Contents

1........ Policy. 3

1.1........ Disaster response capacity. 3

1.2........ European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC) 4

1.3........ Mid-term review of Consensus action plan. 4

1.4........ Food assistance and Food Aid Convention. 5

1.5........ Good Humanitarian Donorship. 5

1.6........ Thematic policies. 6

1.7........ Aid effectiveness. 10

1.8........ Civil protection policy. 12

2........ Interinstitutional relations and cooperation with other donors and partners 12

2.1........ Council Working Group on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA) 12

2.2........ Council Working Group on Civil Protection (PROCIV) 13

2.3........ Cooperation with other EU institutions, donors and partners. 13

3........ Implementation of humanitarian aid and civil protection in 2010. 15

3.1........ A needs-based approach. 15

3.2........ Top 10 humanitarian crises in terms of funding allocations. 16

3.3........ Africa. 16

3.4........ Middle East and Mediterranean. 32

3.5........ Caucasus. 35

3.6........ Asia. 36

3.7........ Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. 50

3.8........ Worldwide. 56

3.9........ Disaster preparedness activities, including DIPECHO.. 57

3.10...... Linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD) 59

3.11...... Civil protection. 62

3.12...... Case studies on launching humanitarian aid and civil protection. 66

4........ Aid management 68

4.1........ Aid delivery methods. 69

4.2........ Coordination of humanitarian funds. 70

4.3........ Evaluations. 73

4.4........ Control of the use of funds. 75

4.5........ Visibility of aid and communication. 77

4.6........ Security and safety issues. 79

4.7........ Training initiative — NOHA.. 80

5........ Annexes 82

5.1........ Introduction to financial tables. 82

5.2........ Financial tables. 83

1. Policy

The year 2010 was marked by the creation of a new portfolio in the Commission specifically devoted to international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response and of a new Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection under the responsibility of Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva. This decision was taken against the background of the increasing number, frequency and intensity of natural disasters and the disastrous effects of armed conflicts on civilians. While humanitarian aid brings a budget of about € 800 million, strong expertise and an international network of field-based experts to the portfolio, civil protection can mobilise Member States’ professional and specialised assets in the event of an emergency either within or outside the EU. The objective of creating this new portfolio was to exploit synergies between the two instruments, maximise complementarity and reinforce the crisis response capacity and the coherence of EU response operations.

Throughout 2010, the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) devoted considerable efforts to making this merger a success. The results can be considered to be positive: a stronger DG, better equipped to respond to crises, has been created (as was demonstrated in the case of the Pakistan floods, where both instruments were used together). These achievements will be further strengthened and consolidated in 2011.

1.1. Disaster response capacity

A Communication to strengthen the EU’s disaster response capacity was adopted on 26 October[1]. The underlying idea is that Europe needs to move away from an ad hoc response to one which is pre-planned, predictable and immediate. At present, the deployment of EU civil protection assets is based on voluntary offers of assistance but, in situations where every hour counts, Europe needs a system that can guarantee that key assets can be mobilised swiftly and deployed instantly.

In order to respond to the above-mentioned challenges, the Communication proposes developing a European Emergency Response Capacity (comprising, inter alia, reference scenarios, mapping of Member States’ civil protection assets, transportation arrangements and a voluntary pool of Member States’ resources on standby for participation in a European response) and a new Emergency Response Centre. The latter will serve as a platform to provide a more effective EU response whenever and wherever a disaster strikes. It will collect real-time information on disasters, monitor hazards, prepare scenarios for different types of disasters, work with Member States to map available assets and coordinate the EU’s disaster response efforts. It will also have direct links with civil protection and humanitarian aid authorities in Member States, allowing it to process all in-kind assistance and ensuring a fully joined-up approach to disaster response.

On 14 December the General Affairs Council adopted very supportive Conclusions on the Communication which enshrine all the key ideas. Throughout 2011 the European Commission will need to translate the Conclusions into concrete legislative proposals.

1.2. European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC)

The Lisbon Treaty provides for the establishment of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC).

The first stocktaking and review phase that took place in 2010 allowed the Commission to obtain a broad overview of the current situation of volunteering. All relevant stakeholders were consulted through a range of bilateral meetings, surveys, interviews and a dedicated conference on 30 September. Despite a good number of existing volunteering schemes, some gaps were identified, including: (i) identification and selection of volunteers; (ii) training (including the development of common standards, good practices and modules); (iii) deployment of volunteers in the right place and at the right time.

Alongside needs, some conditions for the EVHAC to make a positive contribution to humanitarian aid operations have also been identified: (a) avoiding duplication by supporting/complementing existing voluntary organisations; (b) considering the professionalisation of the humanitarian sector; (c) taking into account security concerns (mainly for inexperienced volunteers); (d) supporting the development of local capacities/volunteering; (e) avoiding diversion of operational humanitarian aid budgets.

A Commission Communication to the European Parliament and the Council presenting the current situation of volunteering and the options to be further analysed was adopted on 23 November[2].

A € 1 million budget has been allocated for a preparatory action in 2011. This will support the Commission in the process leading up to the establishment of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps through further consultation (conferences, workshops) and through the implementation of pilot actions aimed at selecting, training and deploying EU volunteers.

1.3. Mid-term review of Consensus action plan

In 2010, the Commission continued to ensure that the European Consensus principles and commitments are pursued throughout the EU’s humanitarian aid approach — in both policy development and operational response.

As provided for in the Consensus adopted in 2007, a comprehensive ‘mid-term review’ of the Consensus Action Plan was conducted during 2010 in close liaison with EU Member States, humanitarian partner organisations and the European Parliament. The review represented an opportunity to take stock of the achievements so far in applying a common vision of humanitarian aid as set out by the Consensus. It also provided a clear focus on priorities as we look toward the future. The mid-term review showed that, over the past three years, the EU has made significant contributions and worked together to strengthen the humanitarian response. But there remains scope for further efforts in order to promote aid effectiveness in the humanitarian sphere; to strengthen the EU’s voice (advocacy, promotion of fundamental humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law and humanitarian access) and reach out to emerging donors; and to further emphasise policy coherence, including a better understanding of the Consensus and the principled humanitarian approach among other relevant EU actors.

The outcome of this review was outlined in a Commission Communication[3] on the mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan — implementing effective, principled EU humanitarian action, adopted on 8 December together with a report on implementation progress so far, set out in the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document[4].

1.4. Food assistance and Food Aid Convention

Following an extensive consultation process with stakeholders, the Commission adopted its Humanitarian Food Assistance Policy[5], which was subsequently endorsed by Member States in Council Conclusions. The main aim is to provide food assistance to the most vulnerable crisis-affected people in the most efficient and effective way. To this end, the policy promotes the best mix of assistance tools to deliver the most appropriate response in a given humanitarian context. The distribution of food items may be the best response to a crisis where food is not available in sufficient quantities. However, in many situations the problem is rather the vulnerable people’s access to safe and nutritious food. In such cases, the most efficient response includes the provision of cash and vouchers to beneficiaries, which also helps to uphold their dignity and may have a positive impact on the local market. In this vein, cash-based assistance was implemented for instance after the massive natural disasters in Haiti and Pakistan that occurred in 2010.

Global interest in addressing malnutrition increased in 2010, recognizing that the problem has to be tackled in a comprehensive manner, from both the humanitarian and development angles, and applying a multi-sectoral approach (health, food security, water and sanitation…).

DG ECHO prepared an Interim Position Paper on Nutrition and is further developing its nutrition policy, at the same time maintaining close co-operation with more development-oriented Commission services – for instance contributing to the DG DEVCO led Reference Document "Addressing Under-nutrition in External Assistance". DG ECHO addressed acute malnutrition through comprehensive action for instance in Niger, thus helping to avert a new major nutrition crisis.

In 2010, on behalf of the European Union, DG ECHO took part in several informal meetings of the Members of the Food Aid Committee on the renegotiation of the Food Aid Convention 1999 (FAC). In December 2010, FAC Members collectively agreed to start the formal renegotiation process in which DG ECHO negotiates on behalf of the European Union. The aim is to turn the Food Aid Convention into a meaningful instrument that will facilitate the provision of effective, appropriate and adequate food assistance responses, consistent with the European humanitarian food assistance policy and best practices.

1.5. Good Humanitarian Donorship

The Commission continued to play an active part in the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) initiative[6], focusing in particular on issues related to needs assessment, on partnership and on support to GHD ‘newcomers’ in integrating effectively into the network of GHD donors. On the latter, the EU led an exchange on the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid and on the DG ECHO partnership approach and budget allocation procedures, before successfully handing over facilitation of the GHD newcomers sessions (renamed SHARE) to Estonia. Accountability, monitoring and evaluation in humanitarian action were the focus of the annual high-level meeting of GHD, and the EU was invited to share its considerable experience in this area. Brazil became the 37th member of GHD in 2010.

In fulfilment of a commitment made under the European Consensus Action Plan, considerable progress was made by the Commission (DG ECHO) toward finalising a statement of implementation on the 23 GHD principles and good practices, which was transmitted to GHD donor colleagues for an opportunity to review before finalisation.

1.6. Thematic policies 1.6.1. Disaster risk reduction (DRR)

The Commission has been pursuing an integrated approach to disaster risk reduction both within the EU and in relations with developing countries (see Section 3.11). The political framework for EU policy in this field was set by two Communications adopted as a package in February 2009[7] — one covering EU Member States and the other developing countries, both endorsed by Council Conclusions.

