Annual Report on Humanitarian Aid 1997
Date: 1998-07-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Community body, activity report, cooperation policy, foreign policy, humanitarian aid

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

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Brussels,  15.07.1998 
COM(1998) 448  final 

Annual Report on Humanitarian Aid  1997 

(presented by the Commission) 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Executive summary 

1.  GENERAL FRAMEWORK 

1.1  Legal  basis,  follow-up  of the  Council  Regulation  and  coordination  with 

Member States 

1.2  Financial basis 

2.  OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK 

2.1  Revision of the Framework Partnership Contract 

2.2  Coordination with partners 

3.  HUMANITARIAN  OPERATIONS 

3.1  Africa 

3.2  Central and Eastern Europe 

3.3  Russia and CIS 

3.4  Asia 

3.5  North Africa  and the Middle East 

3.6  Latin America and the Caribbean 

4.  HORIZONTAL  ACTIVITIES 

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o 

4.1 

Information 

4.2  Evaluation and Financial Audits 

4.3  Databases and Management  Systems 

4.4  Disaster Preparedness 

4.5  Education and Training 
4.6  Policy Initiatives 

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5.  COORDINATION AND COOPERATION 

5.1 

Inter-service Coordination 

5.2  European Parliament 

5.3  WEU 

5.4  Relations with United Nations 

5.5  Relations with the United States 

5.6 

Japan 

6.  PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 

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18 

18 

Annexes 

Annex 1 

Financial Decisions for Humanitarian Aid by Region 

Annex 2 

Humanitarian Assistance -  Contracts by Financial Years 

Annex 3 

Overview  of  Financial  Decisions  for  EC  Humanitarian  Aid  by  source  of  Finance 
1993-1997 

Annex 4 

Amount of the Contacts Signed in 1996 and 1997 

Annex 5 

Annex 6 

Financial Decision for Humanitarian Aid by Region in 1996 and 1997 

EC Contracts for Humanitarian Assistance in 1993-94-95-96-97 (Financial Years) 

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Executive Summary 

In 1997 ECHO'S activities reached a regular cruising speed. They constitute an integral part of 
the  Community's  initiatives  in  the  filed  of  external  relations  and  notably  the  "human 
dimension". Public support in Europe for humanitarian aid activities remains high. 

On the financial  side there was a certain decrease of funds  from ECU 656 million in  1996 to 
ECU 441 million in 1997, mainly due to the fact that ECHO did not call on the humanitarian 
reserve and instead had additional funds transferred from other budget lines. However, within 
the  reporting  year  ECHO, actually  increased  its  activity  level  in  terms  of  funds  disbursed 
compared with the previous year. This increase is due to substantial decisions on humanitarian 
aid allocations at the end of 1996 for which contracts were signed in 1997. 

Former  Yugoslavia  and  the  Great  Lakes  region  remained  the  main  theatres  of  activity, 
together  accounting  for  33% of  ECHO's  funds.  As opposed  to  the previous  years,  1997  -
fortunately -  did not produce the one major crisis that focused  a lot of attention. At the same 
time ECHO considerably  strengthened  its presence in the field  by basing  additional  ECHO 
correspondents in the Middle East (Amman), South-East Asia and Colombia. 

Obviously,  complex  emergencies  and  natural  disasters  continued  to  occur,  in  the  case  of 
armed conflict  often  aggravated  by lack of access to the victims. Humanitarian  assistance is 
more  and  more  hampered  by  a  lack  of  humanitarian  space,  a  problem  which  has  to  be 
addressed  on  all  levels, including  political  ones. Consequently,  the  question  of  security  for 
humanitarian  relief  workers  and  humanitarian  space  was  ECHO'S  main  field  of  policy 
development in 1997. 

1997 also saw enhanced efforts  to strengthen coordination with ECHO'S partners. In the first 
18 months  of  existence  of  the  regulation  on  humanitarian  aid,  coordination  with  Member 
States  intensified,  on  operational  as well  as political  level.  The revision  of the  Framework 
Partnership  Contract  was  the  occasion  to  improve  ECHO's  cooperation  with  partners, and 
intensified  contacts with the different  parts of the UN system resulted in closer cooperation at 
field as well as at headquarters level. 

Disaster preparedness  and the preparation  for  the possible  effects  of  El Nino were  another 
focus  for ECHO in  1997, as well as the continued implementation of the communication on 
Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development. 

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1.  GENERAL  FRAMEWORK 

1.1 

Legal  basis, follow-up  of the Council Regulation  and coordination with Member States 

1997 witnessed the consolidation  of work carried out within the Humanitarian Aid  Committee 
which  was  set  up  in  1996  following  the  entry  into  force  of  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No  1257/96 of 20 June  1996 concerning humanitarian aid.1 

At  its first  meeting  in  1997, and in accordance with the relevant provisions  of the  Regulation, 
the  committee  discussed  guidelines  and  orientations  for  the  year  ahead  on  the  basis  of  a 
working  paper  entitled  "ECHO  1997 Strategy".  This discussion  was very  fruitful  and  set  out 
the basis for similar exercises in the  future. 

The committee  met  seven  times in  1997. All  of the  Commission's  draft  proposals  referred  to 
the committee, either by oral or written procedure, received a favourable  opinion. 

In  addition  to  formal  decisions  on  proposed  actions  in  a  specific  country  or  region  the 
Committee handled  an increasing number of horizontal issues in the field  of humanitarian  aid, 
thus helping to develop dialogue with Member  States on issues of common interest. The main 
issues  examined  ranged  from  revision  of  the  Framework  Partnership  Contract  (see  chapter 
2.1), protection  and  security  of relief workers, to evaluation  of humanitarian  aid  programmes 
and visibility. 

The  main  event  regarding  policy  discussions  was  an  informal  meeting  of  the  Committee 
dedicated  exclusively  to  discussing  the  impact  of  the  UN  reform  proposals  on  the 
humanitarian sector (see chapter 5.4). 

1.2 

Financial  basis 

In  1997  the  humanitarian  aid  budget  managed  by  ECHO  stood  at  ECU  441.6  million. 
Although  a considerable  amount,  this  was  a smaller  budget  than  ECHO  disbursed  in each  of 
the two previous years (ECU 656 million  in  1996 and ECU 692 million  in  1995). The relative 
improvements  on  the  ground  in  former  Yugoslavia  and  Central  Africa,  as  well  as  in  other 
theatres of crisis in the world, have contributed to this development. 

In  spite  of  a  drop  in  the  volume  of  humanitarian  aid  in  1997,  it  is  important  to  note  that 
ECHO'S level  of activity  stayed the same due to substantial resources committed  at the end of 
1996. for  which contracts were signed  in the reporting year (see annex 4). For a more  detailed 
statistical breakdown please refer to the annexes. 

1  Official  .'ournai  I. 

2. 

O P E R A T I O N AL  F R A M E W O RK 

2.1  Revision of the Framework Partnership Contract 

The Framework  Partnership Contract  currently  in force  was adopted  by the  Commission in 
May  19932  and  entered  into  force  in  September  1993. The  adoption  of  the  Regulation  on 
humanitarian  aid and the experience  gained in recent years both highlighted the need for its 
revision. 

The  objectives  of  the  revision  are  as  follows:  simplification,  clarification,  flexibility, 
transparency  and optimisation  of results, whilst  maintaining  an adequate  level  of control of 
the use of Community funds. 

As part of the revision process, ECHO entered into an informal, yet exhaustive, dialogue with 
the humanitarian  partner organisations: NGOs and international  organisations. The Member 
States were duly informed  of progress on the exercise in the framework  of the Humanitarian 
Aid Committee. 

The  revision  of  the  Framework  Partnership  Contract  required  a  considerable  input  from 
ECHO legal and financial experts and the dialogue group of ECHO's partners. It is hoped that 
once the revised  version  of the agreement  is  introduced  in  1998, it will  have  succeeded  in 
capitalising on the strengths of the existing agreement while at the same time developing the 
partnership in the contested areas. 

Once consultations with the humanitarian organisations are completed and the Member States 
have  been  notified,  the  Commission  will  adopt  a  communication  establishing  the  new 
Framework Partnership Contract for regulating ECHO's relations with its partners. 

2.2  Coordination with partners 

ECHO  continued  throughout  the  year  to  seek  opportunities  for,  and  devote  time  to, 
discussions with various groupings of partner NGOs in a number of Member States. Upon the 
new  Director's  assuming  his  functions,  an  early  priority  was  to  meet  with  NGOs  in  all 
Member  States as well  as with  ICRC, IFRC  and UN partner  agencies  in  Geneva.  Partners 
appreciated  this  approach  and  the  lines  of  communication  which  it  was  instrumental  in 
opening. 

Close  coordination  with  partners  at  the  policy  level  was  assured  through  participation  in 
numerous forums and workshops in 1997. This and the ongoing work in the Dialogue Group 
on  the  revision  of  the  Partnership  Contract  created  a  new  climate  of  confidence  between 
ECHO and its partners. 

2  PV (93)  1151 - SEC/93/688 and 12. 

3. 

H U M A N I T A R I AN  O P É R A T I O NS 

3.1  Africa 

1997 was an especially  difficult  year for  all humanitarian  organisations  in the  Great  Lakes 
region. After two years of the presence of more than two million Rwandan refugees  in relief 
camps in former Zaire and Tanzania, the situation changed dramatically in the space of a few 
months by far-reaching developments. 

The period was marked, at the end of  1996, by the sudden return of one million refugees  to 
Rwanda. An exodus lasting several months saw hundreds of thousands of them scattered over 
vast areas of the Great Lakes region. 

The task of humanitarian organisations was not made any easier by prohibitions of access, the 
lack of security and the policies of national and local authorities on the deployment of aid. 

ECHO mainly funded  the deployment of emergency relief aid in the form  of food, hygiene, 
medical and sanitation supplies so as best to respond to requirements.  ECHO was also  swift 
to  provide  funding  for  emergency  small-scale  infrastructure  rehabilitation  schemes, 
particularly in Rwanda. 

Under its ECU 158.93 million global plan, adopted in December 1996, ECHO endeavoured to 
meet immediate, post-emergency humanitarian requirements as best it could while at the same 
time respecting the mandate of each of the international organisations. 

Humanitarian  assistance  in  Rwanda  principally  focused  on  all  vulnerable  members  of  the 
community  -  the  elderly,  widows,  the  victims  of  genocide,  unaccompanied  children  and 
prisoners - with a view to facilitating their reintegration. 

In 1997, a total of ECU 31 million was allocated to Rwanda, 79% of which, i.e. 24.6 million, 
was  used  to  finance  operations  via  the  international  agencies,  e.g.  UNHCR,  WFP, WHO, 
UNICEF, ICRC and IFRC. 

