European Commission's nutri tion intervention and elaborating a common 
perspective on principles and priorities that would help mainstreaming and advocacy for 
sustained support to combat under-nutrition. 
Ensuring adequate and effective resp onse to increasing humanitarian needs  
Relevant action(s): 8 
As recently illustrated in 2010 by the earthquake in Haiti, floods in Pakistan and drought in 
the Sahel, as well as by the protracted crises in countries such as Af ghanistan, Colombia and 
Sudan, the humanitarian community is facing a grow th in global levels of  humanitarian needs. 
At the same time however, donors are facing the consequences of a severe global financial 
crisis which has implied constraints for many countries' national budgets. In order to ensure 
an adequate and effectiv e response to growing need s in this contex t, it is clear that aid budgets 
must be used with maximum efficiency , which implies more coordinated planning to ensure 
avoidance of gaps and potential overlaps. It also requires clearly prioritised and identified needs. 
In addition to enhanced planning and prioritisation, the EU should  consider identifying ways 
to increase funding for humanitarian action , including through stre ngthening ties with 
other donors (especially emerging donors), in an effort to ensure  that humanitarian needs are 
being consistently and adequately  addressed. The EU must also ensure that in these times of 
tight public spending the level of  budget allocations for humanita rian response are maintained 
to the extent possible. 
EN 15   EN In order to ensure that the le gal base for the EU's humanitarian  aid reflects the strong policy 
commitments of the European Consensus on Human itarian Aid and allows for flexible, timely 
and appropriate response to humanitarian crises, a revision of the Humanitarian Aid 
Regulation21 will be launched in 2011. 
3.3. Reinforcing Capacities to Respond 
3.3.1.  Background 
Local response to crisis and disaster  risk reduction, including disaster 
preparedness and recovery, are esse ntial to saving lives and enabling 
communities to increase their resilience to emergencies. Capacity building activities to prevent and mitigate th e impact of disasters and to enhance 
humanitarian response are also part of EU humanitarian aid. 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid 
Action Area Three presents five measures aime d at reinforcing the humanitarian community's 
capacities to respond, with an overall expected re sult of improved rapi d and appropriate 
response to humanitarian crisis, with international as sistance reinforcing lo cal action as first 
line of response. The area incl udes such actions as: explori ng how to enhance support to 
capacity building; promoting and providing suppor t to International Disaster Response Laws; 
and reinforcing EU training provision for human itarian professionals an d other actors linked 
to humanitarian response. 
3.3.2.  Areas of progress 
Enhanced understanding and policymaking for capacity building
 
Relevant action(s): 18, 19 
Building capacities of the humanitarian commun ity represents an important effort for the 
promotion of the effective, efficient and timel y delivery of humanitari an assistance. At the 
local level, capacity-building is essential as lo cal actors represent the first line of response in a 
sudden onset crisis and are incr easingly at the core of the humanitarian response in complex 
emergencies. However, the scale and scope of humanitarian crises is often overwhelming for 
any one country to handle alone . Capacity-building at  the regional and global levels is thus 
also important, including efforts to improve coordination of huma nitarian assistance (such as 
the cluster system) and to facilitate the efficient and timely delivery of international aid (such as the International Di saster Response Laws, Rules and Principles). 
Since the endorsement of the Ac tion Plan, the EU ha s taken a number of concrete steps to 
review and evaluate issues rel ated to capacity building . The European Commission has 
completed a number of studies on capacity-re lated issues, includ ing a mapping study on 
international humanitarian tran sport, logistics and stockpiling,
22 as well as an evaluation and 
review on the provision of ai r transport in support of  humanitarian operations.23 These studies, 
                                                 
21 Council Regulation (EC) 1257/96 
22 International Disaster Assistance and Relief Training (2009) "Study on International Humanitarian 
Transport, Logistics and Stockpiling Capacities" (study commissioned by European Commission Directorate-General for Humanita rian Aid and Civil Protection) 
23 Telford, John and Robert Thomson (2010) "Evaluation on the Provision of Air Transport in Support of 
Humanitarian Operations" and "Review on the Provis ion of Air Transport in Support of Humanitarian 
EN 16   EN which have been widely disseminated to EU Member States and humanitarian stakeholders, 
have served to highlight key trends and provi de operational recommendations in the area of 
logistics. 
The European Commission has also complete d an evaluation of capacity building funding, 
which in turn provided important  input to the development of its Capacity Building Funding 
Guidelines24 following an 18-month consultation pr ocess with partne rs, donors and other 
humanitarian actors. The guidelines, adopted in 2009, include a multi-donor requirement for 
capacity building funding, identif y gaps in the global human itarian system, and provide 
criteria for European Commission f unding responses in capacity-building. 
The EU has also provided substantial financial support to global capacity building efforts . 
The European Commission alone contribute d €25 million in 2009 and €15 million in 2010 to 
strengthen global humanita rian preparedness and response capacity, including the 
reinforcement of the Logistics, Health, a nd WASH clusters through support to UN-OCHA, 
UNHCR, FAO, UNICEF and IFRC in the roll-out of  the cluster system. More specifically, in 
2009-2010, capacity-building funding was allocated to  support particular projects, including: 
• The NGO network 'Cash Learning Partners hip Discussion Forum' (CaLP) and its 
integrated training programmes as well as a capacity-building project implemented by 
IFRC in partnership with CaLP for training a nd advocacy efforts regarding the use of cash 
and vouchers; 
• The strengthening of the WHO-led Health cluste r to coordinate interventions in health 
priorities including pandemics; and 
• An IDP profiling project with UNHCR aimed at improving the humanitarian community's 
access to and use of more consistent and re liable core information on displacement-
affected populations. 
The European Commission also supports effort s of the Global Nutrition Cluster to strengthen 
appropriate responses to nutri tion crises, including countries  transitioning into recovery, 
through better coordination and dissemination of international standards and harmonised 
tools. 
Humanitarian Response Depots  
Logistical capacity and pre-pos itioning of certain essential humanitarian relief items is a 
critical element for effective international humanitarian action. 
This is why the EU has supported the World Food Program, as cluster lead agency for 
logistics, to strengthen its emergency res ponse capacity and that of the whole humanitarian 
community by reinforcing the Humanitarian Response Depot  (HRD) network. EU capacity-
building funding has supported the establishment and supply of four additional 
Humanitarian Response Depots and logistics hubs in key strategic locations around the 
world: Panama, Ghana, Dubai and Malaysia. 
                                                                                                                                                         