In relation to the Communication on the EU strategy for Supporting DRR in developing countries the Council welcomed the Implementation Plan prepared by a EU Steering Group (Composed of Member States and the Commission) for the period 2011 – 2014. This Plan foresees application of aid effectiveness principles in DRR, including increased coordination and cooperation between humanitarian and development actors within and outside the EU.

Exploiting the synergies between internal and external action on issues such as improving the knowledge base, risk assessment or encouraging financing of disaster risk reduction is a key part of this approach. The importance of disaster preparedness is clearly recognised in DG ECHO’s mandate and in the European Consensus for Humanitarian Aid adopted in 2007. In 1996, the Commission launched a specific programme devoted to disaster preparedness, ‘DIPECHO’. The programme relies on community-based pilot projects in disaster-prone regions of the world, and has proven extremely successful, not least because in addition to its impact on DRR it provides DG ECHO with a partner base in often remote areas that can be activated rapidly once disaster strikes.

Disaster preparedness helps to save lives, speeds up recovery and soften the impact of future hazards; it proves that people are far from helpless but can face hazards with the appropriate local knowledge, practice and response mechanisms. The activities funded are easily replicable, focus on local partners, fully integrate vulnerable groups in the decision-making process, work with existing community associations, include local government representatives and integrate coherently innovative technologies into local situations.

Disaster preparedness also has a central place in the 23 principles for Good Humanitarian Donorship agreed in 2003 in Stockholm by leading humanitarian donors, including the Commission.

Throughout 2010, DG ECHO policy work on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) continued.

In the framework of the EU policy and strategy in this field (DRR in developing countries) and of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) DG ECHO has finalised its own coherent strategic approach to DRR and has started drafting guidelines for its implementation.

In 2010, the Commission, through DG ECHO, invested increased resources in DRR activities (disaster preparedness projects such as DIPECHO as well as other DRR activities such as drought and epidemic preparedness, DRR capacity building, etc.) aimed at helping communities and relevant institutions to prepare for, and reduce, the impact of natural disasters as well as strengthening the coping capacities at all levels in disaster-prone regions.

In total, DIPECHO action plans and DRR activities integrated into the humanitarian response (i.e. the earthquake in Haiti, floods in Pakistan, droughts in the Greater Horn of Africa, the Sahel region, Bolivia, Djibouti; epidemics in Congo, Haiti, Malawi, Zimbabwe, etc.) reached more than 35 million beneficiaries in regions prone to natural disasters with funding of about € 82 million[8].

The Commission also promoted knowledge about climate change adaptation — of which DRR is one of the main components — at national, regional and local level, further integrated DRR elements into the emergency response (applying the principle of building back better) and strengthened its activity in advocacy, coordination, capacity building and dissemination of good practices.

The reduction of vulnerability and building resilience to extreme events has become a priority in the immediate and short term. This prioritisation helps to avoid humanitarian and economic losses, as well as secure development gains and provide a more sustainable basis for other adaptation action over the long term.

The Commission also completed its internal assessment on the humanitarian impact of climate change, continued its reflection on the role and approach of humanitarian actors in the field of CCA, and started to study how to develop synergies between disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change in its operations.

Likewise, DG ECHO consolidated its relations and strategic dialogue with and its financial support to the UNISDR[9] for the implementation of its biannual plan under the Hyogo Framework for Action.

1.6.2. Civil-military relations

A growing number of actors, other than traditional humanitarian organisations, are being mobilised in crisis response. ‘Comprehensive’ policies for crisis response are gaining political momentum in many organisations. Some of the provisions in the Lisbon Treaty, including the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS), aim to contribute to a more coherent EU approach to foreign affairs issues. NATO announced in 2010 the development of a ‘comprehensive approach’ doctrine, encompassing both military and civilian components. This changing political and institutional environment led the Commission to consider ways and means for early and regular interaction and coordination in order to preserve vital specificities of humanitarian action, while allowing more coherent responses when appropriate. Thus outreach, interaction and coordination with key civilian, military and political actors, including from the newly created crisis management structures of the EEAS, became increasingly important.

In 2010, increased attention to the above-mentioned issues led the Commission to create a full-time position to follow coordination policy issues with other actors responding to crises, with special emphasis on civil-military coordination. The Commission also adopted a Communication on EU disaster response capacity[10] which touches on questions of civil-military relations, including compliance with the UN Guidelines on the use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in international disaster relief (Oslo Guidelines), endorsed by the EU inter alia in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.

Regarding operational implementation of the above approach during the devastating floods affecting Pakistan, there was smooth cooperation between the Commission and the EU Movement Planning Cell of the EU Military Staff. The arrangements for access to Member States’ military assets to support EU disaster response[11] were successfully tested and the EU Movement Planning Cell contributed to the EU Air Bridge by providing three military chartered planes.

Besides the above, work was taken forward in the relevant working groups of the exercise on ‘civil-military synergies in capability development’ under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The Commission also continued to contribute to enhancing civil-military coordination by funding the activities of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in the civil-military coordination field. Activities included training events, large-scale multilateral military exercises to disseminate the existing UN Civil-Military Coordination Guidelines (‘MCDA[12] Guidelines’ on the use of military and civil defence assets in complex emergencies and ‘Oslo Guidelines’ for international disaster relief) and deployment of civil-military coordination staff in crises such as during the Pakistan flooding.

1.6.3. International humanitarian law (IHL)

The scope and principles of IHL are codified by international legal instruments (Geneva and Hague Conventions), but there are serious problems with respect, compliance and enforcement directly linked to shrinking of the humanitarian space (access, protection) that is crucial for the work of humanitarian actors.

The 2007 Consensus on Humanitarian Aid highlights the need to preserve humanitarian space to ensure access to vulnerable populations and the safety and security of humanitarian personnel. It reaffirms the EU’s commitment to upholding and promoting fundamental humanitarian principles. It also commits the EU to strongly and consistently advocating compliance with international law, including IHL, human rights law and refugee law.

Even if compliance with IHL is above all a Member State responsibility, the Commission/DG ECHO is engaged in the promotion of IHL and the defence of humanitarian principles and humanitarian space through adopting an operational case-by-case approach and financing a number of related geographic and thematic actions, focusing on those parts of IHL where it has most potential added value and leverage, e.g. humanitarian space, access, protection of civilians/humanitarian workers.

Finally, DG ECHO organised an awareness-raising campaign on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day on 19 August 2010, covering IHL and other related issues. The campaign mainly focused on the security of aid workers, who are increasingly victims of incidents. In 2009 alone, 276 aid workers were kidnapped, wounded or killed[13].

1.6.4. Health

Health was the second sector of activity (13.4 %) after food aid in 2010, accounting for around a sixth of DG ECHO’s total operational expenditure, in line with the fact that excess mortality and morbidity are central criteria for any type of humanitarian assistance.

The health experts in DG ECHO participated in the two consultation rounds aimed at producing a new SPHERE Handbook[14] — Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards for Disaster Response, to be published in 2011, updating the widely used 2004 edition.

With key partners, DG ECHO health experts monitored implementation of the humanitarian reform in the health sector in Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, and in addition to the planned monitoring missions, cluster deployments in Haiti and Pakistan were closely followed.

DG ECHO is systematically part of the Global Health Cluster strategic working group (led by the WHO[15]).

At the annual Anopheles working group meeting in September, a list of indicators measuring the effectiveness of DG ECHO-funded medical programmes was agreed. Further work is ongoing to measure the efficiency of operations through the costs observed per result study (unit costs). On the technical development side, a technical issues paper on malaria prevention advocating the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets was finalised.

1.6.5 Gender

The Commission actively pursued its policy work on the gender dimension of humanitarian aid, following the recommendations of the gender review, the results of which were presented and discussed with partner agencies in November 2009 and with EU Member States in COHAFA in April 2010. Both Member States and stakeholders encouraged the Commission to highlight its policy work on gender issues, including gender integration, sexual and gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian crises.

These consultations helped the Commission to identify a number of key matters to be further discussed in the forthcoming policy document. It also showed the need to better track lessons learnt from its own programmes in order to produce a strong gender policy illustrated with meaningful case studies. In 2010, the Commission therefore developed an issues paper on the gender dimension of humanitarian aid with an attached questionnaire, to explore the views and experience of the Commission’s humanitarian aid staff in approaching and dealing with gender issues. Consultations on the issues paper are to take place in early 2011.

Work was also started on the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse with a view to reinforcing the Commission’s strategies and involvement in the global fight against such crimes in humanitarian settings.

Internal work and information sharing on gender issues was likewise strengthened. DG ECHO reinforced its gender working group, organised sessions on sexual and gender-based violence and gender integration in two of its regional seminars, and held information lunch sessions for its Brussels-based staff on sexual exploitation and abuse and on reproductive health in humanitarian crises.

Finally, the Commission/DG ECHO contributed to the development of an Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development[16] to implement the comprehensive approach to UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on Women, Peace and Security, not least through support for the development of indicators to measure progress (adopted by the Council in July) and for the development of the external aid part of the new Commission’s strategy for gender equality[17] (adopted in September).