The Member States and ECHO are the leading donors of humanitarian assistance to Burundi. 
12 of the country's  16 provinces are covered by ECHO programmes despite the severe access 
problems and permanent  lack of security. During  1997 ECHO provided  financial  support of 
around ECU 15 million. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year,  the  main  programmes  funded  by  ECHO  in  the  Democratic 
Republic  of  Congo  were  UNHCR  relief  programmes  for  the  Rwandan  and  Burundian 
refugees  scattered throughout the country and medical programmes carried  out by the ICRC 
and NGOs to assist displaced persons and other victims of the troubles in various regions. 

After  the capture of Kisangani  in March, relief  continued  for  refugees  and  local  inhabitants 
but under increasingly difficult  conditions and with limited access to victims. ECHO  funded 
most  of  the  operations  for  the  return  of  Rwandan  refugees,  in  particular  airlifts  out  of 
Kisangani, Mbandaka and Loukolela between May and September. 

More than ECU 10.5 million was spent on medical and nutrition programmes during the year 
via 18 NGOs, in addition to direct allocations to the UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and ICRC. 

Financial support provided by ECHO during 1997 totalled some ECU 60 million. 

At  the turn  of the year  1996/97, the Tanzanian  and  Rwandan  authorities  caught  the  UNHCR 
unprepared  by sending more than  500 000 Rwandan refugees  in the camps in Tanzania  back 
to Rwanda. 

There were simultaneous reports of new movements  of Congolese refugees  in the direction  of 
Tanzania. 

The  current  total  of  refugees  in  DRC  is  approximately  335 000,  consisting  of  260 000 
Burundians  and  75 000  Congolese  divided  up  into  ten  camps  under  the  control  of  the 
UNHCR, IFRC and WFP and financed  mainly by ECHO. ECHO has provided  some ECU  22 
million in support for  1997. 

There are considerable delays in Angola in the schedule agreed  for the implementation  of the 
Lusaka  agreements,  signed  in  1994. Angola  is  still  divided  up  into  Government  and  UNITA 
controlled  zones which  has hindered  the  free  movement  of persons  and  goods  and  restricted 
humanitarian  aid  programmes  on  account  of  localised  trouble  spots,  banditry  and  anti 
personnel mines. 

The  demobilisation  process  is  proving  particularly  slow.  The  currently  reported  figure  of 
38 497  consists  mainly  of  children  and  the  elderly.  According  to  various  sources,  between 
18 000  and  35 000  armed  UNITA  troops  are  scattered  throughout  the  country,  although  the 
figure  is probably nearer 20 000. 

Humanitarian  aid  from  the  Commission  to  Angola  in  1997  totalled  ECU  14  million,  from 
which  31 operations were financed  via 25 NGOs and international  organisations  covering  the 
following  priority  sectors:  health  care  and  preventive  care,  emergency  vaccinations, 
therapeutic  and  supplementary  nutrition,  improved  water  and  sanitation,  distribution  of  basic 
necessities,  logistics,  protection  of  civilians  and  family  tracing.  In  December  1997  a  new 
financial  decision  for  Angola  amounting  to  19 million  ECU  was  taken,  these  funds  will  be 
disbursed during  1998. 

Thanks to ECHO  and  its partners, a population  estimated  at 2 300 000 has access  to  primary 
health care and medical referral  services in some eleven of the country's provinces. 

The ECHO Flight service created in  1994 continued to run in the Horn of Africa.  Six  aircraft, 
based  in  Nairobi,  Djibouti,  Mandera  and  Lokichoggio  are  currently  used  for  humanitarian 
operations in Somalia, Kenya and southern Sudan. 

Between May  1994 and the end of  1997, ECHO Flight carried more than  110 000 passengers, 
more than 35 000 tonnes of cargo and logged more than 39 000 flight hours. ECU 9 million in 
aid was granted in  1997 to allow ECHO Flight to continue operations. 

During the year, the effective  implementation of humanitarian aid was jeopardised by the poor 
security  situation,  in particular  in  Sudan,  and  by  low air traffic  capacity  at Lokichoggio  as  a 
result of the ban on flights  imposed by the Sudanese Government. 

1997 may prove to be the year that peace returned to Liberia after  more than seven years of a 
terrible  civil  war.  Implementation  of the  1996 peace  accord  (Abuja  II) went  ahead  relatively 
smoothly  with the disarmament  and demobilisation  of combatants  in the first phase, and then, 
in a second phase, the elections which installed the government of Charles Taylor. 

On the  security  front,  the  multinational  African  force  ECOMOG  continued  its  peacekeeping 
role. Its mandate lasts until February  1998. There was a considerable fall  in security  incidents 
and outbreaks of shooting during the year. 

The  dominant  issue  on  the  security  front  was  the  return  of  400 000  refugees  and  displaced 
persons  to  their  homes.  In the  interests  of  continuity,  ECHO  and  DG VIII  maintained  close 
coordination  of  their  operations  in  the  region.  ECHO  focused  on  the  medical  and  nutrition 
sectors  adopting  a strategy  of gradual  withdrawal  while DG VIII took  over responsibility  for 
programmes in these areas. As ECHO's total withdrawal from  Liberia was planned for the end 
of December  1997, it adopted only one new decision in  1997 for a total of ECU  1 million. 

The  return  of  refugees  and  displaced  persons  to  north  Mali  gathered  pace  during  the  year 
thanks  to  the  introduction  of  numerous  aid  programmes  at  their  destinations.  Mali's 
programme  for  the  demobilisation  and  socio-economic  reintegration  of  ex-combatants 
achieved its overall aim. 

Nevertheless,  the  rehabilitation  of  essential  everyday  structures  (means  of  subsistence, 
income-generating  activities) remains, a vital necessity. 

In  1997  ECHO  decided  to  step  up  operations  in  Mali  both  on  a  sectoral  and  geographical 
basis. Following  an  integrated  approach,  projects  financed  by  ECHO  were  aimed  principally 
at  the  rehabilitation  of the  return  destinations  of the refugees  and  displaced  persons  so  as  to 
help  them  resume  their  income-generating  activities.  ECHO's  operations  were  coordinated 
with  DG VIII  as  well  as  with  Member  State  development  programmes.  The  global  plan 
decided  by  the  Commission  covers  a period  of  one  year  from  July  1997  to  July  1998  for  a 
total of ECU 7.6 million. Commissioner Emma Bonino visited Mali in December. 

Although  the year  got  off  to  a good  start  in  Sierra  Leone  with the  return  of  almost  500 000 
displaced  persons  to  their  home  villages,  leaving  the  camps  practically  empty,  a coup  d'état 
on 25 May  1997 overthrew the fragile  government  which had been democratically  elected the 
previous year. The political situation has been extremely confused  ever since with the military 
junta  forming  an alliance  with the  RUF  rebel  movement  (started  in  1991) and  the  legitimate 
government  in  exile  in  Conakry,  supported  by  local  militias  and  the  inter-African  armed 
forces  of the ECOWAS countries. 

The ECOWAS  countries decided to impose a total economic  embargo on Sierra Leone at the 
end of August.  On 8 October, the UN Security Council approved an extension of the embargo 
to cover arms and oil. 

In  the  face  of  international  pressure,  a  peace  agreement  was  adopted  on  22  October  by  the 
ECOWAS  Committee  of Five  and  the military junta.  The agreement  provides  for  a  ceasefire 
and  the  demobilisation  of  both  armies  with  effect  from  1 December  and  the  restoration  of 
President Kabhah to power from  22 April 1998. 

However,  as  the  last  few  weeks  of  1997  have  shown,  implementation  of  the  agreement  is 
proving  very  difficult.  The  disarmament  and  demobilisation  phase  has  not  got  off  to  the 
expected start. An uncertain future  is in prospect.3 

Since this report was written  at the end of  1997, the situation  in Sierra Leone has been thrown  into chaos. Faced  with 
an  impasse  on  the  peace  agreement,  the  ECOMOG  forces  launched  a  military  offensive  on  Freetown  in  early 
February.  Although  the  capital  has  been  retaken,  the  war  has  spread  to  the  rest  of  the  country,  arousing  fears  of  a 

5 

On  the  humanitarian  front,  the  situation  was  kept  under  control  thanks  to  some  outstanding 
preparatory  work  and  to  the  excellent  coordination  provided  by 
the  humanitarian 
organisations. Nevertheless, humanitarian  assistance was used as a means of exerting political 
pressure  when,  at the end of  1997, aid was prevented  from  crossing  the  Guinea-Sierra  Leone 
border  by  the  ECOWAS  blockade  despite  the  fact  that  some  trading  was  still  going  on  even 
under the embargo. 

ECHO  encouraged  coordination  between  all  the  parties  involved  in  Sierra  Leone  by 
organising  a meeting in Brussels in early  October.  It has played  an active part throughout  the 
crisis,  contributing  to  the  tune  of  ECU  3.7  million,  mainly  in  the  health  sector  through  the 
ICRC, MSF, MERLIN and ACF. 

Throughout  1997, the  situation  in  Somalia  has  been  characterised  by  a  mixture  of  apparent 
progress  towards  political  reconciliation  between  some  of  the  major  faction  leaders,  and 
continued  or  even  worsening  insecurity  and  inter-clan  conflict  on  the  ground  in  many 
locations.  The  different  regional  efforts  to  find  a  peaceful  solution  culminated  in  a  meeting 
held  in Cairo in November  1997 at which all major  leaders, with the  exception  of  'President' 
Egal  of  Somaliland  in the north east, seemed to have reached  agreement  on the  establishment 
of  a  transitional  national  government. 
It  is  too  early  at  this  stage  to  say  whether  this 
agreement  will  be  the  breakthrough  in  restoring  peace  to  a  country  that  has  been  without  a 
central government  since the beginning of the decade. 

In late October  1997, Somalia's problems were compounded  by  severe  floods  which  affected 
much  of the south of the country.  By mid December,  over  1 500 people were known to  have 
died and a further  230 000 had been displaced from their homes by rising flood  water. 

During  the  year,  ECHO  allocated  a  total  of  ECU  7  million  for  humanitarian  assistance  in 
Somalia.  Of  this  amount,  ECU  2  million  was  released  in  November  in  order  to  provide 
immediate  life-saving  assistance to flood victims.  The remaining  ECU  5 million was used to 
fund  a  number  of  core  health  and  nutritional  programmes  designed  to  meet  the  basis 
humanitarian  needs  of  the  most  vulnerable  sections  of  the  population,  in  particular  women, 
<children  and  displaced  persons.  These  programmes  are  concentrated  in  the  most  insecure 
regions of the country,  such as Mogadishu  and Kismayo, where basic conditions  do not  exist 
for DG VIII to fund more ambitious and far-reaching  rehabilitation programmes. 

