COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER […]
Date: 2011-06-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: balance of payments assistance, budget, civil defence, international voluntary worker, natural disaster

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 10.6.2011 
ELECTRONIC VERSION ONLY 
SEC(2011) 709 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER 

[…] 

Accompanying the document 

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council 

Annual report on the European Union's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Policies 
and their Implementation in 2010 

{COM(2011) 343 final} 

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Contents 

1. 
1.1. 
1.2. 
1.3. 
1.4. 
1.5. 
1.6. 
1.7. 
1.8. 

2. 

2.1. 
2.2. 
2.3. 

Policy......................................................................................................... 3 
Disaster response capacity ........................................................................................... 3 
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC) ........................................... 4 
Mid-term review of Consensus action plan ................................................................. 4 
Food assistance and Food Aid Convention.................................................................. 5 
Good Humanitarian Donorship .................................................................................... 5 
Thematic policies ......................................................................................................... 6 
Aid effectiveness........................................................................................................ 10 
Civil protection policy................................................................................................ 12 

Interinstitutional relations and cooperation with other donors and 
partners ................................................................................................... 12 
Council Working Group on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA)............... 12 
Council Working Group on Civil Protection (PROCIV)........................................... 13 
Cooperation with other EU institutions, donors and partners .................................... 13 

Implementation of humanitarian aid and civil protection in 2010...... 15 
3. 
A needs-based approach............................................................................................. 15 
3.1. 
Top 10 humanitarian crises in terms of funding allocations ...................................... 16 
3.2. 
Africa ......................................................................................................................... 16 
3.3. 
Middle East and Mediterranean ................................................................................. 32 
3.4. 
Caucasus..................................................................................................................... 35 
3.5. 
Asia ............................................................................................................................ 36 
3.6. 
3.7. 
Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific ........................................................... 50 
3.8.  Worldwide.................................................................................................................. 56 
Disaster preparedness activities, including DIPECHO.............................................. 57 
3.9. 
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. 
4.1. 
4.2. 
4.3. 
4.4. 
4.5. 
4.6. 
4.7. 

5. 
5.1. 
5.2. 

Aid management..................................................................................... 68 
Aid delivery methods ................................................................................................. 69 
Coordination of humanitarian funds .......................................................................... 70 
Evaluations................................................................................................................. 73 
Control of the use of funds......................................................................................... 75 
Visibility of aid and communication.......................................................................... 77 
Security and safety issues .......................................................................................... 79 
Training initiative — NOHA ..................................................................................... 80 

Annexes................................................................................................... 82 
Introduction to financial tables................................................................................... 82 
Financial tables........................................................................................................... 83 

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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 October1. 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 

COM(2010) 600 final, SEC(2010) 1243 and 1242. 

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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 
the 
professionalisation  of  the  humanitarian  sector;  (c)  taking  into  account  security  concerns 
(mainly 
local 
the  development  of 
capacities/volunteering; (e) avoiding diversion of operational humanitarian aid budgets. 

existing  voluntary  organisations; 

inexperienced  volunteers); 

(d)  supporting 

considering 

(b) 

for 

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 November2. 

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. 

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COM(2010) 683 final. 

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The outcome of this review was outlined in a Commission Communication3 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 
Document4.  

1.4. 

Food assistance and Food Aid Convention  

Following  an  extensive  consultation  process  with  stakeholders,  the  Commission  adopted  its 
Humanitarian  Food  Assistance  Policy5,  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) initiative6, 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 

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5 
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COM(2010) 722. 
SEC(2010) 1505. 
COM(2010) 126, SEC(2010) 374. 
The 23 GHD ‘principles and good practices’ were adopted in 2003 and have now been endorsed by 37 
donors, who work together as a network to advance good donor practice in humanitarian action. 

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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  20097  —  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. 

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COM(2009) 82 and COM(2009) 84. 

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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 million8. 

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  UNISDR9  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. 

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Of  which  €

 33  million  was  funded  from  the  budget  line  for  disaster  preparedness  (23.0203)  and 

 49 million from mainstreaming activities. 

United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. 

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€
                                                 
€
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  capacity10  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 response11 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 (‘MCDA12 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 

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COM(2010) 600 and SEC(2010) 1242 and 1243. 
The  documents  were  developed  by  the  Council.  See  the  General  Framework  for  the  use  of  Member 
States’ military and military chartered transportation assets and ESDP coordination tools in support of 
EU disaster response, and Military support to EU disaster response — identification and coordination of 
available assets and capabilities (documents 8976/06, 6644/4/04, 9462/3 REV3 and 14540/06 + COR1). 
Military and Civil Defence Assets. 

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humanitarian  principles.  It  also  commits  the  EU  to  strongly  and  consistently  advocating 
compliance with international law, including IHL, human rights law and refugee law.  

if  compliance  with  IHL 

is  above  all  a  Member  State  responsibility, 

Even 
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 killed13. 

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 Handbook14 — 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 WHO15).  

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. 

13 
14 
15 

http://www.aidworkersecurity.org. 
http://www.sphereproject.org/. 
World Health Organisation. 

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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 
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 equality17 (adopted in September).  

in  Development16 

implement 

to 

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 

16 
17 

COM(2010) 265, 8.3.2010. 
COM(2010) 491, 21.9.2010. 

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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 
approach18.  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, €
is primarily aimed at: 

 15 million is available for funding humanitarian capacity building. This 

–  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. 

18 
19 

20 

As adopted by the Council, EP and Commission on 18 December (OJ C 25, 30.1.2008, p. 1). 
Commission  Staff  Working  Document  ‘European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid  —  Action  Plan’ 
SEC(2008) 1991, 29.5.2008. 
GHD  principle  18,  but  also  principle  8  on  strengthening  the  capacity  of  affected  countries  and  local 
communities and principle 10 to support and promote the central and unique role of the UN. 

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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 201021 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, ECOSOC22). 

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  PSC23,  Coreper24  and  the  Foreign  Affairs  or  General 
Affairs  Councils  (for  instance,  on  the  humanitarian  situation  in  Sudan,  on  which  Council 

21 
22 
23 
24 

See footnote 1, supra. 
United Nations Economic and Social Committee. 
Political and Security Committee. 
Permanent Representatives Committee. 

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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 DEVE25/AFET26 and ENVI27 for civil protection matters). DG ECHO worked closely 

25 
26 
27 

European Parliament Committee on Development. 
European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. 
European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Security. 

EN 

13 

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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. 

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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  Assessment28,  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 201029: 

–  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;  

28 

29 

The methodology used and the results for 2009 are available at: 
http://EU.europa.eu/echo/information/strategy/index_en.htm. 
The first seven in the list were also identified as forgotten crises [?]in 2009 and the last five have been 
identified as forgotten crises since 2010. The last one in the list (Sahel) is considered as having been 
forgotten,  even  if  the  Forgotten  Crisis  Assessment  (FCA)  methodology  is  not  fully  applicable  in  this 
case. 

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–  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.  

s
o
r
u
e
o
M

i

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Pakistan

Sudan 

Haiti

oPt

D.R. Congo

Sahel 

Chad*

Somalia

Afghanistan  

Kenya

Humanitarian Aid

Food Aid

European Development Fund

* 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. 

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€
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 Index30. 

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. 

30 

http://hdr.undp.org. 

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Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for Sudan & Chad and Central Africa

Sudan 
Chad (East & South)
Chad (Sahel)
Total Sudan & Chad
Burundi (+refugees in Tanzania)
Cameroon (North - Sahel)
Central African Republic
Congo Brazzaville 
D.R. Congo
Echo-Flight

Humanitarian aid
75 000 000
18 000 000

93 000 000
10 000 000

5 000 000
1 000 000
30 000 000
8 500 000

Food Aid
56 000 000
10 000 000
5 000 000
71 000 000
5 000 000
2 000 000

15 000 000

EDF

5 000 000
5 000 000

2 800 000
3 500 000
1 950 000

Total
131 000 000
28 000 000
10 000 000
169 000 000
15 000 000
2 000 000
7 800 000
4 500 000
46 950 000
8 500 000

Total Cental Africa

54 500 000

22 000 000

8 250 000

84 750 000

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.  