1.7. Aid effectiveness 1.7.1. Needs assessment

The Commission continued to actively engage in debates on setting up better coordinated, more coherent common needs assessment. The Commission took part in the work of the UN IASC Needs Assessment Task Force (NATF) and contributed to a number of concrete activities, e.g. roll-out of the ‘humanitarian dashboard’ for needs assessments. The EU updated the Member States on the Common Methodological Framework for Needs Assessment in the relevant Council Working Group (COHAFA meeting on 12 February). In view of the leading role DG ECHO is playing in needs assessment, in particular promoting the joint/common needs assessment approach being developed by the UN, an Initial Needs Assessment Checklist (INAC) was drawn up for the use of field and HQ staff. The INAC tries to fill an existing gap: the collection of data during the first few days after a sudden-onset crisis (but in principle no later than the first three days). The tool also includes inputs from the EU civil protection analysis, a first result of the integration of the civil protection units within DG ECHO’s overall needs assessment operational activities.

As every year, DG ECHO conducted a comparative analysis of countries to identify those whose population is likely to suffer more than others in the event of a humanitarian disaster. The global evaluation, namely the Global Needs Assessment — GNA (which measures the vulnerability and crisis index) and the Forgotten Crisis Assessment — FCA (which identifies severe, protracted humanitarian crisis situations where affected populations are receiving no or not enough international aid) were published and presented to COHAFA on 7 October.

1.7.2. Capacity building

The overall rationale is that capacity building investments in the global humanitarian system lead to more rapid and more cost-effective humanitarian responses, allowing better and broader humanitarian coverage.

The Commission/DG ECHO’s commitment to engage in the capacity building approach was given in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. In the Consensus the Member States and the Commission’s partners agreed that supporting the development of the collective global capacity to respond to humanitarian crises is one of the fundamental tenets of the EU approach[18]. Further, the Action Plan following the EU Consensus on Humanitarian Aid commits the EU to ‘… explore how to enhance support to capacity building, including in the cluster approach and provisions for reinforcing local capacity … and to promote a multi-donor approach to capacity building’[19]. Also, through the endorsement of the Good Humanitarian Donorship Principle, DG ECHO agreed to ‘allocate funding to strengthen capacities for response’[20].

For 2010 and 2011, € 15 million is available for funding humanitarian capacity building. This is primarily aimed at:

– humanitarian coordination, supporting the overall humanitarian coordination structures and specific cluster coordination structures, including support in the increasingly important area of civil-military coordination through UNOCHA;

– continued support to ensure more consistent use of joint/common needs assessments;

– logistics support, mainly through the UN World Food Programme (WFP), for building up and running strategic humanitarian response hubs with pre-positioned relief items, and greater capacity to deploy appropriate personnel to coordinate and execute cluster operations;

– gender, through support to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNICEF for joint action to build the knowledge and capacity of field humanitarian actors to address sexual and gender-based violence in a coordinated way;

– emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction and early warning, for example through the UNISDR, for strengthening partnerships to expedite implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA);

– coordination in the food and nutrition sectors, not least through establishment of the new emergency food security and nutrition policy, and clusters.

1.8. Civil protection policy

In 2010 the European Civil Protection Mechanism was transferred to DG ECHO and merged with humanitarian aid in an attempt to exploit synergies and enhance the coherence of EU response operations. Options to further strengthen the EU’s disaster response capacity were also assessed and culminated in the adoption of a Communication on 26 October 2010[21] and Council Conclusions on 14 December 2010.

In parallel to reinforcing the EU’s response to disasters, DG ECHO continued to work in the fields of prevention and preparedness. Emphasis was placed on preventive measures (the costs of prevention are always considerably lower than those linked to remediation) and on the development of training courses and exercises. Lessons learnt meetings were organised for the numerous disasters that occurred in 2010.

The Commission/DG ECHO is also implementing a series of activities to give effect to the EU framework on the prevention of disasters contained in the Communication adopted in February 2009. In this context the Commission issued a guidance paper on national risk assessment and mapping for disaster management, which was developed in close cooperation with national authorities. The Commission is doing its utmost to improve its knowledge base on disasters and encourage effective and greater investment in disaster prevention.

2. Interinstitutional relations and cooperation with other donors and partners 2.1. Council Working Group on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA)

The work of COHAFA, successfully launched under the Czech Presidency at the start of 2009, continued under the Spanish and Belgian Presidencies in 2010. Having a dedicated forum for regular policy exchange among Member States and Commission experts represents a qualitative leap in the development of a more coherent and coordinated EU approach to humanitarian policy and action.

Throughout the year, the working group, which brings together representatives from EU capitals, met 13 times, one of which exclusively in response to a sudden-onset emergency (Pakistan in August). The incoming EU Presidencies, in cooperation with the Commission, established a work plan covering specific humanitarian crises (e.g. Haiti, Pakistan, the Gaza war, Sudan/Darfur, DR Congo, Colombia — to name but a few), sectoral topics (e.g. the Food Aid Convention, WFP, Mid-term review of the Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan, European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps), and coordination on specific issues (e.g. UN needs assessment work, ECOSOC[22]).

In its first two years of work, COHAFA has established itself as the point of reference for questions on humanitarian aid in the Council. Input is provided on a regular basis to other groups, and, via these groups, to the PSC[23], Coreper[24] and the Foreign Affairs or General Affairs Councils (for instance, on the humanitarian situation in Sudan, on which Council conclusions were adopted). Discussions took place within COHAFA on the possible extension/renewal of the Food Aid Convention, with the Commission obtaining a mandate in November 2010 to renegotiate the Convention on behalf of the EU (see Section 1.4).

On a strategic level, COHAFA has allowed the European Union to increase the coherence of the Commission’s and Member States’ humanitarian aid activities: there is an annual exchange on individual humanitarian aid policies and budgets (this took place in several stages at the beginning of 2010), policies formulated by the Commission are often referred to or reproduced by Member States, individual EU donor activities in specific crises are better coordinated and EU positions on specific issues are discussed ahead of international meetings. On a day-to-day basis, the work of the group was facilitated by the Commission’s initiative to distribute widely its situation reports on specific humanitarian crises, which have quickly become a major source of information for a wide audience of stakeholders inside and outside Europe.

Under the Belgian Presidency COHAFA undertook to review its mandate, which was considered to provide a good basis for the future work of the group. However, in the course of this review it was also felt that COHAFA should adopt new working methods with a view to improving the visibility, outputs, results and impact of its work even further.

2.2. Council Working Group on Civil Protection (PROCIV)

PROCIV is the Council working group that deals with civil protection policy for the Justice and Home Affairs Council. In 2010 it met nine times. Debates covered the full range of civil protection policy and operational issues: response, preparedness and prevention, including discussions on the major disasters that occurred in 2010.

A specific focus of the working group was discussing and agreeing on five sets of Council conclusions that were subsequently adopted as ‘I’/‘A’ items by the Council. These Conclusions call on Member States and the Commission to step up existing actions and also to take new measures to strengthen disaster management in the EU.

The subjects covered during the Spanish Presidency were prevention of forest fires (Council document number 7788/10), psychosocial support in the event of emergencies (9838/10) and use of the Civil Protection Mechanism in major events (9837/10).

During the Belgian Presidency conclusions were adopted on host nation support (15874/10) and innovative solutions for financing disaster prevention (14971/10).

2.3. Cooperation with other EU institutions, donors and partners

Following the elections to the European Parliament in June 2009, the inauguration of a new College of Commissioners and the integration of civil protection into DG ECHO, the main activities focused on following the day-to-day work of the newly constituted committees (mainly DEVE[25]/AFET[26] and ENVI[27] for civil protection matters). DG ECHO worked closely with the members of the DEVE Committee, in particular to raise awareness of and interest in humanitarian issues, and assisted Parliament staff in organising several field missions. Several meetings with the new Chair of the DEVE Committee (Ms Eva Joly) and the new standing Humanitarian Rapporteur (Ms Michele Striffler) were held to discuss humanitarian policy and operational issues. DG ECHO was also in close contact with the DEVE and ENVI Committees on matters related to disaster response.

Commissioner Georgieva regularly attended EP Committees (DEVE and ENVI) to conduct the ‘structured dialogue’ with the European Parliament in the areas of her portfolio. These occasions were used to brief Parliament about current and future policy initiatives and priorities, in the field of both humanitarian aid and civil protection, and to inform Parliament about the Commission’s response to specific crises.

Throughout the year Commissioner Georgieva visited a number of EU capitals to meet her counterparts in the field of humanitarian aid and civil protection. The purpose of these visits was to present her newly created portfolio and to exchange views on her policy priorities and issues of concern to Member States.

Commissioner Georgieva regularly attended meetings of the Foreign and General Affairs Councils for discussions within her portfolio either on specific crises or on policy initiatives such as a stronger European disaster response.

The Commissioner also undertook a number of field missions both within and outside Europe (e.g. Hungary (red sludge accident) and Haiti).

Throughout the year, DG ECHO and Commissioner Georgieva also maintained regular contact with relevant international organisations, in particular the UN and the Red Cross Movement, on policy development and operational issues. Regular meetings were also held in Brussels with key partners. Special emphasis was placed on close cooperation with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr John Holmes, and his successor, Mrs Valerie Amos.

DG ECHO took part in UN and Red Cross Movement related meetings and processes, mainly in New York, Geneva and Rome, in close liaison with the relevant EU Delegations. Through active participation in the OCHA and ICRC Donor Support Groups, and through its permanent observer status at WFP Executive Board meetings and in the UNHCR’s Executive Committee, DG ECHO provided inputs to strategic decision making and guidance at these organisations.

DG ECHO continued to promote EU-coordinated positions, resolutions and statements in UN bodies reflecting Commission policy.