Much of northern and eastern Kenya  was affected  by severe climatic conditions during  1997: 
drought  until  October,  followed  by  exceptionally  heavy  rains  in  the  last  two  months-of  the 
year  which  lead  to  widespread  flooding.  Combined  with  the  increasing  incapacity  of 
governmental  authorities  to  meet  the  basic  needs  of  the  Kenyan  people,  this  lead  to  a 
significant  deterioration in the humanitarian  situation. 

During  1997, new funding  decisions totalling 3.1 million ECU were taken by the Commission 
for  humanitarian  assistance  in  Kenya.  These  funds  were  used  for  variety  of  water  and 
nutritional  interventions in drought  affected  areas between April  and  October, and later in the 
year  also  for  emergency  programmes  in  the  health  and  food  sectors  in  the  response  to  the 
severe  flooding. 

humanitarian  disaster,  in particular as regards  food  supplies, as access by road  and air to the  interior of the country  is 
currently  impossible.  ECHO has released ECU  1.9 million to help with the situation. 

ECHO  released  a total  of  2.23  million  ECU  for  humanitarian  assistance  in  Ethiopia  during 
1997.  This  amount  was  used  to  support  three  distinct  humanitarian  programmes.  Firstly, 
ECHO  made  a  grant  to  the  UNHCR  for  a  large-scale  water  programme  in  the  east  of  the 
country  designed  to  benefit  the  large  Somali  refugee  population  in  this  area  as  well  as  the 
local  Ethiopian  population,  many  of  whom  are themselves  returned  refugees  from  Somalia. 
Secondly,  ECHO  supported  an  emergency  nutritional  intervention  in  Gode  town  carried  out 
by MSF Belgium in favour  of a marginalised community of returnees from  Somalia. 

Finally,  funds  were  given  to  the  ICRC  in  order  to  strengthen  their  protection  activities  in 
Ethiopia,  in particular  visiting  political  prisoners  and  trying  to  ensure  basic  minimum  prison 
conditions. 

There  was  no  improvement  in  the  political  situation  in  Sudan,  especially  in  the  south, 
compared  to  1996.  On  the  eve  of  its  fifteenth  anniversary,  the  war  in  Sudan  flared  up  at  the 
start  of the  year  in  the  south  of  the  country  thus  giving  rise  to  new  movements  of  displaced 
persons in the region. 

For  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  region  of  Africa,  humanitarian  assistance  has 
become  the  sole  means  of  subsistence.  Meanwhile,  the  position  of  the  humanitarian 
organisations  in  Sudan  is  becoming  increasingly  precarious  following  the  expulsion  of  one 
French NGO  (Action  contre  la Faim) from  southern  Sudan  in  September  and  attempts  by  all 
the warring parties to take direct control of the distribution of humanitarian  aid. 

In  1997, ECHO provided more than ECU 21 million in humanitarian  aid to the victims of the 
war  in  Sudan  and  northern  Uganda.  This  includes  logistical  support  provided  by  ECHO  to 
southern Sudan (ECHO Flight) and a contribution to the World Food Programme in respect of 
food  aid in the north and south of the country. ECHO's priorities are basically  still the same as 
for  1996,  i.e.  medical,  sanitation  and  nutritional  assistance  and  some  food  security 
programmes, notably in the veterinary  sector. 

3.2 

Central and Eastern  Europe 

The  political  situation  in  former  Yugoslavia  in  1997  remained  inconclusive.  Entering  the 
second year of peace there was a notable overall improvement of the humanitarian  situation  in 
most parts of the region. Nevertheless, the improvement of the general  situation in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina  that  was  expected  in  1997  only  partially  materialised.  While  the  large  scale 
economic  reconstruction  programme  has  taken  off  and  is  starting  to  show  real  results, 
especially  in the  Croat-Muslim  Federation,  the country  remains  largely  unable  to  provide  for 
basic services to its population. This is particularly affecting  Republika  Srpska, where the lack 
of  progress  in  the  return  process  has  made  most  donors  withhold  their  funding  for 
reconstruction  projects.  Humanitarian  assistance,  especially  in  the  form  of  small-scale 
rehabilitation,  coupled  with  specific  efforts  towards  dependency  reduction  and  local  capacity 
building consequently remained  necessary. 

Nevertheless  the  continued  implementation  of  the  Dayton  Peace  Process  meant  that  strictly 
humanitarian  aid  to  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  could  be  further  reduced  as  more  regular 
assistance  from  the  European  Commission  through  the  OBNOVA  and  PHARE  programmes 
(217  MECU  for  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina)  could  be  implemented.  The  return  of  internally 
displaced  persons, as well as refugees  from  the Union did however continue to require  special 
assistance  from  ECHO.  Elsewhere  in  former  Yugoslavia,  aid  continued  to  decline,  being 

restricted  now  to  Croatia  and  FRY.  Overall  aid  from  ECHO  to  these  three  countries  was 
ECU  133 million compared to ECU  187 million in 1996. 

Two events demanded important ECHO assistance elsewhere in Eastern Europe.  The collapse 
of  an  ordered  system  in  Albania  led  to  a  series  of  decisions  to  provide  humanitarian  aid 
totalling  ECU  16 million,  but  by the  end  of  the  year,  as normality  returned,  the  efforts  were 
concentrated on the medical sector. 

Equally the worst flood in recorded memory in this part of the world led to ECU  14.1 million 
being  granted  principally  to  Poland  and  the  Czech  Republic,  but  with  small  amounts  to 
Slovakia  and  Hungary.  Most  of the  funds  were  destined  for  rehabilitation  and  winterisation. 
Flood-related  reconstruction  in  Poland,  Romania  and  the  Czech  Republic  was  equally 
supported  through  re-allocation  of  over  100  MECU  from  the  PHARE  programme.  At  the 
height  of  the  crisis  in  July  1997  Commissioner  Emma  Bonino  visited  both  Poland  and  the 
Czech Republic to gain a first-hand impression of the scope of the natural  disaster. 

The  only  other  aid  to  Eastern  Europe  was  ECU  1.8 million  of  medical  supplies  and  some 
food  to  Bulgaria.  From  the  PHARE  programme,  a  total  of  40  MECU  emergency  social 
assistance was made available. 

3.3 

Russia and CIS 

In  1997, humanitarian  aid  to  the  Commonwealth  of  Independent  States  totalled  ECU  36.05 
million. 

In  Central  Asia, the Humanitarian  Office  provided  aid  of ECU  14.9 million  to  Tajikistan,  a 
country where all socio-economic  indicators  continued  their decline, although  there was hope 
of  a  real  end  to  the  five-year  civil  war.  In  Kyrgyzstan,  some  degree  of  positive  growth 
permitted a decrease in humanitarian aid from  ECU 3.92 million in  1996 to ECU 2.75 million 
in 1997. 

Following  a  strategy  involving  passing  from  relief  aid  to  rehabilitation  and  development 
stages, ECHO has reduced  its humanitarian  assistance to Armenia, Azerbaijan  and  Georgia 
from  ECU 24.6 million in 1996 to ECU  14 million in 1997. 

Concerning  the Russian  Federation,  the  aid  granted  by the  Commission  reached  ECU  2.75 
million.  Due to the ongoing deterioration of security in the northern Caucasus and despite the 
acute  humanitarian  needs  in  Chechnya,  further  scheduled  programmes  could  not  be 
implemented.  The  aid  programme  for  the  victims  of  the  Chernobyl  catastrophe  in  1997 
amounted to ECU  1  million. 

3.4 

Asia 

North  Korea  has  received  special  attention  following  the  humanitarian  crisis.  ECHO  sent  an 
independent  evaluation mission to this isolated  country in March. As the findings of this  mission 
confirmed  the seriousness of the situation (total collapse of food  distribution mechanisms  and the 
public health system), the European  Commission  agreed  on a substantial  humanitarian  assistance 
package.  Apart  from  food  aid  (channelled  via  DG  VIII),  the  programme  also  contains  public 
health-related  assistance carried out by ECHO. ECHO has allocated more than ECU 20 million to 
various  projects  in  the  fields  of  distribution  of  medicines  and  medical  equipment,  nutrition,  as 
well  as  water.and  sanitation  (implemented  by  various  NGOs  and  international  agencies).  The 
programme  is monitored  and coordinated  by  a team of independent  experts  based  in  Pyongyang. 
Although  working  conditions  remain  tough,  experience  proves  once  again  that  ECHO  and  its 

partners  are  capable  of  carrying  out  humanitarian  assistance  even  in  an  extremely  difficult 
environment. 

As regards the Indian subcontinent,  ECHO's  attention  in  1997 was - as in previous years  -mainly 
focused  on the humanitarian needs caused by the civil war in Sri Lanka. In  1997 ECHO allocated 
altogether  ECU  3 million  to  various  projects  in  favour  of  the  hundreds  of thousands  of  persons 
displaced  by  the  war.  Despite  several  major  campaigns  by  government  forces  and  some  steps 
towards  a political  solution, the  overall  situation  has  not  greatly  changed  in  1997, the  fourteenth 
year of the  conflict. 

During  L997 ECHO  signed  humanitarian  contracts  in  favour  of Afghanistan  for  a total  value  of 
ECU  40.62  million.  These  humanitarian  operations  cover  relief  work,  mine  clearance,  public 
health, water and sanitation as well as shelter projects. 

The ongoing  war as well  as the strict rules  imposed  by the Taliban made the living  conditions  of 
the Afghan  people worse than ever. ECHO's operations, implemented by a wide range of partners 
(including  20 European NGOs, the International Red Cross and some UN agencies), play a crucial 
role in providing relief to the local population. 

The  highly  publicised  visit  of  Commissioner  Bonino  to  Afghanistan  in  September  1997  has 
helped to put the situation of Afghan  women under the Taliban back on the world agenda. 

ECHO  approved  five  decisions  in favour  of the  victims  of war  in Cambodia,  for  a total  amount 
of ECU  5.535 million. Apart from  the continuation of ongoing operations concerning  orthopaedic 
programmes  and  training  activities  for  victims  of  antipersonnel  mines,  the  assistance  to  the 
population  of  the  Northern  provinces  (started  in  1996  after  these  areas  had  been  deprived  of 
humanitarian  aid  for  nearly  twenty  years)  was  also  continued.  Following  the  violent  fighting 
which  broke  out  in July  between  followers  of Prince  Ranarriddh's  FUNCINPEC  and  Hun  Sen's 
Cambodian  People's  Party  (CPP),  assistance  was  provided  to  the  numerous  victims  who  had 
either been displaced within Cambodia or had fled to Thailand. 

In Thailand,  ECHO funded  operations  in favour  of the Karen, Karenni  and Mon, who  are  living 
as refugees  or  displaced  persons  in the  areas  around  the  border  with  Myanmar.  ECHO  allocated 
ECU 3.25 million in assistance (food, medical and sanitation) to this refugee  population. 

An  evaluation  carried  out  in  Myanmar  confirmed  the  difficulties  encountered  by  humanitarian 
agencies trying  to implement  projects  autonomously.  A decision  of ECU  675 000 has,  however, 
made it possible to continue a sanitation project  in favour  of vulnerable people  living  in the three 
townships of Rakhine State and the Rohingyas. 