Operations." (studies commissioned by European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian 
Aid and Civil Protection) 
24 Recently renamed 'Enhancing Capacity Response' guidelines 
EN 17   EN These hubs, together with the Brindisi WFP logistics base, function as a network of 
warehouse facilities with pre-positioned relie f items for emergency response operations and 
provide logistic services to the wider humanitarian community (NGOs, Red Cross/Red 
Crescent organisations and UN agenc ies). In particular, EU funding has ensured that NGO 
partners are able to draw upon pre-positioned goods to support humanitarian operations. 
By funding HRDs, the EU has thus contributed to  enhancing the capacity of the international 
humanitarian community to respond quickly in sudden onset disasters; for example, the pre-
positioned goods in the HRD in Panama were used to help respond to the earthquake in 
Haiti.  
International disaster response  
Relevant action(s): 21 
In the event of a natural disaster, it is essen tial that humanitarian assistance is delivered in a 
timely and efficient manner to those most in n eed. To do this, particular legal frameworks 
should be in place in order to avoid delays in delivery (due to e.g. long visa processing time and inspection requirements for relief goods) and unnecessary costs (due to e.g. customs duties and taxes on humanitarian aid). 
Adopted by the IFRC in 2007, the Guidelines for the Domestic Facilita tion and Regulation of 
Internal Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery  Assistance (IDRL Guid elines) aim to assist 
governments in putting legal frameworks in place to  facilitate the deliver y of humanitarian aid 
in the event of natural disasters. They also  underline the role and responsibilities of donors 
and implementing organisations to facilitate time ly and appropriate deli very of humanitarian 
assistance. 
The EU has provided substantial support for the IDRL Guidelines , including financial 
support from the European Commission and EU Member States to the IFRC to disseminate 
these guidelines. 
In the light of recent experience and lessons lear nt from major crises, the European Union has 
kept the issue of reinforcing international and EU capacity to respond to natural disasters high 
on the political agenda. The European Commi ssion has actively sought to ensure strong 
complementarity and synergies between humanita rian aid response and the use of EU civil 
protection expertise and assets. A series of recommendations on rein forcing EU Disaster 
Response Capacities is bei ng presented in autumn 2010. 
In addition, the Commission supports Red Cross/Cr escent national societies to use their front-
line capacities for responding to small-scal e disasters through contributions to the 
replenishment of the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. 
Humanitarian professionalism and awareness – training provisions and sharing experience
 
Relevant action(s): 20, 22 
The European Network on Humanitarian Action ( NOHA) is an international association of 
universities working together to develop training and education , notably through the 
European Master Programme in International Humanitarian Action. At the request of the 
European Commission, NOHA created the 'NOHA Academy' in 2009, which offers seminars 
to humanitarian professionals from e.g. civil society and EU Member States, in order to 
heighten awareness and understand ing of key humanitarian issues. 
EN 18   EN In addition, a number of EU experts from th e European Commission and various EU Member 
States have been trained in  the UN Disaster Assessment a nd Coordination (UNDAC) system 
and have participated in UNDAC missions. 
There has been good progress on improving knowledge and sharing best practice  between 
EU donors over the past few years. Within the EU, there has been a series of short-term or ad 
hoc arrangements for officials fr om small humanitarian departments, often from the newer EU 
Member States, to spend time in another EU hum anitarian department as well as secondment 
in support of EU presidencies. An awareness-ra ising exercise on the various possibilities for 
enhancing capacity for EU-12 authorities was undertaken under the lead ership of the Czech 
Government during its Presidency of the Co uncil of the EU (first semester 2009) and 
exchanges continue on this informal basis.  The Erasmus Public Administration Programme 
has also recently been used to support job-sh adowing exchange of EU officials working on 
humanitarian aid. It has not be en felt necessary to formalise specific 'twinning' arrangements 
as the network between EU humanitarian depa rtments is now well-established and regular 
contacts are facilitated thr ough COHAFA and Good Humanitarian  Donorship. Staff turnover 
means, however, that this is a continuous exercise. 
3.3.3.  Further priorities 
Continued support for capacity building  
Relevant action(s): 19, 20 
As mentioned above, the EU actively encour ages and supports capac ity-building of its 
humanitarian partner organisations as well as of the international humanitarian system. The 
EU should work together with ot her donors and partners to ensure  that critical capacity gaps 
are clearly identified and begin to be addressed. 
Launched in 2005 by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, the humanitarian reform 
represents a major effort to st rengthen global capacity  to respond to humanita rian crises. As is 
stated in the European Consensus on Humanita rian Aid, the EU fully supports efforts to 
ensure better coherence and coor dination of various actors in huma nitarian crises, in particular 
through the cluster approach  and the strengthening of the Humanitarian Coordinator 
system.  While recognising the considerable progress th at has been made in the roll-out of the 
cluster system, the EU should continue to encourage UN-OCHA and cluster lead 
organisations to further consolidate and re inforce the cluster system, including through 
strengthened partnerships with NGOs, enhanc ing donor-cluster links and ensuring the cluster 
system effectively supports the transition from emergency to early recovery. Building local 
capacities  is an equally essential element and shoul d be further integrat ed into the EU's 
partnership approach. 
The EU should also continue to support capacity-bui lding in nutrition-related matters. The 
European Commission will explore the most ade quate avenue to sustain a coordinated and 
effective approach to the research gaps alre ady identified and to the dissemination of the 
expected WHO revised guidelines on the management of severe and moderate acute under-nutrition. The EU should also stand ready to supp ort the global food cluster that will be set up 
and co-led by FAO and WFP. 
In the European Consensus on Humanitarian Ai d, the EU also welcomes efforts to enhance 
predictability and flexibility  of humanitarian financing. Pooled funding mechanisms, 
including Common Humanitari an Funds (CHFs) and the UN Central Emergency Response 
EN 19   EN Fund are important tools in this regard and pr ovide a useful supplement to the range of 
available financing instruments. Between 2006 and 2009, EU Member St ates have provided 
over 1.1 billion USD (or approximately €800 m illion) in contributions to the CERF.25 The EU 
should continue to encourage efforts to enhance accountability, transparency and needs-
based allocation of pooled funding , especially of the CERF; and to ensure complementarity 
and close coordination between the pooled f unding mechanisms and directly allocated 
bilateral funding. 
There is also scope to enhance staff training provisions, especially those with potential to 
enhance capacities of newly acceded EU Member States. In particular, the EU could explore 
ways to further promote reciprocal  or joint training opportunities. 
3.4. Strengthening Partnership 
3.4.1.  Background 
Partnership is at the core of impl ementation of humanitarian aid and the EU 
therefore would welcome a broader international partnership approach, which brings together donors, implementing partners and other stakeholders, to ensure effective humanitarian action, bu ilding on the existing body of standard 
and best practice. 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid 
Action Area Four has an expected overall resu lt of strengthened well-coordinated partnerships 
for effective delivery of aid, expanded donor base, and reinforcement of lo cal participation in 
humanitarian aid design and implementation. It  includes seven actions such as: active EU 
participation in humanitarian fora; EU mainst reaming of the Good Humanitarian Donorship 
commitments; and providing encouragement fo r the application of the 'Principles of 
Partnership'. 
3.4.2.  Areas of progress 
Good Humanitarian Donorship Initiative
 