Throughout the year, DG ECHO had contacts with non-EU donors, both at operational level in the field and at policy level at headquarters. These included a strategic dialogue with the United States in October and other meetings with other key and non-traditional donors.

Specific GHD newcomers’ sessions with humanitarian aid departments from the ‘EU 12’ Member States were held alongside regular bilateral discussions — thereby reinforcing EU coordination in humanitarian aid.

3. Implementation of humanitarian aid and civil protection in 2010 3.1. A needs-based approach

The EU provides assistance to populations with the greatest humanitarian needs, irrespective of origin, religion or political creed.

For a number of years, ECHO has been using a two-pronged approach to identify countries whose humanitarian needs should be given high priority. The first approach is the needs evaluation undertaken in the field by experts and geographical units. In addition to the immediate reports on crisis areas, analyses are carried out to provide information on specific needs. At the same time, a comparative analysis is conducted to identify those countries which may require humanitarian assistance. This analysis has two dimensions:

– the Global Needs Assessment[28], based on national indicators, classes more than 140 countries according to the occurrence of a recent crisis (natural disaster or conflict, including the weight of displaced people or refugees on the population) and the degree of vulnerability of the population, incorporating various indicators (e.g. human development index, mortality of children under five);

– the Forgotten Crisis Assessment attempts to identify serious humanitarian crises where the people affected do not receive sufficient international aid and/or media coverage.

These are important tools for ensuring coherence in allocating resources among countries according to their needs, independently of any type of pressure.

Using this method, the Commission identified 39 countries or territories in crisis in 2010. Out of these, 16 were classed as ‘extremely vulnerable’: 13 were in sub-Saharan Africa (including Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe). 58 % of the initial geographical budget was allocated to the 16 most vulnerable countries.

Approximately 17 % of the geographical budget allocation was channelled to 12 ‘forgotten crisis’ situations in 2010[29]:

– the Lao Hmong minority in Thailand;

– the Rohingya refugees and the Chittagong Hill Tracts crisis in Bangladesh;

– the inter-ethnic conflict in Burma/Myanmar and the related Burmese refugee situation in Thailand;

– the populations affected by the internal armed conflict in Colombia;

– the conflict in the north of Yemen and the refugees from the Horn of Africa;

– the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria;

– the populations affected by regional conflicts in India (Kashmir, north-east India, Naxalite affected regions);

– the populations affected by the internal armed conflict in the Central African Republic;

– the Somali refugee crisis in Kenya;

– the Mindanao crisis in the Philippines;

– the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal;

– the crisis in the Sahel region (mainly Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger), which is suffering from a continuing series of external shocks (poor rains, political instability, high food prices, epidemics, etc.), aggravating an already fragile situation but not attracting the attention of the media.

3.2. Top 10 humanitarian crises in terms of funding allocations

EU humanitarian funding in 2010 for the top ten recipients was € 674 million, or 68 % of the total operational budget resources allocated to countries and regions. Out of the top 10 amount, 47 % was earmarked for countries in Africa.

* Chad includes € 10 million earmarked for assistance to the Sahelian part of the country.

3.3. Africa

In 2010, humanitarian and food operations were funded through 31 decisions worth a total of € 468.55 million, or 42 % of the total budget managed by DG ECHO.

The main region funded was Sudan, Chad and Central Africa, which received 54 % of the amount allocated to Africa.

Funding in response to natural disasters was made available for the drought in Sahel, the floods in Burkina Faso and a polio epidemic in the Republic of the Congo.

DG ECHO implemented drought preparedness activities in the Greater Horn of Africa and funded ECHO Flight, a service for humanitarian operators in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Kenya.

3.3.1. Sudan and Chad, Central Africa

The region of Sudan, Chad and Central Africa has by far the largest concentration of humanitarian activities in the world. This is partly a reflection of the sheer scale of need: for example, millions of people in Sudan are affected by conflict, displacement and natural disasters. It is also an indication of the complexity and recurrent nature of crises in these countries. Many of the crises cut across national boundaries, for example, the Darfur-Chad dynamic and the Lord’s Resistance Army’s attacks in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and north-eastern DRC. Many crises occur in situations where the State’s presence and basic facilities are very weak, or even non-existent.

Conflict is the major factor creating humanitarian crises in this region, displacing people from their homes, preventing them from enjoying a stable lifestyle and from earning their livelihoods and denying them access to basic services. But conflict also hinders the effectiveness of the humanitarian response. Organisations are frequently unable to work, or are prevented from working to capacity. On top of this, there is often administrative interference from central and local authorities who are suspicious of independent humanitarian aid, and wanting to exercise a degree of control over it.

All this takes place against a background of extremely weak infrastructure, which creates serious logistical challenges for humanitarian agencies, and appalling poverty. Four of the countries in the region (Central African Republic, Chad, Burundi, DR Congo) figure in the bottom 10 of the UN’s Human Development Index[30].

Nevertheless, DG ECHO was able to administer effective humanitarian projects through its partners and to reach around ten million people in serious and urgent need in 2010.

Sudan

In 2010 DG ECHO’s intervention in Sudan remained one of its largest — supporting the delivery of humanitarian aid to 6 million IDPs, refugees, returnees, host communities and nomads across Sudan. In Darfur, 1.9 million people remain displaced in camps; 2 million are affected by conflict; and there are 40 000 refugees from Chad. During 2010 the number of affected people increased, with intertribal clashes and clashes between rebels and government forces displacing a further 300 000 people. In South Sudan the humanitarian situation remained critical, with 2 million people in need of food assistance. During the year 900 people were killed and 215 000 displaced due to tribal clashes and attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Seasonal flooding affected 140 000 people and malnutrition remained a major concern, with acute malnutrition affecting 50 000 children. In the 10 weeks prior to the referendum of 9 January 2011 close to 150 000 people returned to South Sudan. All are dependent on some form of humanitarian assistance to cover basic needs. With the potential for instability as a result of the referendum process, DG ECHO proactively supported the contingency efforts of its partners by allocating additional funds for the procurement, transport and pre-positioning of essential humanitarian commodities including food.

Three main objectives were targeted in 2010: addressing life-saving needs, supporting emergency preparedness and response (EP&R) mechanisms and providing common services. The EU funded basic life-saving services and food aid to the most vulnerable populations in Darfur, South Sudan, Eastern Sudan and the Transitional Areas. Humanitarian space became extremely restricted in Darfur in 2010, as result of heightened insecurity, with regular kidnappings and harassment of humanitarian actors. In particular, access to Jebel Mara has been non-existent since February 2010. Humanitarian operations by partners working under extremely difficult conditions are therefore largely limited to the camps and to occasional activities in rural areas, with consequences on the quantity and quality of aid delivered. In South Sudan, Eastern Sudan and the Transitional Areas life-saving services and EP&R were prioritised in areas affected by conflict, flooding, disease outbreaks, high levels of malnutrition and areas of high return. This has proven particularly successful in South Sudan, with most partners including EP&R components in their operations. Throughout the country DG ECHO supported the provision of food aid to food-insecure populations.

Through its support for common services such as air transport, coordination, logistic services and security assessments, DG ECHO helped to ensure a safer environment for effective and principled delivery of humanitarian aid. The worrying developments in Darfur led DG ECHO to scale up advocacy, information and communication activities.

Out of the € 131 million allocated to Sudan, general food distributions represented the largest single component in terms of both overall funding (42.7 %) and coverage, with 3.8 million beneficiaries in Darfur and 2.5 million in South Sudan. Life-saving activities (43.9 %) were supported in the sectors of health, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, non-food items and nutrition. Substantial support was given to EP&R (6.8 %) and common services (6.8 %). Overall DG ECHO maintained a flexible approach to allow an immediate response to new emergencies on the basis of identified needs.

Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva undertook a 4-day mission to Sudan in June 2010, visiting Khartoum, Darfur-Nyala and Juba. This first mission to a protracted conflcit area gave added impetus to a number of ongoing issues, which she subsequently followed up, including the development of civil-military relationships, the problems of shrinking humanitarian space and more particularly access and insecurity, contingency planning and the transition from humanitarian to development assistance.

Chad

In 2010 Chad faced many humanitarian challenges: the protracted crisis in Eastern and Southern Chad affected 500 000 vulnerable people, including 255 000 Sudanese refugees, 64 000 Central African Republic refugees, 171 000 IDPs and their host populations; the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel belt affected 1.6 million people and floods and a cholera epidemic hit 150 000 and 6 300 people respectively.

In response to these crises, the Commission allocated a total budget of € 38 million, of which € 10 million to address the needs in the Sahel region of Chad.

In the East humanitarian space was significantly restricted by poor levels of security. The withdrawal of the MINURCAT peacekeeping force, together with banditry and impunity, hampered humanitarian operations and thwarted return efforts by limiting access to beneficiaries and reducing the number of partners on the ground. Nevertheless, it was possible to ensure satisfactory coverage of the humanitarian needs of the refugees, IDPs and host populations in the areas of intervention. Care and maintenance programmes were implemented with a special focus on beneficiary self-sufficiency. Multi-sectoral assistance was provided in the areas of water and sanitation, health, nutrition, food aid and food security, shelter, essential goods, humanitarian air services and the environment.

In the South of the country coverage of the humanitarian needs was also satisfactory, and refugees were generally able to reach self-sufficiency as a consequence of humanitarian aid linking in with longer-term development programmes.

In the Sahel belt, despite initial difficulties, the humanitarian response to the food crisis succeeded in saving many lives and reducing its impact on household economies and coping mechanisms. Operations mainly focused on nutrition, health (in relation to malnutrition) and food security.