As regards Laos, ECHO approved three decisions in favour  of the victims of floods and  displaced 
people (ECU 2.02 million). 

Vietnam  suffered  considerable  hardships  during  the  autumn  of  this  year,  due  to  the  damage 
caused  by  typhoons  Fritz  and  Linda.  Humanitarian  assistance  to  the  typhoon  victims  reached  a 
total of ECU  1.625  million. 

In  September  1996, the  government  of  the  Philippines  and  the  Moro  National  Liberation  Front 
signed  a historic  peace  agreement, putting  an end  to  twenty  years of conflict  on Mindanao.  One 
of  the  most  urgent  problems  now  will  be  the  reintegration  of  120 000  Muslim  combatants  and 
their families  in the Mindanao  area.  Apart  from  a project  in favour  of vulnerable persons  in some 

neighbourhoods  of Tondo District (Manila), the three decisions taken by the Commission  in 1997 
(ECU 980 000) mainly focused  on Mindanao. 

Severe  droughts  and fires, influenced  by the  El Nino phenomenon,  put  Indonesia  into  a state of 
emergency.  Only with considerable delay did the Indonesian  Government  appeal  for  international 
assistance  (heavy  material  for  the  extinction  of  the  fires  and  for  monitoring  pollution  levels). 
Humanitarian  agencies  were  hesitant  in  submitting  projects  to  ECHO,  given  the  limited 
willingness  of  local  authorities  to  grant  access  to  some  of  the  concerned  population  groups  (in 
particular  ethnic  minorities). However,  following  an exploratory  mission,  a decision  in  favour  of 
vulnerable  groups  on the island  of Java was taken.  A second  decision  was taken  in December to 
cover  health/sanitation  needs  in Irian Jaya  and  Sumatra.  Total  assistance  to  Indonesia  amounted 
to ECU 2.055  million. 

Since the end of the Gulf War in  1991, the Commission has been the major  donor of humanitarian 
aid to Iraq, with over ECU 200 million. Despite considerable problems of access for the NGOs to 
Iraq,  the  ECHO  1997  contribution  saw  the  implementation  of  projects  to  the  order  of  ECU  22 
million.  These  operations  focused  mainly  on  rehabilitation,  the  supply  of  medicines,  mine 
clearance  and  victims  of  landmines.  These  operations  were  hindered  by  a  renewed  outbreak  of 
armed conflict  between the Kurdish factions  in the North. 

Initially  aid  was  almost  exclusively  for  the  Kurdish  controlled  North,  however  the  1997 
programme was almost equally  split between the North and  Government  of Iraq  (GOI) controlled 
areas.  ECHO is monitoring the effects  of the UN oil-for-food  deal for  Iraq  of USD 4 000 million 
US dollars a year, which began to be implemented  in  1997. 

Commissioner  Bonino  travelled  to Iraq  with  an evaluation  mission  in July  1997  in  order  to gain 
some first hand assessments of the humanitarian  situation. 

3.5 

North Africa  and the Middle East 

ECHO  operations  mainly  benefited  the  Sahrawi  refugees  in  the  Tindouf  area  of  Algeria, 
Palestinians  living  in  the  Gaza  Strip  and  the  West  Bank  and  Lebanese  civilians  and 
Palestinian  refugees  in Lebanon. 

In  May,  aid  of  ECU  7  million  was  approved  for  the  Sahrawi  people,  consisting  of  a 
substantial  package  of food  aid and various non-food  projects.  An additional  sum  of ECU  0.6 
million  was  allocated  to  help  keep  up  supplies  of  essential  food  items  to  this  vulnerable 
community. 

Recent  events  in  the  Occupied  Territories  in  Israel  and  in  southern  Lebanon  continue  to 
have  a  severe  impact  on  the  Palestinian  community  and  on  the  Lebanese  who  are  suffering 
under  the  repercussions  of  the  repeated  territory  closures  and  tension  in  south  Lebanon. 
ECHO has focused  its efforts  on the health sector and on emergency  food  aid to the poor. 

A  total  of  ECU  10.35  million  has  been  approved  in  assistance  to  the  Palestinians  and 
Lebanese.  This  sum  will help  a number  of NGOs  and  international  organisations  to  provide 
relief  to  clinics,  dispensaries,  special  centres,  crèches,  etc.  in  the  Gaza  Strip,  the  West  Bank 
and  Lebanon. 

This  year  ECHO  conducted  its  first  operations  in  Jordan,  providing  assistance  to  Palestine 
refugee  camps  in the country  (ECU  0.6 million) via the  UNRWA  and  other  European NGOs. 

10 

Another  first  for  ECHO  in the region  was the opening  of an office  in Amman  to  oversee  the 
various humanitarian assistance programmes. 

3.6 

Latin America and the Caribbean 

ECHO's  activities  in  South  America  have  followed  similar  patterns  to  those  in  1996.  In 
Colombia and Peru, strategies were defined  in favour of displaced persons and victims of violence 
which  led  to  global  plans  being  implemented.  In  Ecuador,  Bolivia  and  Paraguay  ECHO  also 
assisted  victims  of natural  disasters. In  1997 activities in Latin America were increasingly  aimed 
at mitigating the effects  of El Nino (see chapter 4.4). 

ECHO  provided  assistance  in  Guatemala  to  demobilised  ex-guerrillas  and  to  displaced 
persons  returning  from  Mexico  following  the  signature  of  the  definitive  peace  agreement 
putting  an  end  to  36  years  of  internal  armed  conflict.  The  total  aid  approved  amounts  to 
ECU 6 050 000. 

Operations  in  Nicaragua  focusea  on helping  public  health  services  deal  with  epidemics  and 
other urgent health problems. Aid  totalling  ECU 2.8 million was approved.  Funding  of  ECU 
250 000 was also provided  for  the first phase  of  a mine  clearance  programme.  Humanitarian 
operations  in  Honduras  supported  pilot  projects  in  the  health  sector  for  the  benefit  of 
indigenous  minorities  and  isolated  communities  not  covered  by the  state  services  for  a  total 
amount of ECU 0.9 million. 

Funding  was  provided  at  minimum  notice  in  Mexico  for  emergency  aid  to  victims  of 
hurricane  Pauline  (ECU  500 000).  Towards  the  end  of  the  year,  a  second  sum  of 
ECU 800 000 was approved in emergency aid to victims of hurricane Rick. 

There are continuing  problems  in Cuba, in particular in the health and food  sectors. In  1997 
the  Commission  approved  the Fourth  Global  Plan for  a total  sum of ECU  8 million  in  aid  to 
the most vulnerable sections of Cuba's population: children, pregnant women, the sick and the 
elderly.  A  further  ECU  2  million  was  approved  in  emergency  aid  to  vulnerable  groups  not 
covered  by  the  health  system.  Other  humanitarian  operations  were  conducted  in  1997  in 
response to natural catastrophes, e.g. hurricane Lily and an epidemic of dengue  fever. 

Haiti  has  been  one  of the  examples  of  a  successful  strategy  of  continuum  linking  relief  and 
development. At the end of  1997 ECHO has ceased its activities in the health  sector  on  Haiti 
with  DG  VIII  taking  over  the  programmes  from  February  1998.  To  ensure  a  smooth  hand 
over 2 MECU have been disbursed for the transition period. 

4.  HORIZONTAL  ACTIVITIES 

4.1 

Information 

ECHO's  Information  strategy  in  1997 combined five strands: the media, publications,  audio 
visual productions, joint  activities with NGOs  and international  organisations, joint  activities 
with Member States. 

In  close  cooperation  with  the  Spokesman's  Service,  press  releases  were  issued  to  announce 
major  decisions. Smaller decisions were grouped in 'News in Brief  items. An ECHO  website 
was developed, featuring  ECHO publications and decisions. Facility visits for journalists were 
organised  to  theatres  of  ECHO  operations,  notably  to  Northern  Iraq  and  Afghanistan.  This 
yielded extensive  coverage  in both print  and broadcast media. Also in close cooperation  with 

11 

the  Spokesman's  Seryice,  articles  and  letters  to  editors  were  drafted  for  publication  in 
international newspapers such as the International Herald Tribune and Financial Times. 

Publications  included: 

1.  Annual  Review,  explaining  ECHO's  work  over  1996  in  accessible  terms,  illustrated  with 
high-quality  photographs  and  graphics,  published  in English,  French,  Spanish,  Italian  and 
German. 

2.  ECHO  News,  a  quarterly  newsletter  in  French  and  English,  with  editions  in  other 

languages as appropriate, e.g. an issue on Bosnia in Serbo-Croat. 

3.  Brochures  on  specific  aspects  of  ECHO's  work.  Disaster  Preparedness  was  highlighted, 
with  a  compact  leaflet  in  three  languages  on  this  aspect  of  ECHO  policy.  In  addition  a 
leaflet  was  published  using  strong  images  from  Magnum  Photos  to  mark  ECHO's  fifth 
anniversary. Brochures were co-produced  and co-financed  with NGO partners. 

Audio-visual  productions  were  financed,  often  as  joint  productions  with  ECHO  partner 
organisations.  ECHO  has  also  developed  a mobile  exhibition  that  can  easily  be  reconfigured 
and adapted to suit different  contexts. 

The  ECHO  TV  and  radio  awards  scheme,  launched  in  1996,  entered  its  second  year,  and 
culminated  in a ceremony  at the end  of the  Luxembourg  presidency.  An  innovation  this  year 
was an 'Artists for Humanitarian Aid'  project,  for which artists donated paintings auctioned in 
a fund-raising  campaign for family  tracing projects  in Rwanda. The auction took place in The 
Hague in October. 

The  Framework  Partnership  Contract  with  NGOs  and  international  organisations  requires 
them  to  give  visibility  to  ECHO  as  a  donor,  and  we  have  successfully  been  developing 
strategies for highlighting which go beyond the obvious stickers. 

To promote  cooperation  with Member  States, events including  seminars and  exhibitions  were 
organised  in  both  the  Netherlands  and  in  Luxembourg  during  the  respective  presidencies, 
always in close collaboration with the national authorities and partner organisations. 

ECHO  Information's  activities  contributed  significantly 
organisation and its activities, both in Member  States and worldwide. 

to  raising  the  profile  of  the 

4.2 

Evaluation  and Financial Audits 

Evaluation  is  seen  by  ECHO  as  an  instrument  that  is  intimately  linked  with  its  operational 
work  and  is  designed  to  provide  critical,  relevant  and  independent  data  to  assist  in  the 
decision-making process. 