Relevant action(s): 24, 26, 28 
The Good Humanitarian Donorship  principles and good  practices were established by 16 
donors in 2003. GHD seeks to define humanitarian aid and its objectives, outlines the general principles of humanitarian aid, and prom otes partnership and good donor practices in 
financing, management, and accountability. By fi rmly endorsing these principles through the 
European Consensus, the EU has shown its strong commitment to promoting effective, 
responsible and accountable humanitarian donors hip. A number EU Member States have 
made considerable efforts in incorporating th e GHD Principles into national strategies and 
frameworks. 
With the signing of the European Consensus, eleven new members were brought in to the 
GHD initiative. To facilitate their integratio n and to allow for a deepening of shared 
experience and peer-learning, from 2008 the Eu ropean Commission facilitated a specific 
                                                
 
25 OCHA (2010) "CERF Pledges and Contributions: 2006-2010". Available from: 
http://ochaonline.un.org/cerf/Donors/Donors /tabid/5370/language/e n-US/Default.aspx 
EN 20   EN series of 'newcomers' sessions, co-organised  by Estonia, Romania, Hungary, the Czech 
Republic and Poland. As a measure of success of these sessions, in spring 2010 they were re-
named 'Sessions for Humanitarian Awareness- Raising and Exchange' (SHARE) and Estonia 
took over as facilitator. The invitation to participate in SHARE sessions has also been 
broadened to include non-GHD donors as a su pplementary channel for reaching out on the 
GHD approach. 
To underpin its commitment, the European Co mmission together with the Netherlands co-
chaired the GHD initiative in 2008-9, followed by Ireland and Estonia in 2009-10. Under this 
European leadership, there has been a clear prio ritisation to the operati onal-relevance of good 
Donorship and to expanding the dialogue with  emerging donors and countries affected by 
disaster. A range of thematic issues, many of which link also to the Consensus, have been 
pursued through GHD, which now encompasses 37 donors - the latest to adhere being South 
Korea and Brazil. 
The 2007 'Principles of Partnership'26 agreed between the UN and non-UN humanitarian 
organisations under the auspices of the Global Humanitarian Plat form, were a specific focus 
of donor attention under the European Comm ission/Netherlands GHD co-chair period. The 
annual GHD meeting in July 2009 looked at pr actical examples of the 'Principles of 
Partnership' in action. 
An important aspect of GHD is self-commitmen t from donors to shift toward implementing 
the best practice and principles as consistently as possible over time. To this end, in the early 
years of the GHD initiative a number of donors (including Sw eden, the United Kingdom and 
the Netherlands) presented domestic implementati on plans. In the Consensus Action Plan, the 
European Commission committed to join this group of donors with explicit statements of how they translate GHD in practice. A European Commission GHD implementation statement and 
plan are now at the stage of  peer-review by other donors. 
The EU promoting good donor practice  
With the adoption of the Eur opean Consensus on Humanitari an Aid, all 27 EU Member 
States and the European Commission committed to working together to apply 'Good 
Humanitarian Donorship' prin ciples and best practice. 
The strong EU commitment to ensuring a clearl y prioritised and more operational focus for 
donor work under Good Humanitarian Donorship, wa s deepened during a two year phase of 
chairing by EU donors : the European Commission together with the Netherlands (2008-9), 
followed by Estonia and Ireland (2009-10). Duri ng this period GHD active outreach efforts 
have led to Japan, South Korea and Brazil also ma king the commitment to work with other 
donors under GHD. 
Some important issues taken forward in GHD in the past two years include: 
• Strengthening coordination between donors in the field 
• Applying the Principles of Partnership 
                                                 