At country-wide level the health Early Warning System (EWARS) allowed timely warning and response to the meningitis, measles and cholera epidemics that occurred in 2010.

Burundi and Tanzania

In 2010 the Commission allocated a total budget of € 15 million to Tanzania and Burundi. DG ECHO’s intervention in Tanzania assisted the 37 000 Burundian and 61 000 Congolese refugees in the North-West along the Burundian border, while in Burundi DG ECHO focused mainly on the 30 000 Congolese refugees and on specific vulnerable groups. In view of the close links between the two countries in terms of humanitarian needs, DG ECHO now administers field operations in both countries from Bujumbura.

The principal objective was to limit mortality and morbidity rates in the target population and to support the resettlement and stabilisation process. Throughout 2010 repatriation of refugees was extremely low and the refugee population remained at much the same level. The camp populations in both Burundi and Tanzania are almost entirely dependent on external assistance and need integrated humanitarian aid (food, water and sanitation, healthcare, nutrition, shelter, protection). Returnees to Burundi require, during and immediately after the repatriation process, the same level of assistance, plus transport facilities. DG ECHO provided integrated assistance to 130 000 refugees. In Burundi specific vulnerable groups such as children under five, pregnant and lactating mothers, returnees, unaccompanied minors, the disabled and the elderly were assisted through water and sanitation, health, nutrition and food security actions. Around 20 000 severely malnourished children under five and 750 000 vulnerable people were helped.

DG ECHO continued to pursue its phasing out from Burundi thanks to a successful LRRD strategy with development actors, not least the European Development Fund (see Section 3.10 on LRRD).

Central African Republic (CAR)

In 2010 conflict levels once again increased as a result of the faltering disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process, the postponement of the elections to January 2011, the resumption of activities by certain rebel movements and the expansion of LRA attacks. The overall humanitarian context of the CAR remains complex, with shifting pockets in both conflict and post-conflict situations, against a background of chronic poverty, high levels of malnutrition, structural collapse, absence of infrastructure and lack of basic services. The North-West was calm throughout the year, but the North-East continued to be troubled by fighting between rebel groups and government forces and by cross-border insecurity with Chad and Sudan. The entire Eastern part of the country was hit by a wave of attacks by the LRA. In the South-West, half of the DRC refugees who had fled from violence in Equateur Province at the end of 2009 were finally settled in a camp. The most urgent needs were in the sectors of water and sanitation, food security, health, non-food items, protection and logistical support. DG ECHO succeeded in meeting its objective of providing assistance to displaced people, refugees, returnees and vulnerable groups affected by the conflict in order to promote stabilisation and resettlement. However, the humanitarian response in the CAR is hampered by security constraints and serious logistical problems, which limit access to the needs areas.

In response to the forgotten crisis, DG ECHO’s approach was sufficiently flexible to respond immediately to the evolving situation and to maintain multi-sectoral assistance to 100 000 IDPs and returnees, 20 000 refugees, 110 000 people in the three main urban centres in the South-East affected by the LRA attacks and several hundred thousand of the vulnerable host population, with a total budget of € 7.8 million. DG ECHO has enhanced access by encouraging the presence of humanitarian agencies in the most critical areas, through supporting humanitarian logistics services and promoting coordination.

Republic of the Congo

The influx of more than 100 000 refugees from Equateur Province in the DRC at the end of 2009 destabilised the already fragile humanitarian situation in La Likouala Province in the North-East of the Republic of the Congo. The pressure on the local populations justified an urgent intervention to avoid a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Water and sanitation projects, food distribution and coordination were urgently needed. Logistics remains the main problem in accessing the area, since the refugees are spread along more than 500 km of the Ubangui river. Delivering humanitarian aid in time was therefore a challenge that many humanitarian actors faced in the early months of the intervention.

Many of the refugees were hosted by the local population, but around 40 % are developing their own coping mechanism in order to survive in their new environment, while still maintaining strong links with their former home areas on the other side of the river in the DRC.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The DRC is still far from returning to complete peace and stability. Despite some improvements in the humanitarian situation in the East, mostly in parts of North Kivu and Province Orientale, more than one million IDPs are still unable to return home and regain self-sufficiency.

The situation in the Eastern region, especially Province Orientale and North and South Kivu, continues to give serious cause for concern because of the major military engagement which has been taking place since early 2009 between the Congolese armed forces and their allies and rebel armed groups (including the LRA).

There are still 250 000 IDPs in Equateur province and more than 100 000 refugees in neighbouring countries (Republic of the Congo and CAR), as a result of the ethnic conflict which started at the end of 2009. The situation remains difficult (in terms of access and security) and it is still not clear when and how this situation can be resolved.

In Katanga the assisted repatriation of Congolese refugees from Zambia finished at the end of 2010, and there was a virtual standstill in repatriation from Tanzania owing to the increased levels of insecurity in the areas to which refugees are returning.

In a country which is among the world’s neediest, DG ECHO’s response strategy (€ 46.95 million) focused on the problematic surrounding IDPs in conflict situations and on protection-related issues. 65 % of DG ECHO funding was allocated to the North-East, North and South Kivu and Haut and Bas Uele. Across the country as a whole, DG ECHO assisted more than one million beneficiaries in 2010 through the provision of multi-sectoral humanitarian aid and food assistance. The issue of sexual violence continued to be integrated within all health programmes and some more specialised projects.

The working environment in the DRC is extremely difficult: logistics are a constant challenge due to the lack of basic infrastructure. Security in the zones where DG ECHO operates has also become more and more problematic, with an ever-increasing number of restricted areas and an increase in security incidents involving humanitarian workers.

DG ECHO has reinforced the coordination of humanitarian aid by supporting the role of OCHA and the cluster system in the DRC and the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) group. DG ECHO is fully involved in the annual process led by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator to formulate humanitarian strategy and a new Humanitarian Action Plan. The GHD initiative in the DRC continues to foster active cooperation among donors. It is extremely relevant, in view of the growing number of funding instruments and programmes in place in the Eastern part of the country, including those being implemented at the initiative of the Congolese authorities. DG ECHO plays an active part in this process.

ECHO Flight

In a number of countries there is no safe and reliable means of transport between the supply and personnel entry points and the main humanitarian destinations because of logistical and security-related access problems. Overland travel is dangerous and time consuming, or even impossible. DG ECHO therefore continued to implement a flight service focusing on Central Africa (the DRC and neighbouring areas) and Kenya, with a view to facilitating the implementation of humanitarian and post-emergency development projects in difficult areas. The ECHO Flight operation provided an efficient, reliable and safe service to enable secure and accountable implementation of humanitarian projects in remote, otherwise inaccessible, regions.

This was satisfactorily achieved using three aircraft operating a mixture of fixed and flexible schedules as well as ad hoc tasking for special operations such as the polio outbreak in the Republic of Congo and cargo transport to the Haut and Bas Uélé regions of the DRC. ECHO Flight enables humanitarian NGOs to reduce their inventory stockpiles at field locations, which often run the risk of confiscation or theft by armed bandits or local militias, and improves the quality of humanitarian operations, since supervisory visits can be conducted more frequently. In addition, having an airborne stand-by evacuation capacity is an essential condition for continuing project implementation for many agencies. In 2010 ECHO Flight transported 15 684 passengers and 383 tonnes of humanitarian cargo.

Monitoring and coordination with other humanitarian air services to avoid any duplication and competition with safe, viable commercial airlines was enhanced in 2010 with the recruitment of a second Technical Assistant based in Nairobi.

3.3.2. Horn of Africa

In 2010, conflicts and displacement combined with drought exacerbated humanitarian and food needs. Epidemics (Ethiopia, Uganda) also contributed to increased vulnerability of people.

The Commission allocated € 96 million to respond to these crises affecting the region, or 20 % of the total allocation to Africa.

* The Disaster Risk Reduction Programme in the Horn of Africa relates to humanitarian aid in Djibouti (€ 0.6 million), Ethiopia (€ 8.9 million), Kenya (€ 6.3 million), Somalia (€ 0.7 million) and Uganda (€ 3.5 million).

Djibouti

In January FEWSNET (the Famine Early Warning System Network) launched a food security alert highlighting the deterioration of the situation due to a drop in cash transfers and the continuing low rainfall predictions. As pastoralists had already lost 50-70 percent of their livestock in late 2008 due to drought and because recovery was so slow, the ability of households to absorb further livestock losses was very limited. A rapid nutritional assessment using the Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) method, carried out as part of the inter-agency assessment in March, found a rate of 20 % of children with a MUAC below 125 mm and 6 % of children with a MUAC of 115 mm, indicating a potentially very critical nutritional situation.

The Commission adopted an emergency decision allocating € 2 million with the specific objective of providing humanitarian food and nutrition assistance to the most vulnerable populations affected by drought. Support was provided to the WFP, UNICEF and FAO for food aid, nutrition and livelihood support. Under the WFP’s Protracted Relief and Rehabilitation Operation 60 000 persons received general food distribution, 12 000 received supplementary feeding, and a further 27 000 were involved in food-for-work activities. Furthermore, some 13 613 children were targeted under the integrated management of acute malnutrition programme, and some 8 000 lactating and pregnant women under the promotion of infant and young child feeding practices programme. In terms of emergency food security, 200 000 livestock belonging to some 12 000 households were targeted for vaccination and some 250 of the worst affected households benefited from restocking.