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18 

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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 €
 10 million to address the needs in the Sahel region of Chad. 

 38 million, of which 

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 

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€
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 

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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.  

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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. 

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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 €
of the total allocation to Africa. 

 96 million to respond to these crises affecting the region, or 20 % 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for the Horn of Africa

Djibouti
Ethiopia
Kenya
Somalia
Uganda
DRR Horn of Africa *

TOTAL

Humanitarian aid

5 000 000
13 000 000
30 000 000
4 000 000
20 000 000

72 000 000

Food Aid
2 000 000
10 000 000
5 000 000
5 000 000
2 000 000

24 000 000

Total
2 000 000
15 000 000
18 000 000
35 000 000
6 000 000
20 000 000

96 000 000

* The Disaster Risk Reduction Programme in the Horn of Africa relates to humanitarian aid in 
 0.7 
Djibouti  (€
million) and Uganda (€

 0.6  million),  Ethiopia  (€
 3.5 million).  

 6.3  million),  Somalia  (€

 8.9  million),  Kenya  (€

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. 

 2  million  with  the  specific 
The  Commission  adopted  an  emergency  decision  allocating  €
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 

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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. 

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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. 

 18 million, of which €

The total allocation for Kenya in 2010 was €
 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 

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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 

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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 
 60 million, pursuing the objective of preparing vulnerable — mostly pastoralist and semi-
of €
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 

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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). 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for West Africa

Sahel 
Benin
Ivory Coast
Burkina Faso
Liberia
Niger
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
TOTAL 

Humanitarian aid
15 000 000

Food Aid
28 000 000

5 000 000

7 000 000

27 000 000

28 000 000

EDF

1 550 000

4 000 000
2 950 000
15 000 000
2 000 000
6 600 000
32 100 000

Total
43 000 000
1 550 000
5 000 000
4 000 000
9 950 000
15 000 000
2 000 000
6 600 000
87 100 000

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.  

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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 
 2  million)  in  July  in  response  to  the  severe  floods  in  Burkina  Faso 
emergency  decision  (€
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 

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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 
 6.6 million from Sierra Leone’s 10th EDF 
feeding (RUTF). DG ECHO therefore committed €
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. 

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Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for Southern Africa and Indian Ocean

Malawi
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Southern Africa

Humanitarian 

Food Aid

Dipecho

13 000 000

3 000 000
5 000 000

6 000 000

EDF
1 500 000
1 200 000
2 000 000

Total
1 500 000
1 200 000
18 000 000
11 000 000

TOTAL 

13 000 000

8 000 000

6 000 000

4 700 000

31 700 000

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 
 1.2  million  from  EDF  funds  in  2010  to 
Republic  of  the  Congo,  DG  ECHO  provided  €
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 
 15 million was made available for funding such operations. In 
components. An amount of €
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, 

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€
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.  

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for the Middle East and Mediterranean

Occupied Palestinian Territory
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
Iraq Crisis
Yemen
Western Sahara

TOTAL 

Humanitarian 
31 700 000
5 800 000
16 000 000
10 000 000
4 500 000

Food Aid
19 300 000
1 200 000
2 000 000

5 500 000

68 000 000

28 000 000

Total
51 000 000
7 000 000
18 000 000
10 000 000
10 000 000

96 000 000

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. 

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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 €
the occupied Palestinian territory and in Lebanon.  

 58 million for humanitarian operations benefiting Palestinians in 

 51 million was devoted to operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 62 % 
A total of €
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. 

 7 million), a significant part of the EU humanitarian 
For Palestinian refugees in Lebanon (€
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. 

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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. 

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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). 
Because  of  climate  conditions,  particularly  sand  storms,  tents  have  a  limited  lifespan  of 
approximately five years (if they are good quality), and must therefore be regularly replaced. 
There is also a need for new tents for newly formed families.  

The bulk of the operations funded by the 2009 financing decisions were implemented in 2010. 
These concerned general food and fresh products distribution, new warehouse building, water 
and sanitation actions, distribution of hygiene kits, provision of  essential  drugs  and  medical 
waste management.  

Both  on  the  ground  and  at  headquarters,  the  Commission  liaises  very  closely  with  other 
donors,  particularly  the  Spanish,  Italian,  Swiss  and  Swedish  development  agencies,  and  the 
UN  agencies.  This  involves  examining  the  overall  strategy,  sector  priorities  and  funding  by 
the  various  partners.  There  is  also  coordination  by  sector  on  the  ground  to  improve 
consistency and to avoid overlapping.  

3.5. 

Caucasus 

In 2010, DG ECHO managed a total of €

 2 million for humanitarian operations in Chechnya. 

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Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for the Caucasus

Caucasus  

TOTAL 

Humanitarian 
2 000 000

2 000 000

Food Aid

Total
2 000 000

2 000 000

The armed conflicts in Chechnya in 1994-96 and 1999-2001 left thousands of civilians killed, 
hundreds  of  thousands  wounded,  over  270 000  internally  displaced  persons  (IDPs)  in 
neighbouring  republics,  over  100 000  refugees  abroad,  towns  and  villages  levelled  to  the 
ground and the socio-economic infrastructure completely destroyed. Even if it is difficult to 
obtain exact figures, it is estimated that there are still some 30 000 IDPs in Chechnya, 8 000 
IDPs in Ingushetia, 3 800 IDPs in Dagestan and 1 300 refugees in Azerbaijan. In addition, the 
number  of  war-affected  vulnerable  households  within  Chechnya  who  are  still  homeless  and 
waiting for assistance to rebuild their houses stands at around 20 000. 

All humanitarian needs, except those related to protection, are now covered. With a budget of 
 2 million, the EU humanitarian operation focused on the protection needs of the vulnerable 
population,  including  IDPs  and  returnees.  It  encompassed  livelihood  support  and  temporary 
shelter activities when it was deemed necessary to complement the protection activities.  

The situation remains tense, and the number of violent incidents continued to rise in 2010. 

3.6. 

Asia 

In 2010, humanitarian and food assistance operations were funded in 20 countries in Asia, for 
a total of €
 281 million, representing 25 % of the total budget managed by DG ECHO. 

EU humanitarian assistance was provided and implemented in the following regions: 

3.6.1.  Central and South-West Asia 

DG ECHO has been present in Central Asia since 1993, initially to provide assistance in the 
wake  of  the  civil  war  in  Tajikistan  and  later  to  respond  to  natural  disasters  and  support 
disaster  preparedness  projects  through  DIPECHO.  Central  Asia  is  politically  volatile  and  is 
prone  to  numerous  types  of  natural  disasters  including  floods,  landslides  and  mudslides, 
drought, earthquakes and avalanches and severe floods.  

In  Afghanistan  and  Pakistan,  the  humanitarian  crises  are  twofold:  on  the  one  hand,  the 
‘Afghan’  crisis  affects  not  only  Afghanistan  but  also  Iran  and  Pakistan,  where  almost  four 
million  Afghan  refugees  are  still  living;  on  the  other  hand,  Pakistan  is  affected  by  a  twin-
faceted crisis with still more than 1.2 million people displaced by the conflict and almost 20 
million  affected  by  major  flooding  as  from  July  2010.  In  Afghanistan  the  deterioration  in 
security  and  the  consequences  of  extensive  military  operations,  aggravated  by  years  of 
drought, increasing flooding and recurrent small-scale disasters such as earthquakes, caused a 
sharp increase in humanitarian needs in 2010 which is likely to continue this year with more 
than 335 000 IDPs. In Pakistan, during the summer of 2010, an area of the country stretching 
from  the  Chinese  border  in  the  north  to  the  Arabian  Sea  in  the  south  was  hit  by  the  worst 
floods in living memory, leaving millions of people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. 
Both countries are very prone to natural disasters. 