26 Principles of Partnership: equality, transpar ency, results-oriented approach, responsibility and 
complementarity 
EN 21   EN • Working with national and local author ities in disaster-affected countries 
• Linking of humanitarian aid responses  to disaster risk reduction and 
development approaches 
• Assessing needs and addressing gaps, incl uding how different funding channels 
complement on another.  
World Humanitarian Day  
Relevant action(s): 29 
EU public communication activi ties, particularly a range of campaigns targeting young 
people, have been organised with the Europe an Commission in a number of EU Member 
States to help facilitate good public awareness and support for humanitarian aid . 
In 2008, the UN General Assembly adopted the Swedish-sponsored annual Omnibus 
Resolution on "Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of 
the United Nations"27. The resolution designated 19 Augus t as World Humanitarian Day and 
invited UN Member States, with in existing resources, to obser ve the day annually in an 
appropriate manner. 
The World Humanitarian Day gives a new oppor tunity for the EU to  focus wider public 
attention on the importance of hu manitarian aid. In support of this initiative, since 2009, the 
Commission and some EU Member States have undertaken a range of media and 
communication activities to observe Worl d Humanitarian Day. In 2010, the Commission 
launched a public awareness campaign highlighti ng the issue of safety  and security of 
humanitarian personnel on World Humanitarian Day. 
Active participation and advocacy in humanitarian fora  
Relevant action(s): 23, 24, 26 
The EU continues to be well represented in  various donor groups, executive and advisory 
boards of international organisations, as well as  international and regi onal humanitarian fora. 
Through its participation in such fora, the EU wo rks to strengthen its dialogue with Partners 
and other donors, promote the EU's common visi on for the provision of  quality humanitarian 
aid based on a principled and needs-based appro ach as is set out in the European Consensus 
on Humanitarian Aid, and contribut e to the international dialogue on issues of importance for 
the humanitarian community. 
Moreover, the Commission and Member States cooperate closely and regularly exchange 
views on common messages, formal EU statements  and shared positions to take forward in 
international fora in order to ensu re a strong EU humanitarian voice. 
3.4.3.  Further priorities 
Strengthened approach to supporting the participation of affected populations  
Relevant action(s): 25 
                                                 
27 A/RES/63/139 
EN 22   EN Seeking ways to encourage the participation of  disaster-affected communities in humanitarian 
aid operations is in line with  the Good Humanitarian Donors hip Principles. Donors in GHD 
looked specifically at this issue based on a re port commissioned by the French government in 
2008. 
A recent review of disaster preparedness look ed among other things at existing practices 
regarding beneficiary participa tion. The review found that desp ite progress, no tably through 
the Disaster Preparedness ECHO (DIP ECHO) programme, the EU could play a more 
significant role in encouraging the involvement of beneficiaries  throughout the project 
cycle and in all types of emergency response operations. 
An additional review on best practice in local participation in the Consensus Action Plan was 
foreseen for 2010, but postponed due to unforeseen  needs for additional urgent evaluations. 
Undertaking the postponed review is a priority for 2011, and there is scope for this to be done 
as a joint review on the potential  role of EU donors in supporti ng beneficiary participation in 
humanitarian aid programmi ng and on possible opportunities  to develop a common EU 
approach in this regard. 
Continued support for good donorship prac tice and Principles of Partnership  
Relevant action(s): 26 
The EU now needs to reflect on how it can further encourage mainstreaming of GHD  in 
individual donor conduct and linked to operational practice; on how best to support the 
integration of 'Principles of Partnership'  into humanitarian action; and on how to better 
'burden-share'  on facilitating work under GHD. 
3.5. Enhancing Coherence and Coordination 
3.5.1.  Background 
The EU is committed to ensure cohere nce and complementarity in its response 
to crises, making the most effective us e of the various instruments mobilised. 
Therefore, the EU should enhance effort s to raise awareness of and take into 
account humanitarian principles and consid erations more systematically in its 
work throughout its Institutions. 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid 
Action Area Five aims to promote coherence, coordination and compleme ntarity in the EU's 
response to crises. Its overall expected resu lts are: better linkages between EU donors and 
others to improve efficiency of overall EU aid contribution; streng thened liaison between 
actors present in the field in response to crisis; and humanitarian considerations fully taken into account in other relate d EU policy areas. The area enco mpasses 13 actions, including: 
priorities and discussion in the Council Work ing Party on Humanitari an Aid and Food Aid; 
exchange among EU donors on funding strategies ; and dialogue between humanitarian aid 
actors and civil protection / military actors. 
3.5.2.  Areas of progress 
Council Working Party on Humanita rian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA)
 