Ethiopia

The year 2010 started with heightened humanitarian needs owing to the spillover effects of the 2008 and 2009 drought, but favourable rainfall conditions later in the year led to an improved food security situation in most parts of the country. As a consequence, Ethiopia reached almost 20 million tonnes of agricultural production in 2010, an increase of 10 % on the previous year. Subsequently, a steady reduction in the number of people in need of food assistance was reported. According to the Humanitarian Requirement Document jointly released in January by the Ethiopian government and humanitarian organisations, there were 5.2 million beneficiaries in the country. This figure was revised in November to 2.3 million beneficiaries. However, approximately 410 000 hectares of wheat land was affected by yellow rust, causing pockets of food insecurity. In addition, the La Niña climatic event, which affected the Greater Horn of Africa in the last quarter of the year, had and is still having a negative effect in the pastoral communities of southern Ethiopia. Floods affected a large part of Ethiopia and were one of the major humanitarian concerns in 2010. In the Amhara region alone reports indicated that over 400 000 people were affected and 17 000 displaced from several areas. By contrast, epidemics of acute diarrhoea were substantially reduced compared to 2009.

The Commission allocated € 15 million to Ethiopia in 2010, and it is estimated that overall about 2.8 million people benefited from the various operations supported by DG ECHO in the country.

Under the Global Plan, the Humanitarian Aid budget aimed to improve the humanitarian situation of the disasters-affected population through the provision of multi-sector assistance. The food aid budget was more focused on providing appropriate and adequate humanitarian food assistance, including food aid, nutritional support and short-term food security and livelihood support. The Regional Drought Decision aimed to alleviate the impact of drought (current drought as well as frequent drought cycles) on targeted vulnerable local communities through improved response and preparedness activities.

Security in most of the highland areas of the country is considered stable. However, parts of the pastoral areas have security problems, often related to resources as well as inter-ethnic/inter-clan clashes. The situation in the Somali region is further complicated by the ongoing confrontation between the Ethiopian government and various armed groups. As a result, movements in the region, particularly in the Ogaden area, are highly restricted and several attacks against humanitarian agencies were reported. Access problems are also sometimes exacerbated by the reluctance of the authorities to support the actions of humanitarian partners, owing to mistrust resulting in bitter scrutiny, especially in some specific sectors such as nutrition.

Kenya

Following two good rainy seasons the food security situation in Kenya gradually improved in 2010, although after several consecutive crises populations living in the arid districts remain very vulnerable. Some recovery has been achieved but after a high level of asset depletion during the 2008/2009 drought, a full recovery will take years and might never be achieved for many. Malnutrition remained above emergency thresholds in most of the northern part of the country throughout the year. Poor development, the weak health system, conflict over resources, and other governance issues continually affect the health and nutrition of children in the marginalised areas.

The three Dadaab refugee camps, built to accommodate 90 000 people in the early 1990s, hosted 303 000 at the end of 2010, with a total of 65 200 new arrivals registered in the past year. In addition, over 25 000 refugees were registered in Kakuma camp, Turkana, and in Nairobi. The existing Dadaab camps operated far above their capacity, putting increased stress on refugees and the agencies providing assistance. The refugee protection situation in North-Eastern Province is a growing concern, as repeatedly documented by human rights organisations. The numbers of refugees increased, with the result that the Dadaab camps are the biggest refugee camp operation in the world. The refugee situation is mainly due to the state of affairs in Somalia. Local integration as a durable solution is officially very limited in Kenya. Resettlement to third countries does not exceed 10 000 cases a year. Repatriation is not an option for the foreseeable future in view of the current context. An exit from this refugee operation seems unlikely in the coming years.

The total allocation for Kenya in 2010 was € 18 million, of which € 13 million for operations in refugee camps. DG ECHO had two main objectives: supporting refugees and contributing to the improvement of nutrition services in the arid lands. Assistance was provided to the refugees in the Dadaab camps in vital sectors such as food, water, health and sanitation. DG ECHO also contributed significantly to the decongestion of these camps with strong financial support to the UNHCR for extending one of the camps. DG ECHO participated in the roll-out and implementation of the recently approved Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition guidelines. More than 350 000 children and pregnant or lactating women were provided with specialised assistance. Advocacy efforts were stepped up to encourage the Government of Kenya and its development partners to engage more in nutrition in the arid and semi-arid lands of the country.

Close coordination among all EU departments continued. Linkages with the Water Facility were reinforced. Coordination with the EDF-supported Drought Management Initiative was sustained.

Somalia

Humanitarian needs remained overwhelming in Somalia, a country afflicted by 20 years of conflict and instability, where the overall situation is aggravated and compounded by natural disasters (persistent cyclical droughts in the Central and Northern regions, floods, and epidemic outbreaks), undermined livelihoods, high commodity prices and eroded coping strategies. According to the latest FSNAU (Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit) estimates, 2 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance.

The Djibouti peace process has not yet produced any reconciliation between the Transitional Federal Government and the Al Shaabab/Armed Opposition Groups and, as a result, thousands of civilians in and around Mogadishu are caught by the impact of renewed hostilities. Continuous conflict in the South and Central regions and in Puntland displaced additional families throughout the year. The number of IDPs increased to 1.46 million. The largest increase in displaced population figures was reported from the outskirts of Mogadishu. In Puntland, IDPs were threatened with (forced) relocation and deportation.

Adverse climatic conditions greatly affected the water sources and reserve for the Somali community. It is also anticipated that the climatic event La Niña will cause reduced local food supply and incomes, which would exacerbate food insecurity. Many households remain indebted and have become ‘pastoralist drop-outs’, concentrated on the outskirts of towns throughout the regions, being entirely dependent on handouts and relief. With one in six children acutely malnourished and one in twenty-two severely malnourished in South-Central Somalia, the nutrition situation remains one of the worst in the world.

In response to this humanitarian crisis the Commission allocated a total budget of € 35 million to Somalia in 2010. The main sectors addressed were healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation, food security, temporary shelters, coordination, protection and drought preparedness/response. Commission support in Somalia reached an estimated three million people. In the health sector, Commission support focused on primary healthcare, specialised mother and child healthcare, paediatrics and emergency war surgery as well as curative nutrition operations. Regarding food security, there were several components programmed, including the reinforcement of emergency veterinary services, delivery of seeds and tools, cash-based assistance (i.e. cash for work or unconditional cash) and other livelihood initiatives. One key life-saving programme was the wet feeding programme in Mogadishu, which continued to provide roughly 75 000 cooked meals a day. Water and sanitation, a sector of vital importance in Somalia, included improved access to water and hygiene. Most of the assistance has in the past been focused on the Central and South regions, where the large majority of the needs are still concentrated. However, because of the drought in the pastoral Central-North regions and an increased influx of IDPs to other areas of the North, Commission support continued to include assistance to the most vulnerable people of Puntland and Somaliland.

The reduction in the number of incidents directed at humanitarian personnel or assets was clearly linked to the reduced UN and NGO presence in South Somalia, where access for international staff remained highly restricted. Fighting for control of territory and the targeting of humanitarian assets and staff frequently prevented access to affected populations or interrupted assistance activities in different locations. In the course of the year a total of seven humanitarian agencies operating in the Central-South regions were expelled by armed opposition groups. Increased pressure and unacceptable requests from these groups triggered the suspension of aid operations in some cases. Despite this, the Commission sought ways to improve the delivery of aid in Somalia, including through rigorous selection of partners and programmes.

Uganda

As of January 2010 more than one million persons were still classified as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Acholi region of north-central Uganda: 20 % living in IDP camps, 16 % living in transit sites, and the rest having returned to their villages of origin but not yet considered to have attained a durable solution. Of the original 251 IDP camps, 110 were yet to be phased out and officially closed.

The Karamoja region faced a fourth consecutive year of below-average rainfall in 2009 and the situation was exacerbated by insecurity due to a prevailing culture of cattle raiding and the Government of Uganda’s still incomplete disarmament programme. Although restrictions of movement had, to some degree, been lessened, the livelihoods of the population remained precarious.

DG ECHO’s Global Plan for 2010 (€ 6 million) included three specific objectives: (1) to improve the humanitarian situation of the IDPs of the Acholi region by providing camp phase-out and reintegration support; (2) to save and preserve life by ensuring food assistance to the IDPs of the Acholi region; (3) to continue strengthening management and coordination of the humanitarian response among multilateral and bilateral agencies and non-governmental agencies in Uganda.

Support was provided to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Norwegian Refugee Council under the first objective, to the WFP under the second objective, and to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs under the third objective. In all 4 000 households considered to be extremely vulnerable were helped to attain a durable solution with shelter and latrine construction and provided with essential household items. A total of 97 transitional classrooms together with sanitation facilities were built in schools around the Acholi region and safe water provision was ensured in return areas by rehabilitating or constructing some 53 boreholes with incorporated hand pumps and protecting 72 spring sources. Protection monitoring and advocacy was undertaken for the whole of the IDP population to ensure that the durable solutions envisaged were voluntary. In all 99 721 extremely vulnerable IDPs received food aid until July 2010 when the general food distribution programme was terminated as planned.