During  1997, the Evaluation Unit spent much of its time on the preparation of two evaluations 
of all humanitarian operations financed  by the Community, the first decided by the Council of 
Ministers  on  22  November  1996,  the  second  as  provided  for  by  Article  20  of  Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1257/96  of  20  June  1996  concerning  humanitarian  aid.  The  two 
evaluations are planned to start at the beginning  of the first quarter of  1998 and to last beyond 
the end of the year. The aims of the evaluations are as follows: 

12 

- 

- 

- 

to  contribute  to  future  reflection  on the  Union's  humanitarian  aid  policy  by  drawing 
on  the  information  gained  from  analysing  the  programmes  and  considering  the 
viability and effectiveness  of the policy pursued by the European Union in this area; 

to  improve  the  effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  the  European  Union's  aid  procedures 
and instruments, particularly with regard to devising, organising and using them; 

to  ensure  feedback  on  formulation  and  operational  monitoring  of  the  European 
Union's future  humanitarian aid policy. 

ECHO continued  to carry out evaluations  throughout  the year, mainly of its humanitarian  aid 
programmes in different  parts of the world which amounted to a total of ECU  150.53 million. 

Most of these evaluations fell within the framework  of the Commission communication to the 
to  Parliament  on  the  link  between  emergency  aid,  rehabilitation  and 
Council  and 
development.  Priority  was  given  to  the  need  for  systematic  coherence  and  synergy  between 
the different  instruments at the Commission's disposal for rehabilitation and development. 

During  the  year  ECHO  continued  to  develop  its  methodology  for  evaluating  humanitarian 
operations.  Its  manual  of  operations,  published  in  1996,  is  currently  undergoing  revision  to 
adapt it in the light of the experience ECHO has acquired  in the field of evaluation  and to the 
requirements of Regulation No  1257/96. The revised manual will be published in  1998. 

At the end of  1997 ECHO carried out audits at the headquarters of those of its partners which 
had received  80.5% of ECHO's  funds  over the three preceding  years. These control  missions 
have proved to be very productive: not only did they  allow ECHO to check the conformity  of 
actual expenditure incurred with those agreed upon in the contracts, they also provided  ECHO 
with  additional  information  on  the  capacity  of  its  partners.  For  them  the  control  missions 
provided  an  additional  communication  channel  for  their  financial  and  administrative 
personnel to ECHO's budget unit. 

In  1997  ECHO  also  introduced  a  second  audit  methodology,  in  order  to  complement  the 
existing well established methodology for audits at the headquarters of ECHO's partners. This 
new  approach is designed  for the audit of ECHO-financed  operations in the field. It has been 
tested in two joint field missions with major partners of ECHO and it is expected to be used in 
a limited number of missions with some of ECHO's partners in 1998. 

4.3 

Databases  and Management  Systems 

Humanitarian  assistance  embraces  a  wide  variety  of  scenarios,  conditions,  actors  and 
requirements,  spread  across  the  surface  of  the  planet.  Proper  communication  is  a must  if  all 
the various  factors  are to be mobilised  with  adequate  cohesion  to help the  victims  and  make 
best use of the available resources.  Modern electronic databases and IT-based  communication 
and management systems increasingly have a key role to play. 

Since mid-1996, ECHO's database related  to financial  management, the  Humanitarian  Office 
Programme  Environment  (HOPE) is operational. The Contract Management  System has been 
x extended  to  cover  financial  reports  and  analysis  and  is  under  redesign  to  integrate  the  new 
FPA.  Several  modules  are  expected  to  be  commissioned  in  1998,  including  one  for 
humanitarian  aid  actions  efficiency  evaluation,  one  for  financial  audits,  and  one  for 
operational  actions  follow-up. 

13 

1997 also saw the implementation of a revised system for exchange of information  on  funding 
decisions  between  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States.  This  system  aims  to  strengthen 
coordination  by  means  of  a  48-hour  turn-around  retransmission  on  internet  of  reports 
received,  alongside  the  statistics  and  contract  lists  from  HOPE  already  provided  on  internet 
since  1996.  The  14  point  fax  system  will  be  integrated  into  HOPE  in  1998,  allowing  the 
production of aggregate and comparative statistics. 

The  address  of  the  ECHO  home  page  on  the  Commission's  World  Wide  Web  server 
(EUROPA) is:  http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/echo/echo.html 

4.4 

Disaster Preparedness 

ECHO  continued  its  global  programme  of disaster  prevention  and  preparedness  and  adopted 
three financing  decisions relating to 25 projects for a total sum of ECU 5 384 000. 

ECHO  also  began  preparation  of  the  DIPECHO  programme  (Disaster  Preparedness  ECHO) 
designed  to  put  its  new  proactive,  regional  approach  into  effect.  The  programme  covers  the 
Caribbean,  Central  America,  South-East  Asia  and  Bangladesh  and  is  intended  to  address 
shortcomings  in  disaster  prevention  and  preparedness  systems  and  help  make  them  more 
coherent. Analyses were carried out for each of these regions and distributed  first  to  ECHO's 
partners  and then to the  Member  States  and to European NGOs  in July.  The  next  step  in the 
process  is  the  preparation  of  framework  programmes.  The  Centre  for  Research  on  the 
Epidemiology  of  Disaster  (CRED)  is  helping  draw  up  the  programme  documents  under 
contract to ECHO. 

Lastly, ECHO made a contribution  of ECU  1  616 000 to the Off-Site  Emergency  Programme 
(OSEP) for the prevention of nuclear accidents in Central and Eastern Europe. 

The  Commission's  disaster-preparedness  activities  take  full  account  of  the  1994  Yokohama 
recommendations  for  action  plans,  approved  as  part  of  the  UN  International  Decade  for 
Natural  Disaster  Reduction  (IDNDR).  Through  them,  human  resources  continue  to  be 
developed, response capabilities improved and demonstration microprojects  implemented. 

A newly  emerging area of activity in  1997 were the efforts  to mitigate the effects  of El Nino. 
ECHO  and  DG  VIII  co-chair  a newly  established  inter-service  group  on preparedness  for  El 
Nino  and  have  -  based  on  an  action  plan  for  1997/98  -  committed  resources  to  meet  the 
humanitarian  needs  resulting  from  the  predicted  crisis.  By  the  end  of  1997  ECHO  had 
committed  more  than  ECU  21 million  in response  to  the  effects  of El Nino.  Of this  amount 
ECU  20.6 million was spent on assistance to the victims of natural  disasters in nine  countries 
in  Asia  and  Latin  America,  whereas  about  ECU  500 000  went  into  disaster  preparedness 
measures in the regions most struck by El Nino. 

On  an  international  level  ECHO  has  been  beginning  to  coordinate  the  efforts  with  the  UN 
(especially  the  World  Food  Programme)  and  other  major  donors  like  the  United  States 
(USAID). 

4.5 

Education and Training 

ECHO  continued  its  support  for  the NOHA  (Network  on  Humanitarian  Assistance)  diploma 
during  1997. Based  on the  Socrates model, the programme  was launched  in conjunction  with 
DG  XXII  in  1994  with  the  aim  of  enhancing  the  professionalism  of  relief  workers  by 

14 

organising  postgraduate-level  university  courses.  The  NOHA  network  focused  its  efforts 
during  the  year  on  the  second  edition  of  the  diploma  course  manual  which  is  due  to  be 
completed  in February  1998. As a key instrument  in the protection of victims of conflicts,  the 
section on international  humanitarian  law has received  special  attention  and ECHO  continues 
to support its wider distribution. 

In view of the constantly rising demand for training in the field of relief work, ECHO has also 
considered  other  types  of  course  involving  a  number  of  the  parties  involved,  e.g.  solidarity 
organisations, training and research centres. 

4.6 

Policy Initiatives 

In  1997,  ECHO  began  work  on  a  draft  paper  on  relief  worker  security  and  humanitarian 
space, which was the subject of extensive consultations with partners and external  experts and 
so  far  has  been  extremely  well  received.  Clearly,  the  lack  of  security  is  one  of  the  major 
factors  impeding  operations  in many parts  of the world.  It is, however,  a complex  and  multi-
faceted  issue,  encompassing  technical  as  well  as  political  aspects.  It  is  intended  to  issue  the 
paper  together  with  a  communication  to  the  Council  in  1998,  which  will  draw  concrete 
conclusions to guide future  policy. 

In common with many other donors, ECHO placed  increasing emphasis in  1997 on the  issues 
of  gender  and  environment.  The  gender  policy  is  based  on  a  growing  awareness  of  the 
central  role  that  women  should  play  in  relief  contexts  and  particularly  with  regard  to 
distribution,  as well  as the need  to  focus  on  issues of reproductive  health. Recent  experience 
has  also  underlined  the  potentially  negative  impact,  particularly  of  large  and  inappropriately 
located  and  planned  refugee  settlements,  on  the  environment,  which  can  increase  tensions 
with local populations and undermine the economic basis of a given region  for many  years to 
come.  Both  of  these  issues  are  flagged  in  the  "ECHO  Humanitarian  Aid  Good  Practices 
Manual" on  which  considerable  effort  was  expended  in  1997 and  which  is  scheduled  to  be 
completed  in the first part  of  1998. Both  issues  also  feature  in the upcoming  "Field  Manual 
for ECHO Correspondents". 

The  launch  of  an International  Campaign  in the  field  of  international  humanitarian  law  took 
place in Paris in June attended by Commissioner  Bonino. The aim of the campaign  is to build 
up a groundswell  of opinion  in  favour  of  the  creation  of  an International  Criminal  Court  and 
to  support  the  activities  of  the  ad  hoc  Tribunals  for  former  Yugoslavia  and  Rwanda  on  the 
grounds  that,  if peace  is to  be  built  on  solid  foundations,  there  must  be  an  end  to  impunity, 
those responsible for war crimes must be sought out and justice restored. 

Events  leading  up  to  the  signing  of  the  Ottawa  Treaty  banning  anti-personnel  landmines 
were also a particular focus of advocacy efforts  during the year. 

5.  COORDINATION  AND  COOPERATION 

5.1 

Inter-service  Coordination 

In the interests  of maximising  the effectiveness  of its humanitarian  activities, ECHO  devoted 
itself  in  1997  to  the  implementation,  at  headquarters  as  well  as  in  the  field,  of  the 
recommendations  on  linking  relief,  rehabilitation  and  development  (LRRD)  contained  in  the 
Commission's  communication  of April  1996 and the European Council's conclusions  of May 
1996. The  inter-service  country  and regional  task  forces  in particular  have helped  build  close 
and  fruitful  cooperation  between  ECHO  and  the  Commission  departments  dealing  with  the 

15 

long-term  development  of the  countries  or  regions  concerned.  Some  of  the  task  forces  have 
recently  completed  their  mandate  and  handed  over  responsibility  for  ECHO's  activities  to 
other Commission departments (Haiti, Guatemala, Liberia). 