Relevant action(s): 31, 37, 39 
EN 23   EN The newly mandated Council working group entitled the Council Working Party on 
Humanitarian Aid and Food Ai d (COHAFA) began its work in January 2009. From its 
inception, COHAFA has represented an important forum for re gular strategic EU 
discussions  on humanitarian and food assistance pol icy and operational issues. COHAFA 
meetings are held regularly (approximately  once a month). COHA FA has facilitated 
discussions on a number of key to pics in the humanitarian fiel d including specific responses 
to humanitarian crises, strategic and sect oral policy issues, and donor coordination. 
Through COHAFA, a readily establis hed network of EU contacts is now in place that is also 
drawn upon to facilitate expert discussion on specific sectoral policy issues. In addition, the 
European Commission established a baselin e matrix of specia list donor humanitarian 
presence in the field, through a study28 it commissioned in 2008 on behalf of the Good 
Humanitarian Donorship initiative. This has be en a reference point for seeking to strengthen 
donor coordination in the field, for example the establishment of a huma nitarian donor group 
in the oPt. 
Sharing of analysis, fundi ng information and expertise  
Relevant action(s): 32, 36, 41 
The COHAFA network has also greatly facilitated increased information exchange  among 
Member States and the Commi ssion. For example, country-speci fic discussions in COHAFA 
have often provided a forum for Member States and the Commission to share analysis both on 
the crisis itself as well as their response strategies, including common lines for advocacy 
where needed. Such exchanges of information are key to ensuring coordination, coherence 
and complementarity in the EU's humanitarian response. 
Due to its extensive field presence, the Eur opean Commission's DG for humanitarian aid and 
civil protection has distinct cap abilities in the collection a nd analysis of information on 
humanitarian crisis situati ons on the ground. The Commission has enhanced its facilitation 
role in information sharing and situation anal ysis by presenting this information at COHAFA 
meetings as well as circulating situation repor ts (SitReps). These sitreps are a practitioner's 
tool and are not considered public communica tion documents due to the sensitivity of the 
humanitarian situations covered. Sin ce 2008, the Commission has issued over 300 
humanitarian SitReps, which have become a co re reference for EU humanitarian departments 
(most of which are without humanitarian fiel d presence), thereby putting the European 
Commission's permanent field expertis e at the service of the entire EU. 
An annual EU exchange  on overall humanitarian strategies and funding levels foreseen in 
the Action Plan took place for 2009 and 2010, but s howed limitations in terms of contributing 
to the overall impact of the EU  response as many EU donors do not  specifically define their 
operational response strategy in advance on a year ly basis, but rather allocate funding by a 
mix of provision of core-funding to certain humanitarian intern ational organisations and ad-
hoc contributions in response to specific appeals. That said, the annual exchange has already 
served to increase mutu al understanding of the variety of  funding approaches taken by the 
different EU donors and how these are re lated to needs-based decision making. 
                                                 
28 M. Spaak & R. Otto (2009) "Revised Final Report: Study on the Mapping of Donor Coordination 
(Humanitarian Aid) at Field Level.' Study commissioned by DG ECHO on behalf of Good 
Humanitarian Donorship Initiative 
EN 24   EN Regular exchange of views on operational and stra tegic issues of main institutional partners 
active in humanitarian food assistance, in partic ular the WFP, strengthen the EU's leverage 
and impact on WFP's policies and operations and its position within the WFP's Executive 
Board. 
The EU's '14 points application'  for the immediate recording of humanitarian aid 
contributions by EU donors, represents anothe r important tool for information sharing. By 
reporting through this centralised  EU application that then links up with the UN-Financial 
Tracking System, EU Member States and the European Commission help to maintain an 
accurate picture of the EU's humanitarian  response and contribute to reinforcing 
accountability, including towards EU citizens. The web-based application is open for public 
consultation at any time. In close consultation w ith EU Member States and other stakeholders, 
the European Commission is revising the app lication in order to further improve its 
functioning, with expected comp letion in early 2011. The issue of  integration of information 
on in-kind contributions reported through the Common Emergenc y Communication and 
Information System (CECIS) is also being examined. 
Civil protection dialogue  
Relevant action(s): 35 
Since the adoption of the Action Plan, the Eur opean Commission has helped to strengthen 
dialogue and coordination between humanitarian aid and civil pr otection actors. In February 
2010, the European Parliament approved th e new European Commission, including the 
Commissioner for International Cooperation, Huma nitarian Aid and Crisis Response, thus 
bringing humanitarian aid and civil protecti on into the portfolio of one Commissioner.29 This, 
along with other processes, has allowed for a more coordinated approach in EU 
humanitarian aid and civil protection action in operations outside the EU . It has created 
new opportunities on the ground for joint analys es and information gathering, as well as 
allowed for improved intra-EU coordination a nd simplified relations with other relevant 
actors, notably cluster leads and UN Disast er Assessment and Coordination teams. 
In the 2010 Communication on 'Reinforcing EU di saster response capaciti es', the Commission 
proposes ways to strengthen the efficiency, cohe rence and visibility of  EU disaster response 
capacities, building on the s ynergies between civil prot ection and humanitarian aid. 
Civil-military liaison  
Relevant action(s): 30, 38 
In a number of humanitarian crises – both natural disasters and complex emergencies – 
military and humanitarian actors are increasingly present in the same operating environment. The military are present both to secure environments and under certain specific conditions military assets are also used to support disaster  response, for example heavy airlift. As is 
stated in the EU Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, the EU considers civil-military coordination to be vital to protect and promote the humanitarian principles. Thus, in addition 
to promoting awareness and common understandi ng of the MCDA/Oslo guidelines that cover 
the use of military assets in providing assistan ce to third countries, the EU is committed to 
facilitating reinforced dialogue betw een humanitarian and military actors. 
                                                