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€
Table - Breakdown of funding (coommitments) for Central and South West Asia

Afghanistan  

Pakistan

Humanitarian 
30 000 000

Food Aid
6 000 000

125 000 000

25 000 000

Dipecho

Kyrgyzstan / Uzbekistan

5 000 000

Total
36 000 000

150 000 000

5 000 000

Central Asia

TOTAL

160 000 000

31 000 000

7 295 000

198 295 000

7 295 000

7 295 000

Afghanistan (including Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran) 

The  main  groups  with  substantial  humanitarian  needs  in  2010  were  the  over  335 000 
internally  displaced  persons  (IDPs)  within  Afghanistan  affected  by  the  conflict,  as  well  as 
refugees  returning  from  Pakistan  and  Iran.  Host  communities  receiving  these  returnees  are 
also  beneficiaries  of  the  programmes.  The  highly  food-insecure  population  affected  by 
recurrent natural disasters, including many years of drought and the recent severe flooding in 
the north and east, have been benefiting from assistance too. The needs of the returnees and 
IDPs  included  protection,  transport  and  resettlement  support,  plus  food,  shelter,  and 
water/sanitation  for  the  most  vulnerable  such  as  female-headed  households.  Another 
significant area of humanitarian support remains protection and food assistance for the most 
vulnerable population affected by natural disasters. 

The focus in 2010 was on assisting the IDPs and the return of refugees and providing basic 
livelihood  support  for  the  most  vulnerable  returnees  and  for  their  host  communities. 
Vulnerable  people  affected  by  natural  disasters  such  as  floods  and  earthquakes  were  also 
supported by DG ECHO in 2010.  

 36 million, including €

Under its 2010 Global Plan, the EU provided funding totalling €
 25.4 
million  in  support  for  refugees  and  returnees,  covering  registration  and  transportation  of 
refugees from Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan, support for reintegration plus aid for the most 
vulnerable  of  the  remaining  refugees  in  both  countries.  Protection  assistance  was  provided, 
among  others  through  the  UNHCR  and  the  ICRC  in  line  with  their  respective  protection 
mandates.  Shelter,  together  with  water/sanitation,  was  the  other  most  important  area  of 
activity  within  Afghanistan.  Responses  to  localised  natural  disasters  were  supported  in 
northern and eastern regions of the country. Given the constraints of security and geography, 
support for security advisory services as well as coordination for aid agencies in Afghanistan 
 4.6 million. A 
and for a subsidised humanitarian flight service was maintained at a level of €
total of €
 6 million in food assistance was allocated to Afghanistan in order to respond to the 
food insecurity linked to years of recurrent drought followed by serious flooding in 2009 and 
2010. 

Along  with  various  other  actors,  the  Commission  continued  to  advocate  the  need  to  respect 
basic  humanitarian  principles  and  international  humanitarian  law.  The  overall  security 
situation  in  Afghanistan  remains  volatile  and  extremely  unpredictable.  Abductions  of 
humanitarian  aid  workers  have  increased  over  the  last  few  years.  This  seriously  restricts 
humanitarian  access.  DG  ECHO’s  2010  portfolio  of  projects  was  selected  on  that  basis. 
Projects funded must meet conditions where implementation and monitoring of activities can 
be performed by partners and by DG ECHO. 

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Pakistan 

Three humanitarian challenges confronted Pakistan in 2010: devastating floods; the needs of 
the conflict-affected population — the displaced, returnees and those remaining in their areas 
of origin; and the remaining Afghan refugees.  

During the summer of 2010 the country was hit by unprecedented floods, the worst in living 
memory in Pakistan. Around 18 million people were affected, 1.7 million homes damaged or 
destroyed, and 1 985 people killed31. The agricultural heartland of the country was devastated 
and there was very significant damage to public and private infrastructure. 

At the same time, displacement of conflict-affected civilians continued throughout 2010. The 
fighting  between  militant  groups  and  Pakistan’s  security  forces,  which  started  in  2007, 
continued to affect Baluchistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber 
Pahtunkhwa  Province  (KPK32).  The  Pakistani  Army  military  operations 
triggered 
displacements  in  the  FATA.  In  addition,  pockets  of  resistance  and  instability  remained  in 
Buner, Swat, Upper and Lower Dir in KPK despite the heavy military presence. Night-time 
curfews  and  military  checkpoints  were  still  in  place  to  some  degree.  Around  1.2  million 
civilians in conflict areas are affected.  

Pakistan continues to host a sizeable population of Afghan refugees, despite the considerable 
return movement to Afghanistan over the last 10 years. 

In 2010, the Commission allocated €
 150 million in relief assistance to respond to immediate 
and  basic  needs  of  the  population  affected  by  the  floods  and  by  the  internal  conflict  (IDPs, 
returnees). Part of the population in the North was affected by both disasters. This included: 
(1) support for emergency food assistance, managed by several actors including INGOs and 
the WFP, (2) support for the ICRC’s protection activities and distribution of food and other 
essentials  (NFIs)  to  IDPs,  returnees  and  the  flood-affected  population;  (3)  support  for  the 
provision of protection, shelter and NFIs to flood- and conflict-affected IDPs by the UNHCR 
and shelter by the IOM; (4) provision of healthcare by medical INGOs and the WHO and its 
partners; (5) support for INGO partners to provide water, sanitation and hygiene. Support for 
the  coordination  of  humanitarian  assistance  was  channelled  through  UNOCHA  and  for 
logistics  through  the  WFP.  Awareness-raising  on  mine  risks  was  also  channelled  through 
some very specialised INGOs. Disaster risk reduction was encouraged in the flood response. 

Throughout the year, the Commission, along with various other actors, continued to advocate 
the  need  to  respect  basic  humanitarian  principles  and  international  humanitarian  law,  in 
particular for humanitarian space and access for humanitarian workers, protection of civilians, 
voluntary  and  safe  return  for  IDPs  and  the  right  to  assistance  based  on  needs  rather  than 
officially  vetted  registration  status.  Access  to  some  areas  was  difficult  and  sometimes  not 
possible  for  expatriates.  The  overall  security  situation  in  Pakistan  remained  volatile  and 
extremely unpredictable. Humanitarian aid workers face serious risks to their lives and have 
also paid a big price in the form of stress. 

Kyrgyzstan 

31 
32 

Source: GoP (NDMA, PDMA, GBDMA). 
Formerly NWFP — North-West Frontier Province. 

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The  inter-ethnic  violence  that  erupted  in  Kyrgyzstan  in  June  triggered  a  rapid  emergency 
 5  million)  to  assist  some  300 000  internally  displaced  persons  (IDPs)  in 
response  (€
Kyrgyzstan and some 75 000 refugees who had fled to Uzbekistan. Commissioner Georgieva 
visited the country on 3 and 4 July to discuss the situation with the provisional government 
and to get a first-hand view of the humanitarian needs in the South. As the refugees returned 
home  within  weeks  after  the  conflict,  humanitarian  efforts  have  concentrated  on  providing 
protection and emergency aid as well as transitional shelter to returnees and IDPs in the south 
of Kyrgyzstan. 

In Kyrgyzstan, DG ECHO allocated emergency aid to the WFP for distributing food rations, 
to the ICRC for protection and distribution of food rations, household items and cash for work 
activities, to MSF-Suisse for providing free medical care, to ACTED for providing free legal 
aid and cash for work, and to the UNHCR for providing shelter, clothes and other essential 
non-food  items.  An  ECHO  field  mission  in  December  confirmed  that  needs  (shelter,  food, 
protection, health) are adequately covered for now. The EU continues to monitor the situation 
closely and is ready to assist should there be a need for further humanitarian aid to the civilian 
population. In responding to the crisis, maps developed under the Fifth DIPECHO for disaster 
preparedness  were  extensively  used  for  all  humanitarian  operations  by  both  NGOs  and  UN 
agencies.  