•  As the file leader of the PISG (Permanent Interservice Group on Refugees),  ECHO arranged a 
special  meeting  in  October  on  Palestinian  refugees  which  was  attended  by  the  EU  Special 
Envoy  to  the  Middle  East,  Miguel  Angel  Moratinos.  The  participants  discussed  the 
preparation by the Commission of a strategy paper on the issue. 

ECHO  continued  in  1997 to take part in the permanent  Inter-service  group on human  rights 
(chaired  by  DG  1A) which  focused  mainly  on  general  policy  questions,  country  policy  and 
project proposals. 

ECHO  also  participated  in  the  newly  created  Steering  Committee  on  Human  Rights  on 
directors level which will meet regularly in order to coordinate policy on Community level. 

More  specifically  ECHO  contributed 
to  the  draft  regulation  on  "Development  and 
Consolidation  and  the  Rule  of  Law  and  Respect  for  Human  rights  and  Fundamental 
Freedoms"  (COM  97/357)  and  the  European  Parliament's  report  on  Human  Rights  in  the 
World  1996/97. 

ECHO  continued  to  participate  in the  Mine-Clearance  Co-ordination  Group  (chaired  by  DG 
IA),  which  assists  the  development  of  coherent  and  consistent  policies  in  relation  to  the 
Commission's very extensive engagement in mine action. 

5.2 

European  Parliament 

At  the  start  of  the  year,  ECHO's  new  Director  appeared  before  the  European  Parliament's 
Committee  on  Development  and  Cooperation  to  present  the  broad  strategic  guidelines  of  its 
"ECHO Strategy  1997" paper (see above). 

The  European  Parliament  has  had  considerable  involvement  with  matters  relating  to 
humanitarian  aid especially in connection with the Court of Auditors'  Special Report No  2/97 
on humanitarian aid in the period  1992-95. 

Throughout  the year, ECHO was a keen participant  in discussions in the relevant  committees 
on  the  recommendations  that  the  Court  of  Auditors  put  forward  in  its  Special  Report.  The 
variety of points of view in an atmosphere of constructive and open dialogue helped enrich the 
debate and led to suggestions of ways to make humanitarian aid more  effective. 

On 21 February  Parliament  adopted  a resolution  on humanitarian  aid, the role of ECHO  and 
the  Commission  communication  on  linking  relief,  rehabilitation  and  development.  The 
Commission has informed  Parliament of the action taken in response to the resolution. 

On the operations side, the crisis in the Great Lakes region was the subject of special  attention 
from  the committee  concerned, as it was in  1996. Commissioner  Bonino  appeared before  the 
Committee  on Development  and  Cooperation  to  report  on developments  in the  crisis  and  its 
impact.  Other  theatres  of  humanitarian  action,  e.g.  North  Korea,  Sudan,  Sierra  Leone  and 
Afghanistan,  were also debated in Parliament and were the subject of resolutions. 

Commissioner  Bonino  took  part  in  the  debate  in  the  Committee  on  Women's  Rights  on 
"mainstreaming and humanitarian aid" against the backdrop of the plight of Afghan  women. 

16 

5.3  WEU 

A  seminar  was  held  in  December  1997  on  cooperation  between  the  EU  and  WEU  in 
humanitarian  crises,  on  the  initiative  of  Commissioner  Bonino  and  the  German  WEU 
Presidency. It made  it possible to identify  a series of practical  measures which could  be taken 
to enhance  synergy between the two organisations in the event of a crisis. Possible  follow-ups 
are being  discussed. 

5.4 

Relations with United Nations 

Since ECHO came into existence five years ago the United Nations system has been one of its 
major  partners in the field. 

ECHO  closely  follows  the  work  of  UN  organisations,  both  on  operational  and  policy  level. 
The  special  importance  of UNHCR  as a partner  is reflected  in the  regular  trilateral  meetings 
US/ECHO/UNHCR  (sometimes  as a quadrilateral  with  WFP). The  last  meeting  in June  1997 
dealt  mainly  with  the  application  of  the  Memorandum  of  Understanding  between  UNHCR 
and WFP and budgetary questions. 

On  a  day-to-day  coordination  level  ECHO  has  intensified  contacts  with  DHA,  especially 
MCDU  and  ReliefWeb,  which  has been  supported  financially  in  1997. The envisaged  reform 
of DHA's Consolidated  Appeals Process has also been a point of interest for ECHO. 

On  a  general  level  the  year  1997  for  the  United  Nations  system  was  largely  driven  by  the 
discussions  on  the  UN  reform  proposals  by  Mr  Annan  which  will  affect  the  humanitarian 
sector  in a substantial  way. It  is anticipated  that  the replacement  of DHA  with the  Office  for 
Coordination  of  Humanitarian  Affairs  (OCHA)  will  lead  to  a  focus  on  advocacy  and  policy 
functions  in New York and coordination  functions  in Geneva, with the transfer  of a number of 
operational  functions  to other agencies or parts of the UN system. 

In  order  to  exchange  views  and  sound  out  possible  common  ground  on  EU  level,  ECHO 
convened  an informal  meeting  on UN reform  in the humanitarian  sector with the Member 
States  in  September  1997.  Although  it  was  agreed  not  to  formalise  the  results,  the  meeting 
provided  a useful  start  of a more in-depth  policy  discussion  between  ECHO  and  the  Member 
States  on  matters  of  common  interest.  The  discussion  was  followed  up  by  bilateral  contacts 
both with Member  States and within the UN System. 

5.5 

Relations with the United  States 

The  relationship  between  ECHO  and  the  branches  of  US  Government  dealing  with 
Humanitarian  aid  (namely  USAID  and  State/PRM)  went  through  two  completely  different 
phases  in  1997.  Whereas  in  the  first  six  months  there  were  some  major  (and  sometimes 
public)  disagreements  on  how  to  deal  with  the  refugee  situation  in  ex-Zaire,  which  led  to  a 
virtual  standstill  in  communication  on  operational  matters,  the  second  half  of  1997  on  the 
contrary was more positive. 

The  third  Annual  High  Level  Consultations  on Development  and  Humanitarian  Aid  between 
the  Commission  and  USAID provided  a good  starting  point  for  an  intensified  contacts  in the 
future.  Amongst  the  conclusions  was  the  decision  to work  together  to  mitigate  the  effects  of 
El  Nino,  to  coordinate  activities  regarding  enhanced  security  of  relief  workers  and  to 
implement  a  staff  exchange  between  ECHO  and  USAID.  In  the  framework  of  the  New 

17 

Transatlantic  Dialogue  the  possibility  of  establishing  a  transatlantic  NGO  dialogue  on 
humanitarian  issues will be explored. 

5.6 

Japan 

Contacts  with  the  Japanese  authorities  dealing  with  humanitarian  aid  intensified  in  1997. A 
regular  exchange  of  data  on  the  provision  of  humanitarian  aid  was  agreed,  in  addition  the 
possibilities  of  ECHO  liaising  with  the  Japanese  in  developing  their  NGO  policy  were 
discussed.  1998 will probably see further  developments in that area. 

6.  PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 

ECHO  will  continue  to  try  to  improve  its  work,  both  on  an  operational  and  on  policy  level, 
alone and in coordination  with our partners. This work will eventually  lead up to a concept  of 
ECHO beyond the year 2000. 

An important aspect to be kept in mind will be the necessity to go beyond a simplistic  concept 
of humanitarian  aid as always being the "right thing" to do. The practitioners  of  humanitarian 
assistance will have to become more aware of the implications of their actions, an approach  to 
be summed up under the heading "do no harm". 

Realising  that  the  obstacles  to  delivering  humanitarian  aid  are,  as  always,  considerable,  and 
that massive violations  of human  rights are too often  associated  with complex  humanitarian 
crises, advocacy  on humanitarian principles and ethical issues has always been  of central  and 
growing  importance  to  ECHO.  This  policy  will  have  to  be  further  reinforced,  by  seeking 
consistent  action  in the field from  our partners; by contributing  to the  international  debate  on 
horizontal  issues; as well as through information  and visibility actions. 

One  issue  ECHO  will  be  focusing  on  increasingly  is  gender,  highlighting  the  problem  in 
Afghanistan  with  a  campaign  launched  on  the  initiative  of  the  European  Parliament  and 
culminating  on  Women's  Day,  8th March.  Other  issues in the public  domain  which  ECHO  is 
planning  to  support  on  humanitarian  grounds  are  the  "Ottawa  process"  for  a  total  ban  on 
landmines;  and  the  establishment  of  an  International  Criminal  Court.  Generally  speaking, 
special attention  is needed to efforts  establishing coherence between humanitarian  actions  and 
political positions taken by the EU or its Member states at the United Nations in New  York. 

Still  on  the  theme  of  obstacles  to  aid,  the  Commission  is  pursuing  its  work  with  a  view  to 
issuing in the course of this year à Communication  on the security of relief workers, together 
with ECHO's working paper on the same issue, which is central to humanitarian work  all  over 
the world. 

Doubts  as  to  the  standards  associated  with  the  international  humanitarian  effort  in  a  given 
situation  can  be  extremely  damaging  to the  identity  we are trying to reinforce  on the  ground 
and  which  plays  a  large  part  in  creating  secure  humanitarian  space.  With  this  in  mind, 
ECHO  will  join  with  the  UK  Presidency  to  address  the  subject  of  ethics,  which  is  an 
important  dimension  of  this  issue  and  which  contributes  to  the  debate  on  how  to 
operationalise  humanitarian  principles in the complex environment  which now  characterises 
almost all of its major  interventions. 

Linking  with  rehabilitation  and  development  remains  a major  priority.  A  particular  focus 
will  be  the  creation  of  open-ended  task  ibices  in  the  field,  including  the  participation  of 
interested  Member  States.  It  is  worth  notinu  that  successful  transition  has  reached  its  logical 

end-point  with the phasing  out  of  ECHO aid  in  such places  as Haiti  and FYROM,  and, in 
1998,  also  in  Liberia  and  Iraq  (subject  in  the  latter  case, to  UN  Res.  986  becoming  fully 
operational). 

Visibility  will move up a gear  in  1998 with the strengthening  of visibility  plans  for  major 
projects,  drawn  up  in  cooperation  between  operational  units  and  implementing  partners: 
improving the ability of ECHO's information  and awareness campaigns to reach the recipient 
countries. 

ECHO will  continue to try to live up to the hope and expectations  of the victims of armed 
conflict,  natural  disasters  and  complex  emergencies,  for  whom the help of  those better  off 
often remains their only chance. 

19 

ANNEXES 

Statistical  Overview 

Operations  in  budgetary  year  1997  were  on  a  significantly  smaller  scale  than  1996,  with 
decisions amounting to ECU 441 million as opposed to ECU 656 million the previous year (see 
annex 3). 

The  share  of  funds  between  regions  was  more  balanced  in  1997,  with  ECHO's  two  main 
theatres  of activity,  former  Yugoslavia  and ACP  countries, receiving  30.1% and  26.7% of the 
budget  respectively  (see  annex  1).  There  was  a  significant  increase  of  funding  spent  on 
preparedness for natural disasters (see chapter 4.4). 