 
29 In the previous Commission, humanitarian aid had been the responsibility of the Commissioner for 
Development and Humanitarian Aid, while civil protection the responsibility of the Commissioner for 
Environment. 
EN 25   EN Since the adoption of the Action Plan, the European Commission has continued to maintain 
dialogue with EU military staff to raise awarenes s of humanitarian dimensions and guidelines, 
including for specific humanita rian crises such as Chad a nd Central African Republic (CAR) 
(see text box below). The Commission has al so allocated €2 million to UN-OCHA for 2010-
2011 to specifically support civil-military relations and has also provided additional funding to support the deployment of UN-OCHA civil-milita ry experts. In addition, some EU Member 
State personnel and European Commission human itarian experts have participated in UN 
civil-military coordination training, a number of whom have later been deployed as civil-military liaison officers in certain humanitari an crises, such as Lebanon and the occupied 
Palestinian territories. 
The recent EU intervention in Pakistan is a good example of coordination between civilian 
and military organisations and the implemen tation of the Oslo/MCDA guidelines. The 
European Civil Protection Mechanism (i.e. the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC)) 
worked well with the EU Military Staff a nd its EU Movement Pl anning Cell (EUMPC), 
which offered three flights (out of eleven) br inging assistance to Pakistan. Two out of the 
three flights were actually military-chartered, but civilian aircraft. In this effort, the rule of 
using military flights only as a last resort was fully respected. 
Some EU Member States have also worked nationally to enha nce civil-military coordination, 
notably through the provision of funding for the deployment of UN-OCHA civil-military 
experts and through the establishment of struct ures to facil itate dialogue between national 
military staff and national humanitarian actors. 
Coordinating the efforts of humanitarian, ci vil protection and military actors in the 
field  
The massive earthquake which struck Haiti  in January 2010 put th e coordination between 
civil protection and humanitarian aid to the test. Coordination went well, facilitated by the 
decision to bring humanitarian aid and the civil protection mec hanism under the same 
political and administrative leadership. The RELEX crisis platform of the Commission was 
rapidly activated and served for two weeks as a coordination forum for all concerned 
European Commission services as well as  those of the C ouncil Secretariat. 
The office of the European Commission's humanita rian aid and civil protection DG in Port-
au-Prince immediately joined the coordination effo rts. It was present in the cluster meetings 
and chaired the humanitarian donors' group. Expe rts from the European Commission's DG 
for humanitarian aid and civil protection, as well as the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's 
assessment/coordination experts, participated in coordination meetings in the field. From 
the beginning, they worked in support of the overall coordinati on role of the United Nations. 
A European Commission expert was also part of the UNDAC team dispatched to Haiti to 
carry out a first needs assessment. 
The MIC experts were embedded in UN coor dination structures (UNDAC, UN-OCHA, and 
the Joint Operations and Tasking Centre (JOTC)) and supported its overall coordination 
work. They ensured coordination with the UN DAC team within the on-site operations 
coordination centre (OSOCC), staffed the rece ption and departure centre at the airport and 
established sub-OSOCC offices in Leogane  and Jacmel, together with UN-OCHA. 
* 
EN 26   EN In 2008, the EU deployed a European Union Force (EUFOR) to Chad  and CAR . In the 
initial phase of its deployment, there was a degree of concern within the humanitarian 
community regarding EUFOR's mandate. 
The European Commission immediately set to work through directly liaising with EU 
military staff and EUFOR headquarters to promot e awareness of - and respect for - the 
fundamental humanitarian principles and the pr eservation of humanitarian space. The 
Commission also supported civil-military coor dination by providing resources for the 
recruitment of a UN-OCHA civil-military coor dination officer and a policy advisor to the 
NGO Coordination Committee. These efforts contributed towards improving civil-military 
coordination by raising the humanitarian dime nsion among military  actors and enhancing 
mutual understanding among humanitarian and military actors of their respective mandates.  
3.5.3.  Further priorities 
Promoting humanitarian dimensions  in relevant EU policy areas  
Relevant action(s): 42 
The establishment of COHAFA constitutes an impor tant step in ensuring an effective role for 
humanitarian aid in EU policy dial ogue. However, there is scope for strengthening working 
methods and awareness  of the humanitarian expertise provided by the group to further 
consolidate COHAFA's role and in teraction in relation to other EU  policy areas, in particular 
development, climate adaptation and Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The establishment of the European External Action Service represents an important opportunity in 
this regard, including through the development of coherent briefing arrangements for newly-
posted Member States' Embassy and EU Delega tion staff. The briefi ng arrangements which 
have already been put in pla ce by some EU Member States for their national diplomatic 
services could provide input to this process. 
Sharing of analysis and funding information
 