Regional action in Central Asia — DIPECHO 

DG  ECHO  continues  to  support  disaster  preparedness  in  Central  Asia  through  the  Sixth 
DIPECHO Action Plan (€
 7.295 million). The ECHO office in Tajikistan coordinates with the 
EU delegations and actively participates in meetings with DIPECHO partners.  

Central Asia is particularly exposed to natural disasters such as landslides, avalanches, floods, 
earthquakes,  drought  and  melting  glaciers.  Moreover,  the  Centre  for  Research  on  the 
Epidemic of Disasters (CRED) records that nearly 3 million people were affected by hydro-
meteorological disasters in Tajikistan in 2008. 

The  geographic  nature  of  the  region  (developing  mountain  ranges  combined  with  frequent 
earthquakes), and the fact that a large part of its territory is covered by mountains, expose the 
region to a number of potential natural disasters. Furthermore, climate change has become an 
important factor in the sharp increase in the occurrence of small- and medium-scale disasters. 
The  tendency  of  the  population  to  settle  in  valleys  and  along  riverbanks  also  makes  them 
more vulnerable to disasters such as floods, mudflows and landslides. 

In  addition,  the  construction  of  very  large  infrastructure  (dams),  the  presence  of  polluting 
industries and radioactive waste dumped in the region all increase the risk of and vulnerability 
to disaster. These factors highlight the need to alert local authorities and communities to the 
risks of potential industrial and natural disasters. 

Following  the  Hyogo  Framework  for  Action  launched  at  the  World  Disaster  Reduction 
Conference in Kobe in January 2005, the Central Asian region drafted its Disaster Reduction 
Strategic  Framework.  This  has  been  done  with  the  support  of  the  United  Nations’ 
International  Strategy  for  Disaster  Reduction  (UNISDR),  now  present  in  the  region.  While 
Kazakhstan,  Uzbekistan  and  Kyrgyzstan  have  already  adopted  their  National  Disaster 
Reduction plans, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are still in the preparation process. 

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The  strategic  logic  of  the  Sixth  DIPECHO  Action  Plan  (€
 7.3  million)  follows  on  from  the 
previous action plans, with a focus on multi-country and regional operations consistent with 
the  Priorities  for  Action  identified  in  the  Hyogo  Framework  for  Action  2005-2015  (HFA): 
‘Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters’. Its aim is to support the 
five  Central  Asian  countries  (Tajikistan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Kazakhstan,  Turkmenistan  and 
Uzbekistan)  in  the  implementation  of  their  action  plan.  Afghanistan  is  also  covered  with  a 
cross-border pilot action. 

In  2010  the  DIPECHO  programme  addressed  both  the  risks  of  large-scale  disasters  and  the 
expected  impact  of  accumulated  recurrent  small-  and  medium-scale  natural  events  on  the 
most vulnerable populations. DG ECHO continued to reach national actors and communities 
at risk through partner NGOs, the Red Cross family and international organisations. 

3.6.2.  Central South Asia 

The  region  is  marked  by  instability  and  conflicts  but  is  also  prone  to  disasters.  Access  for 
partners  remains  restricted  (Sri  Lanka)  or  impossible,  preventing  assistance  from  reaching 
beneficiaries (India). 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for Central South Asia

Bangladesh

India

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Total

Bangladesh 

Humanitarian 
12 000 000

Food Aid
6 000 000

Dipecho

3 400 000

1 500 000

1 500 000

10 000 000

26 900 000

7 500 000

Total
18 000 000

3 400 000

3 000 000

10 000 000

34 400 000

Bangladesh,  the  world’s  most  densely  populated  country,  is  highly  vulnerable  to  natural 
disasters,  in  particular  floods,  cyclones  and  earthquakes,  a  vulnerability  exacerbated  by 
climate change. The year 2010 was no exception for Bangladeshi people, who had to face two 
ongoing natural disasters, one new natural disaster and a protracted crisis. 

Cyclone Aila had hit the south-western coast of the country on 25 May 2009, affecting over 4 
million  people  and  displacing  over  1  million.  As  a  result  of  insufficient  embankment 
repair/reconstruction before the 2010 monsoon, over 100 000 people spent the year stranded 
on  embankments,  with  huge  needs  in  terms  of  access  to  water  and  sanitation,  food  security 
and livelihood opportunities. Consequently, DG ECHO allocated a further €
 8 million to these 
victims  and,  wherever  the  situation  allowed,  restoration  of  livelihood  and  reconstruction  of 
shelters was initiated.  

Food insecurity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is still heavily impacted by the rodent crisis, i.e. 
an  explosion  of  the  rodent  population  causing  extensive  damage  to  very  fragile  subsistence 
farming  systems.  DG  ECHO  funded  food  assistance  to  the  most  vulnerable  victims  of  this 
crisis. 

In April 2010, a flash flood submerged the majority of crops in the six north-eastern districts 
of Bangladesh, known as the Haor, just a few weeks before the annual rice harvest was due to 

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commence, in a region highly dependent on this single annual crop. In all 1.7 million people 
have  been  severely  affected  by  the  disaster  and,  with  insufficient  coping  capacities  and  no 
alternative subsistence means, are facing an acute crisis which has serious detrimental impact 
on their nutritional status. DG ECHO support to victims of the Haor flash floods took place in 
two steps. A first allocation (€
 3 million) was made available to fill the food gap and respond 
to the acute needs identified. In the light of the deteriorating situation and the absence of other 
donors, extra funding (€
 7 million) was decided, with the aim of covering additional severely 
affected  people  during  the  lean  season,  to  avoid  further  deterioration  of  their  food  security 
situation until the next paddy harvest is due. 

The protracted crisis affecting the unregistered Rohingya refugees worsened during 2010, as a 
result of humanitarian access restrictions. The situation is directly impacting the humanitarian 
situation  of  undocumented  refugees  through  a  sharp  increase  in  the  malnutrition  rate,  well 
above  emergency  thresholds.  Despite  access  problems,  support  to  the  two  unofficial 
settlements  continued  in  2010,  albeit  at  a  lower  pace,  and  provided  basic  humanitarian 
assistance (healthcare, therapeutic feeding, safe water and sanitary conditions, protection and 
security)  to  unregistered  Rohingyas  settled  in  these  camps.  Due  to  restricted  humanitarian 
access,  most  of  the  programmes  had  to  be  downgraded  and  focused  on  pure  life-saving 
activities.  A  recent  nutritional  survey  indicates  that  the  malnutrition  rate  in  one  of  the 
unofficial settlements increased to an alarming level during this period. 

India 

The  conflict  opposing  Maoist  fighters  (Naxals)  and  security  forces  intensified  in  2010. 
Chhattisgarh, in particular its southernmost district, is one of the worst affected areas and the 
population  (mainly  tribal  people  and  scheduled  castes)  are  caught  between  the  conflicting 
parties.  Some  areas  are  totally  inaccessible  and  in  general  the  region  is  acutely  lacking  in 
basic social services, as it is practically impossible to hire doctors or teachers to work in such 
a risky environment. Tens of thousands are displaced as a consequence of the fighting and this 
number  is  increasing  due  to  a  recent  escalation  of  hostilities.  Several  independent  reports 
point to continued serious human rights violations, including the use of child soldiers. In 2010 
some 74 000 people benefited from curative and preventive basic healthcare services with DG 
ECHO’s financial support, which amounted to €

 1.4 million. 

Continued  violence  in  Jammu  and  Kashmir  remained  a  matter  of  serious  concern,  given  its 
serious humanitarian consequences for the civilian population. During the spring and summer 
several  popular  demonstrations  were  organised  to  protest  against  the  killing  of  civilians  by 
armed forces. These led to further clashes and more victims, thus fuelling a cycle of violence 
that  only  abated  in  October.  Access  to  some  of  the  victims  was  impossible  at  times  and 
remains  restricted.  With  DG  ECHO’s  €
 2  million  assistance,  approximately  28 500  people 
received  psychosocial  support  and  protection,  including  children  in  orphanages  and 
specialised services for people living with disabilities. 