Annex 2 shows the development of distribution of funds between ECHO's partners since 1993. 

Annex  3 provides  a  breakdown  by  budgetary  sources  since  1993. Although  in  a  decreasing 
manner, the 8th EDF remains an important source of funds for humanitarian aid. 

Annex  4  illustrates  more  clearly  the  difference  between  decisions  taken  in  a  financial  year 
(ECU 441 million in  1997) and contracts signed on the basis of decisions of the current as well 
as the previous  financial  year (ECU 612 million in  1997, of which ECU 298 million are based 
on 1997 decisions and ECU 314 million on 1996 decisions). 

Annex  5 shows the financial  decisions in  1997 by regions, whereas annex 6 demonstrates the 
breakdown of contracts by partners. 

ECHO  produces  a  set  of  detailed  quarterly  statistics  which  are  available  on  request.  Some 
summary statistics and contract lists are also available on the web page. 

<£ 

FINANCIAL  DECISIONS  FOR  HUMANITARIAN  AID  BY  REGION 

ANNEX 1 

As per: 31/12/97 

BB/TABEXC/RAPAN  97/ANNEX5.XLS 

c,t L 

350,000,000 

300,000,000 

250,000,000 

200,000,000 

150,000,000 

100,000,000 

50,000,000f 

Humanitarian  Assistance  -  Contracts  by  Financial  Years 

•  1993  D1994  D1995  D1996  ED 1997 

AS PER  : 29/01/98 

ANNEX 2 

OTHER  INTERN. ORG. 

BB/TABEXC/RAPAN  97/ANNEX6.XLS 

OVERVIEW  OF FINANCIAL  DECISIONS  FOR EC HUMANITARIAN AID BY SOURCE OF FINANCE  1993-1997 

Source of 

finance I 
Budget Line 

Description 

DECISIONS 
(in ECU) 

DECISIONS 
(in ECU) 

DECISIONS 
(in ECU) 

DECISIONS 
(in ECU) 

DECISIONS 
(in  ECU) 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

At  par. 

29/01/98 

ANNEX 3 

LOME  III 

NATIONAL  INDICATIVE  PROGRAMME (NIP) (1 ) 

LOME  III 

ART 203 

6,500,000 

1,296,000 

FEOGA 

FOND EUR. D'ORIENTÀ ET DE GARANTIE AGRI. (3) 

B7-5000 

HUMANITARIANS EMERGENCY AID 

B7-6000 

PHARE 

LOME  IV 

ART 164 and ART 254 (2) 

82,185.000 

263,268,603 

46,456,000 

3,487,000 

7,420,0001 

B7-510 

DISASTER AID DEVELOPING  COUNTRIES 

70,033,195 

109,522,247 

; 

EMERGENCY  FOOD AID 

HUMANITARIAN AID TO C & E EUROPE 

HUMANITARIAN AID TO  EX-USSR 

\ 

: 

HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN 3RD  COUNTRIES 

REFUGEES & DISPL  PERSONS  IN DEV.  COUNTRIES 

OPERATIONAL SUPPORT, DISASTER  PREPAR. 

HUMANITARIAN AID TO WESTERN  SAHARA POP. 

(4) 

( f j_ 

(4) 

(4)_ 

(fj_ 

(4) 

B7-210 

B7-511 

B7-211 

B7-514 

B7-214 

B7-515 

B7-215 

B7-516 

B7-216 

B7-517 

B7-217 

B7-219 

B7-644 

TOTAL 

FOOTNOTES: 

(1)  NATIONAL INDICATIVE PROGRAMME FOR SOMALIA 

(2)  5-YEAR ALLOCATION (1*91-95) UNDER  LOME IV IS 250.000.000 ECU 

(i)  DECIDED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS 

17,425,000 

46,000,000 

385,000,000 

271,380,000 

30,000,000 

50,000,000 

8,713,000 

3,998.574 

3,662,000 

20,000,000 

238,339,500 

386.550,000 

212,162,9541 

33,710,000 

236,670,000 

187,150,000 

158,985,000| 

93,350,000 

49,750.000 

36,050,0001 

604,814,195 

764,169,424 

692.092,512 

656,655,500 

441,611,954 

38,540,000 

5,027,012 

21,420,000 

6,298,500 

2,000,000 

19,960,000| 

7,034,0001 

(4)  IN  I N S, THE BUDGET CHAPTER  THAT CORRESPONDS TO ECHO BECOMES  B7-200 INSTEAD OF B7-500 
(5)  IN  1895. A S MECU DECISION WAS CANCELLED AND DE-COMMITTED UNDER BUDGET UNE B7-2I4. HENCE. NET DECISIONS IN 1985 FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA AMOUNTED TO 229.6 MECU. 

Financial  Decisions for EC Humanitarian Aid  1993-1997 

800,000,000-, 

700,000,000 

600,000,000-4 

Z3  500,000,000 
o 
LU 
.£ 
£  400,000,000 
z 
r> o 

< 

300,000,000 

200,000,000 

100,000,0004 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

M/T«JCXOIUMN.t»ANNa3.]tlt 

ft| 

Amount of the Contracts Signed in 1996 and 1997 

CONTRACTS SIGNED in MECU 

ANNEX 4 

As per : 07/01/98 

MECU 
700 

MECU 
700 

1996 

1997 

Signature Years 

CONTRACTS SIGNED In MECU (SHARING BY FINANCIAL YEARS) 

Financial Years 
01997 

• 1996 

01995 

1996 

1997 

Signature Years 

The 612 MECU signed in 1997 include 314 MECU from decisions taken in F.Y.  1996 
and 298 MECU in the F. Y.  1997. 

15 

BB/TABEXC/RAPAN  97/ANNEX4 XLS 

FINANCIAL  DECISIONS  FOR  HUMANITARIAN  AID  BY  REGION  IN  1996  AND  1997 

1 9 96 

1 9 97 

COUNTRY/REGION 

DECISIONS  IN  ECU 

COUNTRY/REGION 

DECISIONS  IN ECJ 

ANNEX  5 

EX-YUGOSLAVIA 

ACP 

ANGOLA 
BURKINA  FASSO 
CHAD 
EASTERN  & CENTRAL  AFRICA 
ETHIOPIA 
GHANA 
GUINEA 
GREAT  LAKES  REGION 
HAITI 
IVORY  COST 
KENYA 
LIBERIA 
MADAGASCAR 
MALI 
MOZAMBIQUE 
MAURITANIA 
NIGERIA 
SENEGAL 
SIERRA  LEONE 
SOMALIA 
SUDAN 
ZAIRE 

(1) 

C.I.S 
ARMENIA 
AZERBAIJAN 
GEORGIA 
BELARUS 
KIRGYZSTAN 
RUSSIAN FED 
TAJIKISTAN 
TCHERNOBYL  Disaster 
UKRAINE 

EASTERN EUROPE 
ALBANIA 

(2) 

J IRAQ 
! 
ASIA 
AFGHANISTAN 
BANGLADESH 
CAMBODIA 
CHINA 
INDONESIA 
INDIA 
LAOS 
! MYANMAR 
J NORTH  KOREA 
| SRI  LANKA 
| THAILAND 
VIETNAM 
I YEMEN 

EX-YUGOSLAVIA 

278.040.000 

ACP 

14,000,000 
300.000 
850.000 
14.000,000 
646.000 
140.000 
160.000 
205,430.000 
10,000.000 
340,000 
342.000 
1.900.000 
315,000 
2.100.000 
317,000 
80,000 
1,050,000 
550.000 
7.000,000 
5,000,000 
13,375.000 
145,000 

ANGOLA  . 
ANTIGUA  AND BARBUDA 
BURKINA  FASO 
CHAD 
CHAD  AREA  (INSECTS  INFESTATION) 
COMOROS 
DJIBOUTI 
EASTERN  & CENTRAL  AFRICA 
ETHIOPIA 
GAMBIA 
GHANA 
GREAT  LAKES  REGION 
GUINEA  8ISSAU 
HAITI 
HORN OF AFRICA  (Air  Transport) 
KENYA 
LIBERIA 
MADAGASCAR 
MALI 
MOZAMBIQUE 
NIGER 
PAPUA  NEW GUINEA 
SIERRA  LEONE 
SOMALIA 
SUDAN 
TOGO 
UGANDA 

53,450.000 
5,070.000 
9,450,000 
10,205.000 
500,000 
3.920.000 
8.849,000 
14.156,000 
500,000 
800,000 

C.I.S 
ARMENIA 
AZERBAIJAN 
BELARUS 
GEORGIA 
KIRGYZSTAN 
RUSSIAN  FED 
TAJIKISTAN 
TCHERNOBYL  Disaster 
UKRAINE 

1.650.000 
1.650,000 

EASTERN EUROPE 
ALBANIA 
BULGARIA 
CZECH  REPUBLIC 
HUNGARY 
POLAND 
SLOVAKIA 

IRAQ 

ASIA 

AFGHANISTAN 
BANGLADESH 
CAMBODIA 
CHINA 
IRAN 
INDIA 
INDONESIA 
LAOS 
MYANMAR 
NORTH  KOREA 
PHILIPPINES 
SRI  LANKA 
THAILAND 
VIETNAM 

53,275,000 
41,100,000 
300,000 
2.490,000 
2.450,000 
120,000 
570.000 
500,000 
300.000 
500.000 
1.175,000 
3,420,000 
200,000 
150,000 

NORTH AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST 
ALGERIA 
LEBANON 
MOROCCO 
PALESTINE/ISRAEL 

20.900.000 
7,000,000 
4,400,000 
500,000 
9,000.000 

NORTH AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST 
ALGERIA 
JORDAN 
LEBANON 
PALESTINE/ISRAEL 

LATIN AMERICA 
COLOMBIA 
COSTA  RICA 
CUBA 
! ECUADOR 
| GUATEMALA 
iHONDURAS 
IMONTSERRAT 
! NICARAGUA 
PANAMA 
PERU 

r.RAND  TOTAL 

19.090.000 
1.060,000 
400,000 
8,600,000 
300,000 
4,690,000 
450,000 
380,000 
1.750,000 
200,000 
1,260,000 

LATIN AMERICA 
BOLIVIA 
BRAZIL 
COLOMBIA 
CUBA 
ECUADOR 
GUATEMALA 
HONDURAS 
MEXICO 
NICARAGUA 
PARAGUAY 
PERU 

1,940.000 
2,000.000 
4.500.000 
5.012.500 
278.000 
656,655,500 

General  Studies 
Evaluation 
Information 
Disaster  Preparedness 
Miscellaneous 
GRAND TOTAL 

u 

118.056.940 

33.000,000 
700,000 
470.000 
875,000 
2,900,000 
450,000 
70,000 
4,000,000 
4,620,000 
395.000 
456,940 
13,000,000 
240,000 
2.000,000 
2,000,000 
4,715,000 
1.070,000 
1.650,000 
7.600,000 
700,000 
2,900.000 
250.000 
3.700,000 
6,900,000 
20.954.000 
310.000 
2,131.000 