Relevant action(s): 32, 36, 41 
Regular and comprehensive exchanges of info rmation among EU Member States and the 
European Commission on funding and operational strategies are essential to ensure 
coordinated, coherent and complementary EU humanitarian action. The EU should take steps 
to ensure that  relevant, comprehensive and quality in formation is shared proactively in 
both directions  among Member States and the Commi ssion in a timely impact-oriented way 
in order to ensure well-coordina ted and consistent EU response  to humanitarian crises aimed 
at avoiding duplications and gaps in efforts. 
Early exchange of detailed fundi ng intentions, in particular in the case of sudden-onset 
situations remains a challenge due  to a range of factors, amo ngst which decentralised funding 
allocations in some EU Member States, diff erences in practice over financial planning, 
pledging, committing and contracting funds, and in some instances concern for confidentiality 
to ensure security of individua l partners is not compromised. Accurate and early exchange 
of detailed funding intentions  thus needs to be a particular  focus of attention. There is 
clearly scope here for using EU coordination ch annels more effectively. Improved standards 
of reporting to the '14 points system' and ensuring better awareness of its contribution to 
transparent, well-coordinated aid resp onses would help in this regard. 
EN 27   EN The EU will strive to ensure that the '14 poi nts system' is compliant with concepts and 
standards of other initiatives currently carried out to promote the aid transparency agenda and 
in particular the International Aid Transparen cy Initiative (IATI) that was launched at the 
High Level Forum III in Accra, September 2008. The Commission services including the DG 
for humanitarian aid and civi l protection are currently work ing on the development of a 
common database – called TR-AID – covering all EU external aid. 
Best practice in evaluation  
Relevant action(s): 14 
Whilst the European Commission shares its annu al indicative evaluati on programme with EU 
Member States and has regularly presented th e outcomes of policy re views and evaluations, 
there is still scope for bette r joint planning, lessons' shari ng and discussion of the wider 
applicability of recommendations arising from humanitarian evaluations. There have also 
been a few examples of jointly conducted eval uations with several EU donors. Strengthening 
cooperation on evaluation  across the EU as well as with others (for example through the 
Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP)) would allow EU 
donors to avoid duplication of efforts and to be tter build on respective strengths. More joint 
evaluation would also reduce burden on partners  and field staff and contribute to better 
transparency and commitment to following-up on recommendations. 
Ensuring adequate and effective liaison between humanitarian and military actors  
Relevant action(s): 30, 38 
As mentioned above, ensuring adequate dialogue between military and humanitarian 
actors  is essential for supporting mutual understa nding of respective mandates and promoting 
humanitarian space and principles. Cooperation n eeds to be strengthened in order to ensure 
agreed standard operating procedures, which respect these mandates and principles where 
humanitarian and military actors are working si de by side in a crisis situation. Partner 
organisations have expressed the need for furt her EU efforts in this  area with an aim of 
promoting strengthened and formalised dialogue between EU and national military staff on 
the one hand and the wider humanitarian community on the other.  
3.6. The Aid Continuum 
3.6.1.  Background 
The EU is committed to promoting disaster risk reduction and disaster 
preparedness in developing countries through coherent and coordinated action 
at local, national and regional level… it is important to ensure that 
humanitarian, development and other rel evant aid instruments work better 
together, in particular in situations  of fragility and where communities are 
seeking to recover from the effects of crisis. 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid 
Action Area Six aims to promote the provision of  humanitarian aid that takes into account – 
and is linked with – other elements of the ai d continuum, such as preparedness and transition. 
Its overall expected re sults are: humanitarian aid is focussed on emergency response in 
response to humanitarian need s and linked better with long er-term development and other 
assistance; and disaster risk reduction activities ar e strengthened and supported increasingly 
by long-term aid approaches. The seven actions  include: developing an EU strategy on 
EN 28   EN support to mainstreaming disaster risk reduc tion in developing countries; ensuring regular 
field and HQ coordination for LRRD; and prom oting discussion with Partners on linkage 
between relief and recovery phase needs assessments. 
3.6.2.  Areas of progress 
Disaster risk reduction  
Relevant action(s): 43, 49 
Over recent decades, natural disasters have incr eased in both frequency and intensity, leading 
to substantial increases in humanitarian needs. In addition to providing assistance to those affected by these disasters, the EU is strongly committed to promoting efforts to reduce their risk and adverse impacts, notably through disa ster risk reduction (DRR). DRR encompasses 
preparedness, mitigation and prevention activ ities with an aim to reduce populations' 
vulnerability to disaster and increase their resilience and capacities to cope. 
In 2009, the European Commission adopted the 'EU Strategy for Supporting Disaster Risk 
Reduction in Developing Countries' .
30 This communication was welcomed by the Council 
and the European Parliament, and led to the establishment of a steering group composed of 
representatives from the European Commission a nd EU Member States. On the basis of an 'ad 
hoc' study, the Steering Group has elaborated an Implementation Plan (Commission Staff 
Working Paper) that will be discussed in Counc il before the end of 2010. In this context, the 
European Commission's strategic approach to  DRR focuses on strengthening advocacy and 
increasing coordination efforts notably through the exchange of lessons learnt and best 
practices with experts and partners. 
In addition, some EU Member States have take n steps in their nationa l capacity to advance 
work on DRR. This includes the integration of DRR into national strategies and policies, advocacy for DRR and climate-related issues in international fora, and provision of funding 
for DRR programming. A few EU Member States have specif ic DRR funding targets as a 
proportion of their humanitarian response. 
Linking relief, rehabilitati on and development (LRRD)
 
Relevant action(s): 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 
Given the increasing number of protracted humanitarian crises, and the demands from 
affected countries for early recovery interv entions, the EU must seek to address more 
comprehensively these challenges at different  levels. The European Commission is fully 
engaged with LRRD and is implementing innova tive approaches enabling successful exits of 
humanitarian aid and sustainable transition strategies. This has translated into an increased 
involvement of the European Commission's DG fo r humanitarian aid an d civil protection in 
early recovery interventions. 
Effective coordination and consistency between humanitarian and development 
actors/instruments is essential, at both political and operational levels. Exchanges at HQ and field level have been intensified, in part icular in the framew ork of common needs 
assessments. In situations of fragility in particular, where humanitarian operations and development interventions may coexist or fo llow-on from one another, complementarity, 
synergy and timeliness between different interven tions (sectoral, local,  regional and national) 
                                                