The  2010  monsoon  season  registered  rainfall  below  average;  some  areas  were  affected  by 
drought, while serious flooding occurred in other places. DG ECHO constantly monitored the 
situation, with particular attention to minorities and other marginalised groups. 

India  is  graduating  out  of  aid  and  therefore  just  a  few  donors  remain  active.  In  general 
DG ECHO  is  the  only  external  donor  operating  in  the  humanitarian  contexts  in  which  it  is 
active in India. 

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Nepal/Bhutan 

The  conflict  opposing  Maoist  rebels  and  the  Royal  Army  cost  13 000  lives  and  although  it 
ended in 2006 the country still suffers from its consequences, being marked by high volatility 
and  frequent  spates  of  violence.  The  conflict  isolated  populations  and  disrupted  trade  and 
agricultural activities; it destroyed water supply systems and communications infrastructure. 
Health  posts  do  not  function  properly  and  lack  trained  personnel,  hygiene,  medicines  and 
waste treatment equipment and systems. The Nepalese authorities are still not able to provide 
basic services to remote communities due to the unstable political situation. With Commission 
funding,  amounting  to  €
 1.5  million,  primary  and  reproductive  healthcare  was  extended  to 
100 000  people;  32 250  people  benefited  from  water  and  sanitation  systems  and  250 000 
people from mine-related services. 

At the end of 2010 there were still 73 000 Bhutanese refugees of Nepali origin living in seven 
camps. These refugees are victims of a forgotten crisis and have been living in these camps 
since 1992, accepted by neither Nepal nor Bhutan, and fully dependent on external aid. In the 
absence of a political solution, the United Sates and other countries have offered resettlement 
options and since 2008 more than 40 000 refugees have been resettled. DG ECHO has been 
providing food aid to the refugees remaining in the camps. In 2010 this assistance amounted 
to €

 1.5 million. 

DG  ECHO’s  assistance  to  the  Bhutanese  refugees  is  supplemented  with  support  from 
EuropeAid for the UNHCR’s camp management. The resettlement programme brought fresh 
hopes for a possible solution. It is expected that most refugees will opt for resettlement, but 
given the size of the caseload it will take close to five years to complete the process. During 
that time political efforts will be kept up to lobby for a solution for those not able or willing to 
relocate, including return to Bhutan and the possibility for others to settle legally in Nepal. 

In 2010, more than 2.7 million people living in the mid- and far-western hilly areas were still 
considered  as  food  unsecure  by  the  World  Food  Programme.  Among  these  people  471 600 
were considered to be severely or highly food unsecure. DG ECHO constantly monitors this 
situation. 

Although  there  is  no  major  risk  for  humanitarian  staff,  some  operations  were  delayed  by 
blockades stemming from political instability. Access to hilly areas, most affected by drought 
and floods, is very difficult and some villages can only be reached by helicopter. 

Sri Lanka  

The  humanitarian  situation  in  Sri  Lanka  evolved  significantly  in  2010.  Returning  some 
300 000 IDPs to their places of origin ranked high on the agenda and was pursued swiftly by 
the government of Sri Lanka and the wider aid community. To date, 75 % of the IDPs have 
returned to their place of origin while the remainder continue to live with host families or in 
IDP  camps.  The  high  level  of  contamination  with  unexploded  ordnance  (UXO)  and  anti-
personnel mines in the Vanni has hampered the return process significantly.  

The objectives set by DG ECHO for 2010 sought to support the return process by supplying 
the  unmet  needs  of  highly  vulnerable  returning  individuals  in  terms  of  protection, 
humanitarian demining, shelter, food assistance and health. With its budget (€
 10 million), the 
Commission stands out as one of the most engaged humanitarian aid donors.  

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Specifically for humanitarian demining, actions funded by the Commission in 2010 facilitated 
the  safe  return  of  almost  30 000  former  IDPs  to  their  place  of  origin.  As  humanitarian 
demining organisations predominantly hire locals for demining activities, a secondary impact 
of  this  work  is  the  employment  opportunities  that  these  organisations  offer,  which  help 
returnee families meet their needs independently of external assistance. It is also an important 
means  by  which  returnees  re-appropriate  their  place  of  origin,  from  which  people  had  been 
displaced for years, and in some cases decades.  

An  additional  focus  of  EC-funded  actions  in  the  areas  of  return  has  been  multi-sector 
operations, which included shelter, livelihood and food assistance components. Through three 
NGO  partners,  DG ECHO  was  able  to  build  transitional  shelters  and  provide  livelihood 
support  through  food  assistance  to  almost  40 000  people  in  the  areas  of  return.  Another 
important  area  of  activity  has  been  health.  Through  two  DG ECHO  partners,  healthcare  for 
persons  with  disabilities  was  ensured,  either  through  physiotherapy  or  by  funding  the 
construction of an operating theatre that allowed complex surgeries to be performed.  

Protection concerns prevail, especially with a high proportion of returning families headed by 
women. This factor, combined with the sustained military presence and the limited income-
generating activities available, has created a fragile situation where the vulnerability of those 
already deemed most vulnerable is exacerbated further. Throughout DG ECHO’s strategy in 
Sri Lanka, protection is a guiding operational pillar. The EU funded the UNHCR for raising 
the awareness of protection needs among a number of key stakeholders in the areas of return, 
thus  working  towards  improving  the  general  protection  environment.  With  a  number  of 
humanitarian actors still present, and development activities on the rise, coordination is key to 
ensure  that  aid  is  delivered  effectively  to  those  most  in  need.  Through  the  work  of  OCHA, 
DG ECHO has sought to ensure that coordination arrangements remain in place as we enter a 
critical LRRD transition phase.  

The  security  situation  has  remained  stable  since  the  end  of  the  conflict  and  the  main  safety 
risk incurred by partners is the prevalence of mines and UXO in the areas of return. Access 
for  DG ECHO  partners  remains  restricted,  although  the  general  trend  shows  improvements. 
There is also room for improvement in terms of coordination with development actors.  

3.6.3. 

South-East and East Asia 

The  region  is  one  of  the  most  disaster-prone  in  the  world  and  in  2010  numerous  countries 
were, once again, severely affected by natural disasters.  

In  October  2010  the  Philippines  were  hit  by  typhoon  Megi,  which  caused  widespread 
destruction in Luzon Island. At the same time, cyclone Giri made landfall in Rakhine State in 
Burma/Myanmar,  while  in  Vietnam  and  in  the  Philippines  strong  rains  caused  widespread 
flooding  with  huge  damage  and  a  great  number  of  casualties  in  the  Central  and  Southern 
Provinces.  In  response  to  these  severe  climatic  events,  DG  ECHO  launched  a  regional 
operation.  China  and  the  DPRK  were  also  affected  by  floods  in  2010,  to  which  DG  ECHO 
responded by contributing to the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. 

Indonesia  was  hit  by  two  main  geological  events.  On  25  October,  a  7.7  Richter  scale 
magnitude  earthquake  struck  the  Mentawai  islands,  off  the  western  coast  of  Sumatra, 
triggering a tsunami. Only a few hours later, Mount Merapi in Central Java erupted, triggering 
a mass evacuation. DG ECHO responded promptly to both of these disasters. 

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In the Philippines, DG ECHO continued addressing the humanitarian needs of people affected 
by the armed conflict in Mindanao. Assistance was provided to displaced persons still living 
in  evacuation  centres,  in  makeshift  shelters  and  with  host  families.  The  IDP  return  process 
was also supported. 

Laos  continued  to  face  food  shortages  as  a  consequence  of  the  2009  Ketsana  floods  and 
DG ECHO decided to support the provision of rice to 100 000 people, thus bridging the gap 
until the next harvest.  

Following  an  acute  watery  diarrhoea  (AWD)/cholera  outbreak  in  Cambodia,  Laos  and  the 
Burmese refugee camps in Thailand, a funding decision was adopted for emergency measures 
to save lives and contain the outbreak. 