36.050.000 
2.100,000 
6.100.000 
117,000 
5,800,000 
2,750,000 
2,747.000 
14.900.000 
1,000.000 
536.000 

32.201.S14 
16.295.000 
1,800.000 
4,150.000 
12,500 
9.931.514 
12.500 

51.615.000 
8.120.000 
350.000 
5,535,000 
300,000 
3.000.000 
490,000 
2,055,000 
2,020,000 
675,000 
20,215,000 
980.000 
3.000,000 
3,250,000 
1.625,000 

18,150.000 
7.600.000 
600.000 
3.500.000 
6.450.000 

38.085.000 
3,600.000 
200.000 
4,500.000 
10.350,000 
3,075.000 
6,050.000 
900.000 
1.200,000 
2,800.000 
210,000 
5.200.000 

494.500 
1.400.000 
2,635,000 
7.034.000 
1 50.000 
441.611,954 

ANNEX 6 

AS PER  :  29/01/98 

1 

EC CONTRACTS  FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE  IN  1 9 9 3-  94  - 95  - 96  - 97  {Financial  Years) 

TYPE  OF 

CONTRACT 

1993 

1994 

1995 

ECU 

ECU 

ECU 

1996 

ECU 

IN  %  OF 
TOTAL 

1997 

ECU 

IN  %  OF 
TOTAL 

EC  C O M M I S S I O N - D I R E CT 
COMMISSION/ECHO 
COMMISSION/AEC 
DELEGATIONS 
SUBTOTAL 

M E M B ER  S T A T ES  SPECIALIZED  AGENCIES 
BELGIUM 
DENMARK 
FRANCE 
GERMANY 
NETHERLANDS 
SPAIN 
SWEDEN 
UK 
SUBTOTAL 

OTHER  G O V E R N M E N TS 
PHILIPPINES 
FUI 
CROATIA/MACEDONIA 
SUBTOTAL 

45,324.321 
8,318.645 
1.552.000 
55,194.966 

104.381.838 
11,581.577 
262,000 
116,225,415 

87.289.368 
11,488,919 
740,000 
99.518.287 

50.366.796 
8,729,471 
686,050 
59.782.317 

7.9% 
1.4% 
0 . 1% 
9.3% 

18,535,850 
5,173.960 
425,000 
24.134.810 

5.9% 
1.7% 
0 . 1% 
7.7% 

25.000 
0 
0 
1,700.000 
0 
0 
0 
3,521.195 
5,246.195 

4,648.000 
100,000 
.500,000 
5.600,000 
0 
129,000 
0 
7 9 6 , 0 00 
11.773.000 

6.600.000 
0 
0 
•  15.470.000 
0 
0 
0 
1,320,000 
23,390,000 

0 
0 
0 
750.000 
0 
0 
2.470.000 
500.000 
3,720,000 

0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 1% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 4% 
0 . 1% 
0.6% 

0 
0 
0 
6.468.000 
40,000 
0 
0 
0 
6.508,000 

0 . 0% 
0.0% 
0.0% 
2 . 1% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0.0% 
0 . 0% 
2 . 1% 

0 
400.000 
10,000.000 
10,400.000 

0 
0 
1,800.000 
1,800.000 

119,578 
0 
0 
119.578 

0 
0 
0 
0 

0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 

0 
0 
0 
0 

0 . 0% 
0.0% 
0.0% 
0 . 0% 

EC  N G Os  (1) 
AUSTRIA 
BELGIUM 
DENMARK 
FINLAND 
FRANCE 
GERMANY 
GREECE 
IRELAND 
ITALY 
LUXEMBOURG 
NETHERLANDS 
PORTUGAL 
SPAIN 
SWEDEN 
UK 
SUBTOTAL 

OTHER  NGOs  (1) 
NORWAY 
AUSTRALIA 
FRANCE 
SWITZERLAND 
USA 
SUBTOTAL 

L O C AL  NGOs  (1) 
BOLIVIA 
I R A Q - M I S C - 1 9 90 
JAMAICA 
LEBANON 
OCC. TERRITORY  (ISRL) 
SUBTOTAL 

UNITED  N A T I O NS 
UNCHS 
WFP 
FAO 
WHO 
UNHCR 
UNICEF 
UNDP 
UNRWA 
UNDHA 
PAHO 
SPECIAL  UN  OPERATIONS  (IOM) 
SUBTOTAL 

OTHER  I N T E R N A T I O N AL  ORG. 
ICRC 
FIRC 
CARITAS  INTERNATIONAL 
INTERNATIONAL  MANAGEMENT  GROUP 
LUTHERAN  WORLD  FEDERATION 
ORGANIZATION  OF AMERICAN  STATES 
THE  WORLD  COUNCIL  OF  CHURCHES 
WEU 
IOM 
SUBTOTAL 

Dacomllmrrwn» 

OttMCt 

TOTAL 

NA 
25,098.353 
48,724.057 
NA 
88,634.711 
23.069,700 
886.500 
1,026.000 
16,406.961 
0 
15.212.795 
862.990 
19,021,832 

NA 
23.606,851 
262.550.750 

625,000 
35,256,810 
27,128.000 
0 
110,942.799 
23,757,380 
9 8 0 . 0 00 
2,335.250 
18,901.237 
4 4 5 , 2 66 
24.691,993 
1.945.000 
21,516,375 
3 5 0 , 0 00 
34.054.623 
302,929.733 

1.680.000 
3 4 , 7 4 0 , 0 00 
11.343,000 
2 8 0 . 0 00 
110.102.014 
2 2 . 5 7 9 . 0 00 
9 1 5 . 7 50 
3.413.000 
28.137.556 
1,085,721 
2 8 , 5 0 7 . 9 10 
3,380.720 
22.012,500 
1,450.000 
4 2 , 4 9 7 , 7 55 
312,124,926 

2,233,000 
30,370,928 
7,252.517 
1,255.000 
100.194.021 
18.050,081 
1.150,000 
3.203,391 
22,573,000 
0 
20.790,000 
1.396,000 
24,325,151 
4.905.000 
4 2 . 7 7 8 . 6 44 
280,476.733 

0 . 3% 
4 . 7% 
1 . 1% 
0 . 2% 
1 5 . 7% 
2 . 8% 
0 . 2% 
0 . 5% 
3.5% 
0 . 0% 
3 . 2% 
0 . 2% 
3.8% 
0 . 8% 
6 . 7% 
4 3 . 8% 

3.079,000 
18.233.380 
3.103.574 
1,760,000 
59.298.269 
17.129,640 
1,035,000 
739,900 
28.848.024 
253.529 
12.838,760 
1,790,000 
28.392.500 
2,200.000 
26,626.840 
205.328.416 

0 
0 
0 
744.692 
1,679.565 
2.424.257 

175,000 
2.520.000 
0 
800.000 
1,245.000 
4,740.000 

4.170,000 
250.000 
0 
1,237.140 
1,325,000 
6.982,140 

0 
0 
0 
0 
600,000 
6 0 0 , 0 00 

1,542,944 
0 
0 
3,211,500 
1,525.000 
6,279,444 

0 
0 
13.444 
0 
1,500.000 
1,513,444 

3,421,000 
250,000 
1.200,000 
3,088.000 
3,776,830 
11,735.830 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

0 
71.318,781 
868,000 
9.250,000 
87,955,354 
13,631.598 
0 
6,000,000 
0 
0 
700,000 
189,723,733 

0 
47,355.716 
0 
500.000 
177.336,429 
11,908.135 
0 
4 5 0 . 0 00 
402,175 
2,149,450 
570,800 
240,672.705 

0 
3 2 , 6 7 5 , 0 00 
4 9 3 . 5 00 
500.000 
115,595,500 
7,939.000 
5 7 5 , 0 00 
2 4 0 , 0 00 
548,166 
9 1 0 . 0 00 
550.000 
160,026,166 

700.000 
75,390,996 
0 
3,135.000 
129.371,000 
8,520,000 
0 
1,560,000 
0 
130,000 
0 
218,806.996 

38,006,820 
26,001,135 
491,560 
0 
3,160,440 
0 
1,000,000 
0 
0 
68,659.955 
(985.688) 

32,327.000 
37.163.603 
0 
0 
2.852.105 
107.730 
92.104 
0 
0 
72.542,542 

53,265,000 
22,285,066 
0 
0 
1,069.286 
6 3 6 . 6 76 
Q 
0 
0 
77.256,028 

40,348,000 
19,308,400 
0 
4.737.400 
1.009.770 
221,800 
0 
0 
221 
65,625.591 

0 . 5% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 2% 
0.5% 
0.6% 
1.8% 

0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 

0 . 1% 
1 1 . 8% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 5% 
2 0 . 2% 
1.3% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 2% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
3 4 . 2% 

6 . 3% 
3 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 7% 
0 . 2% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
1 0 . 3% 

1,340,000 
0 
0 
2.055.000 
3.474,000 
6.869,000 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

0 
16,450.567 
800.000 
380.000 
20.600.000 
6.811,703 
0 
400,000 
0 
176,000 
0 
45,618.270 

12.704,000 
8.333.000 
0 
3.310.000 
596,000 
164,900 
0 
4,000 
0 
25.111,900 

1.0% 
5.8% 
1.0% 
0.6% 
18.9% 
5.5% 
0.3% 
0 . 2% 
9.2% 
0 . 1% 
4 . 1% 
0.6% 
9 . 1% 
0.7% 
8.5% 
6 5 . 5% 

0.4% 
0.0% 
0 . 0% 
0.7% 
1 . 1% 
2 . 2% 

0.0% 
0 . 0% 
0 . 0% 
0.0% 
0 . 0% 
0.0% 

0.0% 
5.2% 
0.3% 
0 . 1% 
6 . 6% 
2 . 2% 
0.0% 
0 . 1% 
0.0% 
0 . 1% 
0 . 0% 
14.5% 

4 . 1% 
2 . 7% 
0 . 0% 
1 . 1% 
0.2% 
0 . 1% 
0 . 0% 
0.0% 
0 . 0% 
8.0% 

597.954,168 

753.525,535 

680.227,873 

640.147.467 

100% 

313.570.396 

100% 

(1) INCLUDING NATIONAL RED CROSS ASSOCIATIONS 
(2) A FULL BREAKDOWN OF ECHO PARTNERS CAN BE FOUND IN ECHO'S QUARTERLY STATISTICS 

au 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 448 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

11  01  05  06 

Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-98-456-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-38144-6 

Office  for  Official  Publications  of the European  Communities 

L-2985  Luxembourg