 
30 COM (2009) 84 – 23.2.2009 
EN 29   EN is crucial for durable impact in pursuit of the ultimate objective of self-reliance for people 
affected by crisis. 
Since the adoption of the Action Plan, the EU has increased its activities to support post-
conflict and post-disaster needs assessmen ts (PCNA/PDNA). The European Commission 
signed a joint declaration with  the United Nations Development Group and the World Bank 
on post-crisis assessment and recovery plan ning in September 2008, leading to enhanced 
cooperation among the three organisations bo th at headquarters and in the field. 
The EU has also increased it s involvement in PDNA missions  run jointly by the EU, UNDP 
and the World Bank, allowing for a more cl ear and shared assessment of needs and a 
streamlined division of labour – both inside the EU and within  the international system. For 
example, the European Commission together with  some EU Member States participated in a 
joint PDNA mission conducted in the aftermath of  the Haiti earthquake in early 2010. Should 
a PDNA exercise be organise d for Pakistan, following the floods in the summer of 2010, the 
EU would be similarly involved. The European Commission is also actively involved in the 
ongoing joint (UN-WB-EC) revision of PDNA  methodologies. In this framework, the 
possible links between first needs assessments carried-out during the relief phase and more 
structured tools such as the ones us ed for PDNA are being considered. 
LRRD in the food and nutrition security sector  
The Niger 2005 food crisis was a wake-up call for better coordination between humanitarian 
and development aid instruments to reduce the ri sks and impact of the cyclical food crises 
that plague the Sahel . Action to reduce acute and chronic under-nutrition requires a 
combination of short, medium and long-term me asures to provide a quick response to help 
those at immediate risk as well as to put in  place the policies and ac tion programmes needed 
to reduce the risks and mitigate the impact of further crises. Lessons learned from the 2005 
Niger crisis include the need to treat under-nourished children pro-actively at the moderate 
stage before they drop into the severely under-nourished stage where survival rates are 
much lower and the risk of permanent damage much higher. Humanitarian aid addresses the 
immediate life threatening risks from acute ma lnutrition but only the implementation of long-
term government policies backed by developme nt assistance will ensure the sustainable 
action required to provide a permanent solution to under-nutrition. 
The European Commission's 'Sahel Global Pl an' was designed as a strategic LRRD 
approach to achieve a reduction in acute under-nu trition. It is built on the 3 pillars of: 
• Improving the knowledge base; 
• Support to pilot, innovative and replicabl e action to reduce under-nutrition; and 
• Advocacy to raise awareness in go vernment and development partners on 
nutrition issues. 
This latter key element in the strategy requi res a constant dialogue with government 
authorities and development partners to encour age the inclusion of food and nutritional 
security as sectors of concen tration in development programme s. Progress in this can be 
measured to the extent t hat food and nutrition security are in cluded as priority  sectors in the 
programming of development aid strategies in the Sahel. 
EN 30   EN Since 2007, the European Commission has allocated over €150 million in humanitarian aid 
to the fight to reduce under-nutrition in the Sahel. Over 1 million children under-five years 
of age, and pregnant and nursing women have been treated each year for under-nutrition as 
a consequence and nutrition i ssues have been put more fir mly on the development agenda. 
This has helped leverage substantial development aid for Sahel food security needs. 
3.6.3.  Further priorities 
Continued efforts to support disaster risk reduction  
Relevant action(s): 43, 49 
Supporting disaster risk reduction ef forts is a key priority for th e EU, and the 'EU Strategy for 
Supporting Disaster Risk Reduction in Developing Countries' repres ents an important step in 
this regard. Through the aforementioned  Implementation Plan, the EU will bring, more 
strongly and systematically, DRR and its linkage to climate ad aptation into the development 
field. It will also concentrate operations in ar eas where the knowledge a nd expertise of the EU 
and Member States can be of added value. In order to achieve this, better coordination and 
exchange of information should be sought, and the role of the Steering Group 
strengthened  to improve the coordination of ac tivities and the monitoring of its 
implementation. 
Humanitarian actors should continue to main stream community-based preparedness activities 
in their operations and exch ange best practices on small- scale disaster risk reduction 
activities. An additional objective is to promot e DRR as a priority at regional level and to 
make sure that authorities and stakeholders have the support needed in terms of knowledge, 
expertise and technical tools to in tegrate DRR into their strategies. 
Efforts should continue to  be made to improve the integration of DRR, climate adaption 
and cross-cutting issues  (gender, vulnerable groups, and environment) into EU development 
cooperation. This will facilitate  the promotion of integration of DRR into partner countries' 
policies and strategies. Attention should be give n to multiple hazards, and the different actors 
in this field from the EU, the Member States and the developing countries should receive appropriate training in mainst reaming DRR/climate adaption. 
Continued EU action to support linking re lief, rehabilitation and development
 
Relevant action(s): 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 
The European Consensus underlines the impor tance of achieving better linkage between 
relief, rehabilitation and development and states that "the EU will work together on advancing 
practical approaches to LRRD".  
While progress has been made in this regard, LRRD remains a topic high on the agenda  for 
the whole of the EU. Whilst pol itically everybody is in agreement that coherent transition 
strategies are of v ital importance, implementation of the approach remains difficult. 
Work should continue to be undertaken on several levels amongst humanitarian and 
development services in the European Commission with a vi ew to better coordinating the 
different approaches starting from the design stage of aid through to the actual 
implementation of operations. An ongoing study run by EuropeAid should contribute in this 
regard as it aims to come up with a set of best-practices by selec ting a number of target 
countries and analysing in detail how to improve transition strategies. In parallel, the 
EN 31   EN conceptual work on situations of fragility aims to provide a set of references to guide 
development and humanitarian actors in the pr ogramming and delivery of aid. One aspect 
requiring specific attention in the aftermath of conflict is the need to clear unexploded 
ordnance and landmines, which cause an immediate threat to civilians and hinder sustainable development.
31 
This should also be facilitated by reinfo rcing joint assessment missions (e.g. PCNA and 
PDNA) by the different actors, ta rgeting particularly early rec overy situations following a 
disaster. 
In addition to strengthened emphasis on LR RD, the EU should maintain focus on setting 
common objectives and strategies for longer-term instruments in protracted crises. In some 
situations, these need to be im plemented in parallel to short-term humanitarian operations to 
maximise the opportunities for durable impact. In  the context of the Fo od Security Thematic 
Programme (FTSP), as well as the upcoming di scussions on the objec tives and programming 
of the 11th European Development Fund, the Commissi on's DG for humanitari an aid and civil 
protection remains fully engaged to ensure a successful framework that  would lay the basis 
for a systematic common approach on shared prio rities. This could, for example, translate into 
more integration of food security and nutri tion matters into count ry strategy papers. 
4. CONCLUSION  
This Staff Working Paper, accompanying the Co mmunication on 'the mid-term review of the 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Acti on Plan – implementing effective principled 
EU humanitarian action', has sought to give a comprehensive overview of the considerable 
progress made during the first half of the implementation period of the current 'European Consensus Action Plan'. A further review is en visaged at the full-term of the Action Plan, 
before end 2012. 
In conducting the review, a number of further priorities have emerged for improving focus 
under the existing Action Areas. The Action Plan is  ambitious in the range and quantity of 
actions envisaged and a number of challenges ar ise in its implementation. These challenges 
are set out in the accompanying Communica tion, together with a small number of 
recommendations from the European Commission, which focus on how to improve implementation modalities to get the most out of  the EU's potential to work together on 
humanitarian issues. Together, the Communica tion and Staff Working Paper aim to support 
the intended impact of EU action, i.e. to en sure the best possibl e contribution to the 
humanitarian aid response to vulnerable people facing crisis. 
*** 
                                                
 
31 A recent evaluation carried out by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining on 
behalf of EuropeAid has conveyed strong recommendations to this effect