In  Burma/Myanmar  the  humanitarian  situation,  especially  in  Northern  Rakhine  State  and 
along the eastern border, continued to be of concern and clashes between ethnic groups and 
the Burmese army escalated after the elections in November, causing large displacements into 
Thailand.  Aung  San  Suu  Kyi  was  finally  released  after  15  years  under  house  arrest.  It  is 
uncertain how this event will impact the political and humanitarian situation in the country. 

In Mongolia the winter of 2009-2010 was exceptionally cold and the country was affected by 
a disaster known as ‘Dzud’, arising from continuous heavy snowfall combined with extreme 
cold and preceded by dry summers, resulting in insufficient grazing pastures and massive loss 
of livestock. As a third of the 2.7 million population of Mongolia are nomadic herders who 
depend on livestock for a living, the humanitarian impact was significant. 

In 2010 the Seventh DIPECHO Action Plan for South-East Asia was adopted with a budget of 
 10  million  allocated  to  Laos,  Cambodia,  Vietnam,  Burma/Myanmar,  the  Philippines, 
Indonesia, East Timor and Thailand over the next two years to help communities prepare for 
disasters (see also Section 3.9 on disaster preparedness activities). 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for South East and East Asia

Myanmar (Burma) / Thailand

Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam

Laos 

Indonesia

Mongolia

Philippines

South East Asia

Total

Myanmar (Burma) 

Humanitarian 
11 250 000

Food Aid
6 000 000

Dipecho

1 000 000

1 500 000

2 000 000

1 000 000

6 000 000

3 000 000

Total
17 250 000

1 000 000

1 000 000

1 500 000

2 000 000

9 000 000

7 000 000

10 000 000

17 000 000

28 750 000

10 000 000

10 000 000

48 750 000

Myanmar (Burma) is facing a protracted crisis due to the conflict between the Burmese army 
and ethnic armed groups, giving rise to increasing political and military tensions.  

In 2010 the humanitarian situation in Northern Rakhine State remained a particular concern as 
the Muslim Rohingya population (approx. 700 000 persons), living mostly in three townships, 
are  permanent  victims  of  segregation,  discrimination,  abuse  and  human  rights  violations  by 
the  authorities.  Deprivation  of  citizenship  has  served  to  justify  arbitrary  treatment  and 

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coercive  measures.  The  situation  is  politically  rooted  and  has  turned  into  an  acute 
humanitarian situation. The other area of concern to DG ECHO is Eastern Burma/Myanmar, 
where  the  displacement  of  some  470 000  persons  has  created  considerable  humanitarian 
needs.  Ongoing  military  operations,  compounded  by  the  remoteness  of  the  area,  leave  the 
ethnic  minority  population  vulnerable  to  threats  and  abuse.  Protection  is  a  priority. 
Government policy to cut support to the ethnic armed groups has worsened living conditions 
for the civilian population. Health, water, sanitation, shelter and livelihoods are some of the 
sectors with major needs. 

In  2010  the  Commission  continued  to  provide  humanitarian  assistance  to  vulnerable 
populations affected by the conflict for a total amount of €
 9.25 million. Activities focused on 
the  ethnic  minorities  living  in  the  Eastern  border  areas  and  on  the  stateless  Rohingya 
population in Northern Rakhine State. Key sectors of assistance included protection, food aid, 
nutrition,  primary  healthcare  and  water  and  sanitation.  Support  for  information  and  data 
management, through the Myanmar Information Management Office (MIMU), was added as 
a new component.  

Limited  access  is  a  characteristic  of  almost  all  aid  programmes  in  Myanmar.  Despite 
government constraints (visas, travel authorisations, etc.) programmes and activities can still 
be  implemented  and  direct  access  to  the  beneficiaries,  although  not  always  permanent,  is 
possible. Likewise, with lengthy administrative preparations, programmes can be monitored. 
The main humanitarian agencies of the UN system are present, as are the IOM and 63 INGOs. 

Thailand 

The conflict and the poor economic situation in Myanmar have resulted in a huge influx of its 
citizens  into  Thailand.  An  estimated  three  million  Burmese  reside  in  Thailand,  including 
approximately  140 000  ethnic  Karen  refugees  living  in  nine  refugee  camps  along  the  Thai-
Myanmar border. The Karen refugees still have strong links with Myanmar and some of them 
are involved in the Karen Liberation Army/Karen National Union (KNLA/KNU) political and 
military rebel movements. Humanitarian needs in the refugee camps in Thailand relate to food 
security and livelihood, water, sanitation, health, protection and finding sustainable solutions. 
There is also a need to re-launch the refugee screening and registration process. After decades 
of existence of the Burmese refugee camps a different type of response and assistance is now 
required.  Donors  agree  that  it  is  imperative  to  move  from  hand-outs  towards  sustainable 
solutions  which  include  livelihood  alternatives.  This  transition  is  particularly  important 
because refugees have become totally aid-dependent after such a long period of encampment. 
In this process, the Five-year Strategic Plan drawn up by the Committee for the Coordination 
of  Services  to  Displaced  Persons  in  Thailand  (CCSDPT)  and  the  UNHCR  represents  an 
important step forward. The Plan will provide a basis for dialogue with the Thai Government 
on finding durable solutions for the refuges by providing them with an alternative to expand 
their self-reliance.  

In  2010  DG  ECHO  continued  to  support  the  gradual  shift  from  humanitarian  aid  to  the 
permanent  camps  towards  a  livelihood  and  self-reliance  approach,  with  other  Commission 
funding such as the AUP (Aid to Uprooted People) budget becoming increasingly important. 
Nevertheless, DG ECHO remained one of the biggest donors to the camps with an allocation 
of €

 8 million for food aid, primary healthcare and WASH activities.  

Regular meetings are held at field level with the EU Delegation in Bangkok and with other 
donors in Thailand supporting the Burmese camps in order to discuss issues related to camp 

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management,  targeting  and  the  need  to  ensure  that  humanitarian  principles  are  respected  in 
the camps. In December DG ECHO field staff took part in a Heads of Mission field visit to 
one of the refugee camps. 

Following  the  elections  in  Burma/Myanmar  in  November,  fighting  along  the  border  with 
Thailand  increased  and  by  the  end  of  the  year  up  to  20 000  people  had  fled  into  Thailand, 
where they settled in temporary sites under Thai authority or went into hiding. Most of these 
people  went  back  as  the  situation  calmed  down.  The  UNHCR  played  an  important  role  in 
coordinating the relief response to these new influxes. 

The  year  saw  some  of  the  worst  flooding  in  30  years  affecting  large  parts  of  Thailand. 
Continuous  heavy  rains  in  August  caused  floods  affecting  922  villages  in  16  provinces, 
mostly in the rural, mountainous north and north-east of Thailand. Flooding was also reported 
in some central and eastern provinces. Close to 1.5 million people were affected. In response 
to  the  floods,  the  IFRC  intervened  to  cover  unmet  humanitarian  needs,  targeting  10 000 
vulnerable people living in evacuation centres, in inundated homes and isolated by the floods. 
Emergency kits were provided for two months. 

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam 

Vietnam, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, has over the years developed good 
coping mechanisms to prepare for and mitigate the impact of natural hazards. Even so, local 
capacity can be exhausted when disasters exceed their normal intensity. This was the case in 
October and November, when strong rains caused widespread flooding with huge damage and 
a great number of casualties in the Central and Southern Provinces of the country. More than 
2  million  people  were  affected  and  almost  200  people  died  in  Ha  Tinh,  Quang  Tri,  Thua 
Thien Hue, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan. Tens of thousands 
of households had their food stocks and basic assets severely depleted.  