Regional action in the Horn of Africa — Disaster preparedness

At the beginning of the year, about 12 million people living in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) of the Horn of Africa were in the initial phase of recovery from significant humanitarian needs, caused not only by the severe drought of 2009, but mostly by continuously eroded coping capacities as a result of recurrent drought exposure, deficient development and the inadequacy of disaster risk reduction policies and strategies, among other aspects. The population living in arid areas relies mostly on subsistence livestock keeping and/or agro-pastoralism and depends on the use of existing natural resources and/or the ability to move with their herds to areas with more water and better pasture. The effects of climate change — rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall — have a serious impact on their livelihoods. The combination of restricted access to natural resources, inadequate resource management and a rise in the population in most of the region has increased the competition for scare resources and exacerbated resources-based conflicts. High levels of malnutrition in children, above WHO emergency thresholds, prevailed in many parts of the arid lands throughout the year and significant numbers of people remained food-aid dependent.

Facing the above context, in 2010 DG ECHO continued to support operations aimed at reducing the impact of disasters (mainly droughts) on the vulnerable populations inhabiting the ASAL of the Horn of Africa. A € 20 million Drought Cycle Management decision was adopted in mid-2010 to support appropriate preparedness and mitigation measures, with the aim of reducing the vulnerability of the population living in arid areas to the effects of drought. The pilot disaster risk reduction (DRR) operations, supported within this framework, are meant to strengthen the coping capacities of the vulnerable communities, but also to pave the way for development stakeholders to embrace effective strategies for reducing the negative impacts of drought, based on best practices and lessons learnt from humanitarian actions.

Since 2008, the Commission has supported drought preparedness operations in the Horn of Africa region (mainly Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and Djibouti) with a total of € 60 million, pursuing the objective of preparing vulnerable — mostly pastoralist and semi-pastoralist — populations for droughts, which recurrently plague the ASAL. Activities supported in 2010 were kept in line with the Drought Cycle Management approach, promoting community-based preparedness and disaster risk management fitting with the added value of DG ECHO’s involvement (focus on the most vulnerable people, support to humanitarian partners). Up to 12 million pastoralists and/or agro-pastoralists were targeted — directly and indirectly — by DG ECHO disaster/drought risk reduction funding in the Horn of Africa spread over 18 months (July 2010-December 2011).

Poor security and limited access to target populations constrained the implementation of some activities in 2010. Some security constraints were encountered in Ethiopia’s Southern and Ogaden regions, in North-Eastern Kenya and in the Karamoja region of Uganda, requiring DG ECHO to choose very carefully the places and types of intervention it could support for implementing DRR activities.

DG ECHO (in cooperation with other EU instruments) continued during the year to work towards setting the conditions for the pilot projects to be scaled up appropriately, as well as assuring their sustainability. The involvement of partners such as the FAO and the UN ISDR, as well as NGOs pursuing their efforts in terms of awareness and advocacy for DRR in the Horn of Africa, was essential in this respect, as these partners are working in both humanitarian and development contexts. The DRR actions contributed also to improving the quality and adequacy of the humanitarian response, through sharing of practices and lessons learnt in drought cycle management, as seen by the positive proactiveness of the humanitarian stakeholders in the initial response to the deterioration of the drought situation in the Horn of Africa towards the end of 2010.

3.3.3. West Africa

West Africa is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped regions in the world. Three quarters of the population live in rural areas and rely mainly on subsistence agriculture. Food production in the Sahel still relies mainly on erratic rainfall and livestock is reared in harsh environmental conditions aggravated by climate change (droughts, floods).

Sahel and coastal States

A total of 58 million people live in five Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger). Over 14 % of the 1 524 000 children under five years of age in these countries are considered to be at risk of acute malnutrition. Of these, over 250 000 children are considered to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and are thus in an immediate life-threatening situation.

In 2010, with a budget of € 43 million, the principal objective of DG ECHO’s strategy was to respond to the major food crisis threatening the region as a result of the poor harvests following the erratic rains during the 2009/2010 agricultural season and to achieve a sustainable reduction in acute malnutrition and in infant and maternal mortality rates.

Lessons learned from the 2005 nutritional crises in Niger and Mali were very important in providing indicators for a road map to deal with acute under-nutrition in the Sahel. Particular efforts have been made to avoid stand-alone humanitarian feeding centres and to encourage the integration of humanitarian action into the national health system and local structures.

Experience during the year demonstrated that progress has been made in increasing the involvement of governments and development donors in the fight against malnutrition. Current systems are not able to cope with the shock of a large-scale additional crisis and humanitarian aid is still necessary.

DG ECHO’s Sahel strategy is built around the LRRD objective of positioning food and nutrition security at the centre of government policies and development aid programming. In 2010, the Commission funded operations in response to acute levels of malnutrition and to help those affected by the food crisis. During the year, funding in the five countries of the Sahel supported direct treatment of more than 300 000 children for acute malnutrition with 11 million other beneficiaries helped through food-related assistance.

DG ECHO successfully spearheaded the implementation of routine rapid nutrition surveys using the SMART methodology to improve access to reliable baseline information. This has now become a standard tool in West Africa. DG ECHO has continued to support Household Economy Analysis (HEA) in the region.

In addition to the funds allocated to the fight against malnutrition, DG ECHO adopted an emergency decision (€ 2 million) in July in response to the severe floods in Burkina Faso which caused massive damage to homes and rural infrastructure, and a further emergency decision allowed DG ECHO to contribute to the needs of over 400 000 people affected by the floods in Benin (€ 1.55 million).

Ivory Coast

With the current post-electoral crisis since November 2010, ethnic resentment and violence resumed very quickly in this area and led to large-scale population displacement (some 16 000 persons fled the ongoing fighting in the western part of Ivory Coast).

Whereas the political situation is at a stalemate, food and commodities prices rose sharply and access to food for the vulnerable populations is becoming hampered. Protection of civilians has become a major concern. An emergency decision allocating € 5 million to aid for the victims of the crisis was approved in December.

The security situation for international humanitarian workers has deteriorated, with regular harassment from supporters of former President Gbagbo. Withdrawal of non-essential staff has weakened the capacity of the humanitarian community to respond to the crisis in the country. Many of DG ECHO’s humanitarian partners are sending emergency assessment teams in early 2011 to carry out needs assessments and design an appropriate response.

Liberia

Since the end of the conflict in Liberia, humanitarian needs in the country have evolved greatly. Major efforts have been made to improve access to basic services and to provide support to restore livelihoods. However, significant challenges remain: continued substitution by aid agencies and lack of qualified human resources still constitute the main feature of the public sector. The situation in the water and sanitation sector has improved, but a lot remains to be done in numerous rural communities as well as in urban areas, especially Monrovia, where regular cholera outbreaks occur; finally, food insecurity is still prevalent in numerous counties although efforts have been made to improve the situation.

In addition, since November 2010, the government and aid agencies have had to respond to a new caseload of Ivorian refugees seeking asylum in the remote eastern part of Liberia. Over 25 000 refugees are in need of multi-sector assistance.

In 2010, the focus was partly on continuing to support livelihoods at community level through food assistance and water and sanitation operations. In the health sector, the objective was to continue providing support, including a malnutrition project in Monrovia, and to attempt to secure the basis for a proper handover of DG ECHO’s support. € 9.95 million was allocated to support vulnerable Liberian populations in 2010.

Despite difficulties encountered in the field due to the lack of adequate government structures, some significant progress has been made: the EDF will as a priority take over the funding of previous DG ECHO-supported operations in the health sector in early 2011 and the nutrition programme will be integrated into Ministry of Health structures. Creation of a National Water Resource and Sanitation Board in 2010 makes it possible to start a real LRRD process in this sector.

Sierra Leone

Despite two successful elections since the end of the civil war in 2001, Sierra Leone still faces major challenges in development and good governance. Progress in rehabilitating the economy and building up basic health and education services has been slow. Access to healthcare in Sierra Leone has been constrained by a complex mix of factors, including limited availability of staff and drugs, traditional beliefs, lack of transport and affordability. The authorities have a limited capacity to deal with health problems, resulting in one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world and an infant under five mortality rate of 194/1 000 live births.

In order to address the high mortality in the vulnerable population, free access to primary healthcare for children under five, pregnant women and lactating mothers was introduced on 27 April by the government. But the regular free provision of essential drugs to the vulnerable population (children under five and pregnant and lactating mothers) will be delayed until after early 2011. In the meantime the rapid increase in the number of treated children for malnutrition had serious implications for the supply and funding of ready-to-use-therapeutic feeding (RUTF). DG ECHO therefore committed € 6.6 million from Sierra Leone’s 10th EDF allocation to support the provision of essential drugs and therapeutic feeding in an emergency mode.

3.3.4. Southern Africa, Indian Ocean

The total amount of funding for this region in 2010 was € 31.7 million.

Malawi

In 2010, DG ECHO provided funding to the tune of € 1.5 million from EDF funds to support an emergency mass measles vaccination campaign with the intention of containing and controlling a serious epidemic outbreak of the disease in the south and centre of the country. By the time emergency operations ended in October, Commission funding had supported the vaccination of more than 1 250 000 children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years, as well as the treatment of thousands of cases.

Zambia

In the light of the continued stabilisation of the conflict in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DG ECHO provided € 1.2 million from EDF funds in 2010 to continue its support for the voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees from camps in Zambia. This final phase saw a further 7 000 refugees repatriated.

Zimbabwe

The general objective in 2010 was to mitigate the effects of socio-economic breakdown on the deteriorating situation of vulnerable groups and contribute to the delivery of basic social services to the population. In January, an ad hoc decision was adopted in order to contribute € 2 million (EDF funds) to the procurement and distribution of essential medicines and medical supplies. The early part of the year was marked by a huge measles epidemic, which triggered the adoption in April of an emergency decision allocating € 1 million to support a mass vaccination campaign. Humanitarian operations were further funded in the areas of health, water and sanitation (following an integrated public health approach) and emergency household food security and livelihoods. All the activities included HIV/AIDS prevention components. An amount of € 15 million was made available for funding such operations. In October, an inter-service mission was carried out to identify the third phase of a short-term strategy of support, focusing on health, education, food security and governance, and overall on the LRRD approach.