In Laos and Cambodia, the prevalence of major disasters is considered medium to low, but it 
is the overall vulnerability of these countries that create relatively high risks for communities 
when disasters occur. Food insecurity is an endemic problem, particularly in Laos where the 
humanitarian  situation  one  year  after  the  floods  caused  by  the  September  2009  Ketsana 
typhoon  remains  extremely  precarious,  particularly  in  the  Southern  Provinces  where  rice 
crops in 2010 were severely affected. A UNICEF survey, released in June, showed severe to 
critical  global  acute  malnutrition  rates  in  the  Ketsana-affected  Southern  Provinces.  An 
epidemic  of  acute  watery  diarrhoea  (AWD)/cholera  broke  out  in  both  countries  in 
August/September,  affecting  more  severely  the  two  bordering  provinces  of  Attapeu  and 
Rattanakiri with more than 2 200 cases reported and 42 deaths. In June an ad hoc financing 
decision  of  €
 1 million  was  adopted  to  help  Ketsana-stricken  populations  in  the  Southern 
Provinces  of  Laos  to  bridge  the  food  gap  until  the  next  harvest.  The  WFP  was  tasked  to 
provide rice to almost 100 000 beneficiaries.  

Following the AWD/cholera outbreak in Cambodia, Laos and the refugee camps at the Thai 
border  with  Burma/Myanmar,  a  €
 1  million  emergency  funding  decision  was  adopted  for 
measures to save lives and contain the outbreak. Two humanitarian operations were initiated 
with  the  objective  of  contributing  to  improved  hygiene  and  health  conditions  through  the 
provision  of  safe  drinking  water,  sanitation  and  health  measures  and  education/awareness-
raising activities. 

Indonesia  

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In 2010, two main geological events hit Indonesia, causing significant humanitarian needs. On 
25  October,  a  7.7  Richter  scale  magnitude  earthquake  struck  the  Mentawai  islands,  off  the 
western  coast  of  Sumatra,  triggering  a  tsunami.  Only  a  few  hours  later,  Mount  Merapi  in 
Central Java erupted, triggering a mass evacuation which intensified in the following days as 
the volcanic activity continued.  

The earthquake/tsunami in Mentawai killed 431 and displaced 15 000 people. The hot gas and 
ash from the volcano killed more than 300 people and forced around 400 000 to evacuate their 
homes, making it Merapi’s worst eruption in a century. In Mentawai, needs assessment and 
relief  activities  were  hindered  for  several  days  by  adverse  weather  conditions  that  caused 
access problems. Aid coordination then became a challenge, due to the large number of relief 
organisations on the ground and difficult logistics. In the Merapi area, the situation remained 
fluid  for  weeks,  with  new  eruptions  causing  further  displacements  and  forced  relocation  of 
evacuation  centres  as  the  danger  zone  expanded.  Relief  operations  required  continuous 
adjustments. 

The humanitarian needs caused by these massive displacements mostly related to emergency 
shelter,  water,  food  supplies,  relief  items,  medical  assistance  and  psychological  support.  No 
official request for international assistance was made by Indonesia, but various international 
donors offered support (totalling USD 5 322 084) when the national coping capacity, already 
under strain due to climatic events, appeared overstretched. On 27 October the Commission 
adopted  a  primary  emergency  decision  of  €
 1.5  million,  which  allowed  five  projects  to  be 
funded  in  the  areas  of  shelter,  water  and  sanitation,  basic  necessities,  health,  transport, 
communication  and  logistics,  and  including  risk  awareness  and  disaster  preparedness 
measures, providing assistance to some 40 000 beneficiaries. 

Mongolia 

The winter of 2009-2010 was exceptionally cold in Mongolia, causing a significant number of 
people to freeze to death. The country experienced a disaster known as ‘Dzud’, a phenomenon 
arising  from  continuous  heavy  snowfall  combined  with  extreme  cold  and  preceded  by  dry 
summers, resulting in insufficient grazing pastures and massive loss of livestock. As one third 
of  the  2.7  million  population  of  Mongolia  are  nomadic  herders  who  depend  entirely  on 
livestock  for  a  living,  the  impact  was  significant.  In  January  2010  the  Government  of 
Mongolia  appealed  for  international  assistance,  which  is  coordinated  by  the  National 
Emergency  Management  Agency  (NEMA),  together  with  the  Ministries  of  Agriculture, 
Education  and  Health.  By  the  end  of  April,  15  of  Mongolia’s  21  provinces,  inhabited  by 
770 000  people,  were  declared  disaster  zones,  and  another  four  provinces  were  seriously 
affected. More than 7.8 million animals (mainly goats and sheep, but also horses, cows and 
camels), representing 17 % of total numbers, had died in the space of four months due to the 
cold and the lack of fodder. Over 500 000 inhabitants of the disaster zones were considered at 
risk  of  food  insecurity.  In  addition,  thousands  of  people  were  forced  to  migrate  to  urban 
centres, mainly to Ulaanbaatar (the capital), requiring assistance with water, sanitation, health 
and livelihoods. Protection was required for the children of some destitute herders, involved 
in illegal mining activities. 

In May, an amount of €
 2 million was allocated to victims of the Dzud, to improve their food 
security,  livelihood  and  health  status.  Assistance  was  provided  to  40 000  beneficiaries, 
to 
including  food  aid,  fodder  supplies/storage,  animal  husbandry 
schoolchildren away from home, vocational training and social/health care for urban migrants, 

training,  support 

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basic  relief  items,  hygiene,  water  and  sanitation.  Disaster  preparedness/risk  reduction  was 
mainstreamed into most activities.  

The LRRD process is underway, as the Dzud is a recurrent problem, linked to economic and 
social  structures  requiring  long-term  strategies.  Mongolia  is  a  vast  country,  with  few  roads 
and an extreme climate, so difficulties had to be overcome to gain access to beneficiaries. 

Philippines 

In the Philippines DG ECHO continued addressing the humanitarian needs of people affected 
by  the  armed  conflict  in  Mindanao.  At  the  end  of  2009,  about  300 000  people  were  still 
displaced as a result of renewed clashes between the Government of the Philippines and the 
MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). In the first six months of 2010, the security situation 
started  to  improve  along  with  progress  in  the  peace  talks  between  the  parties,  and  with  the 
ceasefire supervised by a Joint Coordinating Committee for the  Cessation of  Hostilities and 
by an International Monitoring Team, under Malaysian command.  

Through an ad hoc decision allocating €
 5 million adopted in January, DG ECHO continued to 
provide assistance to displaced persons still living in evacuation centres, in makeshift shelters 
and  with  host  families,  and  supported  the  IDP  return  process.  DG ECHO  funded  projects 
providing  integrated  life-saving  assistance  (€
 2  million  for  shelter,  health,  water  and 
sanitation, coordination), food assistance and livelihood recovery (€
 3 million). At the end of 
2010 the number of people still displaced (partly due to clan-related violence) did not exceed 
25 000, which confirmed the relevance of phasing out humanitarian aid in favour of longer-
term instruments. 

In  parallel,  DG  ECHO  kept  addressing  the  outstanding  needs  generated  by  the  devastating 
tropical  storms  and  typhoons  of  September/October  2009  (Ketsana,  Parma,  Mirinae),  which 
had affected 9 million people in the north and centre of the country, and whose consequences 
on  livelihoods  were  later  compounded  by  the  effects  of  El  Niño.  A  follow-up  financing 
 4 million was adopted in June 2010, funding projects covering the humanitarian 
decision of €
needs related to shelter and livelihoods and assisting over 200 000 vulnerable people. 

Regional action in South-East Asia 

The  start  of  the  typhoon  season  in  South-East  Asia  was  particularly  destructive  in  2010, 
causing  major  humanitarian  needs  all  over  the  region.  In  response  to  these  adverse  weather 
conditions  affecting  the  region,  especially  Burma  (Myanmar),  Vietnam  and  the  Philippines, 
 7 million was adopted.  
an emergency decision allocating €

On  18  October  the  Philippines  were  hit  by  category  5  typhoon  Megi,  which  caused 
widespread destruction in Luzon Island. The Commission funded relief projects for a total of 
 7 million allocated by the decision. This operation aimed to address 
 2.6 million out of the €
the gaps identified in the national humanitarian response by supporting shelter rehabilitation 
and repair of water and sanitation facilities for the most isolated communities (approximately 
40 000 people), short-term food rations and non-food items, early recovery of livelihoods and 
disaster preparedness measures through training of disaster management officers in the use of 
life-saving communication equipment.  