Regional action in southern Africa — DIPECHO

A second Disaster Preparedness (DIPECHO) Action Plan for south-east Africa and the south-west Indian Ocean was launched in 2010 for an amount of € 6 million funded from the Disaster preparedness budget line. A total of 17 grants are being implemented over an 18-month period in the Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique. The actions aim to increase resilience and decrease the vulnerability of local communities and institutions by supporting strategies that enhance their capacities and enable them to better prepare for, mitigate and respond adequately to natural disasters. The areas chosen for this second action plan are among the most vulnerable in the region to recurring natural disasters.

In view of the initial lessons learned from DIPECHO operations during the implementation of the first Action Plan, it was decided to make available an amount of € 5 million from the main humanitarian aid budget line in order to support complementary and parallel pilot food security operations focusing on disaster risk reduction. Actions under this innovative approach commenced in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique in August, with first indications pointing to wholehearted enthusiasm of the beneficiary communities and successful outcomes.

3.4. Middle East and Mediterranean

DG ECHO continued to be involved in preserving the dignity of its beneficiaries in the Middle East and Mediterranean region in 2010. Some of the longest running humanitarian crises in the world persist in this region, including the plight of the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, living in camps in the Sahara desert under extremely harsh conditions.

Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon

The Israeli military operation against the Flotilla sailing to Gaza in May 2010 and the international uproar that it caused led to the Israeli Government’s decision on 20 June to loosen up the access regime of the Gaza Strip. However, changes on the ground in terms of access (humanitarian and commercial) have been very limited. The announcement in December by the Israeli Government of new measures to facilitate exports out of Gaza was a welcome development, but at the end of the year levels of exports were still far below pre-blockade levels.

The living conditions of the Gaza population have severely deteriorated since the blockade was imposed by the Israeli authorities after the Hamas’s coup against Fatah in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. In 2010, the blockade continued to paralyse the private sector and to drive many Palestinians into unemployment and poverty. It also continued to prevent urgently needed reconstruction work from progressing and to hamper the economic recovery which was crucial after the Israeli military offensive ‘Cast Lead’ ending in January 2009.

In the West Bank, the burden of the Separation Barrier and of the 500 physical obstacles seriously impeding the movement of the Palestinian population has been compounded by increasing settler violence. The Israeli decision not to extend the partial and temporary moratorium on the construction of settlements has further aggravated Palestinians’ already dire living situation. In Area C of the West Bank, more than 350 structures were demolished by the Israeli authorities, causing the displacement of about 500 people, including around 250 children.

Restrictions on freedom of movement imposed by Israeli authorities have continued to impact the lives of Palestinians: economic growth is still impaired, and people’s access to education, employment, healthcare and other services is still heavily disrupted. At the same time, settlers’ violence, confiscation of land, forced evictions, house demolitions and displacements went on uninterrupted in 2010. Humanitarian aid in these areas focuses on basic needs such as food assistance, water supply, health and sanitation, as well as protection and psychosocial activities.

In 2010, evictions and house demolitions were a growing concern for Palestinian communities living in East Jerusalem and more and more Palestinian families run the risk of displacement or eviction.

Living conditions for most Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are very precarious. With two thirds of them living in UNRWA camps or unofficial gatherings scattered across the country, they have limited access to basic services. Palestinian refugees remain highly dependent on external assistance for the provision of healthcare, and humanitarian food assistance in the Nahr El Bared Camp, where the entire population has been displaced, is still an acute need.

The Commission provided € 58 million for humanitarian operations benefiting Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Lebanon.

A total of € 51 million was devoted to operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 62 % of the response directly supported the population of Gaza. In the protection sector, the Commission paid particular attention to the prevention of violations of international humanitarian law. The working environment in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where restricted access continues to shrink humanitarian space, remains volatile. In the occupied Palestinian territory, close and effective coordination was maintained with other donors to ensure that humanitarian assistance and other programmes complement each other, in particular Pegase.

For Palestinian refugees in Lebanon (€ 7 million), a significant part of the EU humanitarian aid supported the Nahr El Bard population through in-cash or in-kind food assistance, rental subsidies and shelter rehabilitation activities.

Iraqi crisis

Since the 2003 war, Iraq has been faced with a dire security situation characterised by sectarian violence and ongoing asymmetric warfare, particularly after the attack on the Holy Shrine at Samara in February 2006. However, since the middle of 2007, with the military surge of the Multi-National Force Iraq (MNF-I) against insurgents and militias (Sadr city in April-May 2008, Dyala governorate in July-August), the number of violent incidents in Iraq has fallen.

The total number of Iraqi civilians and security force personnel killed in violence in 2010 was higher than the previous year. A total of 3 605 Iraqi civilians, police and army personnel were killed last year — 124 more than the 3 481 who were killed in 2009. However, violence in both years was still far lower than in the past.

Nevertheless, Iraq remains a very dangerous country where civilians are killed on a daily basis. Humanitarian access is of prime concern as some areas remain inaccessible due to continued violence. The neighbouring countries, Syria and Jordan, are struggling to cope with a high number of refugees: 139 000 UNHCR-registered in Syria and 31 000 in Jordan as of October, and an unknown number of unregistered refugees.

In 2010, DG ECHO provided humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable population of Iraq and to the Iraqi refugees living in neighbouring countries for an amount of € 18 million. The Decision included a significant protection component as well as activities in the fields of health and psychosocial support, water and sanitation and direct assistance (cash, non-food items — NFIs). The strategy followed recommendations made by an external evaluation conducted at the end of 2009.

The most vulnerable groups, especially the internally displaced in Iraq, cannot be easily reached by humanitarian assistance. Massive displacements do not take place any more in Iraq and the few displacements are due to attacks targeting minorities. Insecurity has limited the population’s mobility and access to basic services and has severely damaged public infrastructure. Reconstruction efforts, although substantial, are severely hindered by continued violence resulting in high levels of unemployment, a steady decline of basic services and a significant deterioration of the health and education sectors.

Coordination with other donors remains good, with regular meetings between DG ECHO and the Member States and the United States in Amman and Damascus, while coordination in Iraq is limited by the security issue.

Yemen

The limited resources of Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, have been stretched by the conflict with the Al Houthi movement in the north, the continuous influx of refugees from the Horn of Africa, the disturbances in the south, the fight against terrorism and growing socio-economic difficulties.

According to the UNHCR, about 200 000 people were registered as displaced persons following the clashes in the north at the end of the year. However, the total affected population could reach one million. At the same period of time, following the large migration flows during the year, the number of refugees reached 250 000 persons, all in need of humanitarian aid. In addition, the country suffers from a high level of malnutrition which undermines the survival of young children. The 2011 OCHA consolidated appeal was launched for a total amount of $ 225 million, aiming mainly to fund operations in the food and nutrition sectors for the IDPs and the refugee population.

The Commission adopted a financial decision of € 10 million. 85 % of this amount was used for operations in Northern Yemen in the following sectors: water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food distribution, primary health service and coordination, the rest having been allocated for supporting urban and camp refugees in the Southern part of the country. Work in Northern Yemen is still hampered by insecurity and the recurrent difficulty in gaining access to areas under the control of the Al Houthis in the North. A recent mission by Commissioner Georgieva and UNHCR High Commissioner Guterres addressed the access problem and opened a window of opportunity, with the Houthis signing a declaration on humanitarian access as requested by the mission.

DG ECHO has funded OCHA coordination activities in order to improve the needs analysis and the efficiency of the aid provided and to advocate the mobilisation of additional funding and access to all the population affected by the different conflicts. A risk management component has also been supported to enhance humanitarian NGO security.

Sahrawi refugees (Algeria)

Since 1975, tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees have been hosted by Algeria in camps situated in the South-Western region of Tindouf. The living conditions of the Sahrawi refugees, who have been living in these camps for more than 30 years, are extremely difficult. Refugees depend completely on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs: food, health, water/sanitation, shelter, hygiene and education.

According to the needs identified by the World Food Programme (WFP), 125 000 basic food rations equivalent to 2 100 kcal/ration/day need to be provided to the refugees each month. Given the arid environment of the Sahrawi camps, water is the refugees’ main need. It is supplied through wells and boreholes, and treated, stored and distributed through water trucks and a tube distribution network connected to tap stands. The immediate objective is to guarantee 15 litres per day per person. The tube distribution network needs to be expanded as the limitations of the water trucking system are numerous: irregularity of water supply, especially in summer, due to the high maintenance requirements of the tanker trucks, which are old and in bad condition; insufficiency of the quantity of water supplied; risk of contamination of the water during transport and storage even though the water quality is adequate at source.

Sanitation is a key concern, particularly in communal facilities such as schools and health centres. The situation varies from one facility to the other, with some schools having no functioning latrines and others having latrines in need of rehabilitation and maintenance.

The health system, which is composed of dispensaries and regional hospitals, has two weaknesses: (1) an ongoing lack of resources and a dependency on international aid for the supply of consumables, drugs and vaccines; (2) structural problems inherent in running a health system, such as difficulties in keeping qualified staff (particularly doctors and nurses