On  22  October,  cyclone  Giri,  a  category  4  cyclone,  struck  the  Rakhine  coast  of 
Burma/Myanmar. The most affected areas were Myebon, Kyaukphyu, Pauktaw and Minbya 

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€
townships.  The  authorities  confirmed  45  deaths  and  260 000  people  affected.  According  to 
UNDP  figures  102 000  people  were  made  homeless  and  20 380  houses  were  destroyed.  The 
allocation  of  €
 7  million)  to  cyclone  Giri-affected  areas  benefited 
250 000  vulnerable  people  and  allowed  the  urgent  distribution  of  food  and  non-food  items, 
basic shelters, primary healthcare and water and sanitation. 

 3  million  (out  of  the  €

Torrential  rains  also  affected  Vietnam,  bringing  flooding  and  ensuing  landslides  in  five 
central provinces. The amount allocated (€
 7 million total) addressed 
the urgent humanitarian needs of over 100 000 persons in the central provinces of Vietnam in 
the sectors of shelters, water and sanitation, non-food relief items and livelihood recovery.  

 1.4 million out of the €

Regional action in South-East Asia — DIPECHO 

In  terms  of  natural  hazards,  South-East  Asia  is  particularly  exposed  to  floods,  flash  floods, 
typhoons, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis  and  tidal surges, landslides, droughts, forest fires 
and volcanic eruptions.  

Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are among the top ten countries worst hit by natural 
disasters,  in  particular  earthquakes,  floods  and  typhoons.  The  socio-economic  impact  of 
natural  disasters  is  considerable,  in  particular  for  the  poorest  and  most  isolated  populations. 
However,  losses  could  be  largely  mitigated  or  avoided  by  simple  preventive  measures.  The 
Seventh DIPECHO for the region targets up 2 million people with funding of €

 10 million. 

Over  the  past  few  decades,  the  typology  of  disasters  has  changed  in  South-East  Asia  due 
mainly to man-made causes such as widespread deforestation, illegal land use and the absence 
of  law  enforcement,  which  contribute  to  aggravating  the  effects  of  an  increasingly  erratic 
meteorological  cycle.  The  vulnerability  profile  is  also  changing,  with  increased  urban 
migration  and  erosion  of  traditional  coping  mechanisms,  including  decreased  resistance  to 
potential pandemics. 

In  parallel,  all  South-East  Asian  Governments  have  expressed  commitment  to  the 
implementation  of  the  Hyogo  Framework  for  Action  2005-2015  (HFA):  ‘Building  the 
Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters’. Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, 
Vietnam  and  Burma/Myanmar  have  developed  or  are  in  the  process  of  developing  disaster 
risk reduction strategies and legal frameworks and action plans. Implementation of the HFA 
will  remain  the  reference  for  DG  ECHO,  and  the  Seventh  DIPECHO  Action  Plan  will 
enhance  reporting  against  the  HFA  priorities  and  indicators.  Partners  will  be  requested  to 
include this element in their proposals. 

 10 million) targets up to two million people among the 
The Seventh DIPECHO Action Plan (€
most  vulnerable  local  communities,  institutions  and  organisations,  decision  makers  and  the 
general public in the targeted countries and regions (Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, 
Laos,  the  Philippines  and  Vietnam).  Measures  to  support  the  coping  capacities  of  the  most 
marginalised populations living in small and medium-sized urban centres are also encouraged. 
In addition to the specified target populations, additional beneficiaries will be reached through 
public information campaigns. 

Whereas under the Sixth DIPECHO Action Plan for South-East Asia, Burma/Myanmar was 
not directly targeted, the devastation caused in May 2008 by cyclone Nargis and the lack of 

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adequate preparedness measures, contributing to the death toll of about 144 000 people, made 
the government and communities more receptive to disaster preparedness. This is the reason 
why this Action Plan will also support individual projects in Burma/Myanmar. 

3.7. 

Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific 

These regions are recurrently affected by natural hazards such as floods, hurricanes, droughts, 
cold waves, landslides, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.  

The year began with probably the most severe disaster to have hit the region in terms of lives 
lost — the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on 12 January. An estimated 230 000 people 
were killed and more than 2 million were displaced out of a total population of 9.8 million. 
DG ECHO’s  response  to  the  massive  needs  was  quick  and  significant.  One  month  later  the 
region was again hit by a massive earthquake which occurred in Chile on 27 February. It was 
the fifth most powerful earthquake on record and triggered a tsunami, affecting more than two 
million people and killing more than 400. 

The 2010 hurricane season particularly affected Central America and the Caribbean. Tropical 
storm Agatha in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and hurricane Tomas in the Caribbean 
required humanitarian assistance. The phenomena of El Niño and La Niña led to warming and 
cooling in the eastern and central Pacific respectively and caused floods and droughts. This 
phenomenon  led  to  drought  in  many  Central  American  countries  but  particularly  affected 
Guatemala,  which  required  food  assistance  so  as  to  address  the  nutritional  situation  of  the 
most vulnerable. Heavy rains caused floods and landslides in the highlands of southern Peru, 
affecting more than 190 000 people. At the end of the year, the Bolivian region of El Chaco 
was still facing the consequences of a third consecutive year of drought, which had led to a 
critical situation in terms of access to water for agriculture, livestock and human consumption. 
Floods caused huge damage in Colombia in 2010, as almost 2.3 million people were affected 
by the rainy season countrywide. DG ECHO responded to all these situations throughout the 
year. 

DG  ECHO’s  humanitarian  assistance  to  victims  of  Colombia’s  prolonged  internal  conflict 
continued  in  2010,  including  support  to  IDPs,  rural  populations  facing  restriction  of 
movement  and  limited  access  to  basic  goods  and  services,  and  Colombians  in  need  of 
protection who had fled to neighbouring countries.  

Epidemics  also  affected  the  region  during  2010.  Outbreaks  of  dengue  and  leptospirosis 
required assistance. In October, a cholera epidemic started in the valley of the Artibonite, in 
Haiti, quickly spreading to other departments. By the end of the year, 3 573 people had died 
from  cholera,  out  of  160 929  cases  seen.  DG  ECHO  also  responded  very  quickly  to  the 
cholera epidemic in Haiti and contributed to control of the disease in the Dominican Republic 
and the rest of the Caribbean. 

In  view  of  the  recurrent  nature  of  natural  disasters  and  their  humanitarian  impact, 
DG ECHO’s  disaster  preparedness  programme  (DIPECHO)  continued  in  the  respective 
regions, i.e. Central America, South America and the Caribbean, focusing on improving the 
capacities  of  communities  at  risk  and  on 
in  disaster  risk 
reduction/disaster  management,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  better  prepare  for  and  protect 
themselves against natural disasters.  

institutions 

involved 

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Linking  relief,  rehabilitation  and  development  (LRRD)  was  considered  in  all  operations 
funded,  by  developing  a  strategy  that  goes  beyond  the  mere  distribution  of  assets  to 
beneficiaries  and  systematically  integrates  components  to  increase  the  durability  of  the 
response and the reinforcement of local disaster preparedness capacities. The involvement of 
local  and  national  institutions  in  the  definition  of  priorities  and  formulation  of  projects  is 
encouraged. Moreover, DG ECHO works closely with all EU Delegations in the region and at 
headquarters  level,  sharing  information,  carrying  out  joint  monitoring  missions  and 
facilitating opportunities for complementarity. 

3.7.1.  Latin America 

Latin America is a region prone to natural disasters; it was hit by tropical storm Agatha, the 
tsunami in Chile, heavy rains and drought.  

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for Latin America

Humanitarian aid

Food Aid

Central America
Guatemala
Chile
Peru
Bolivia
Colombia

TOTAL 

3 000 000
1 000 000
3 000 000
2 000 000
1 500 000
14 000 000

24 500 000

Dipecho
10 000 000

Total
13 000 000
1 000 000
3 000 000
2 000 000
1 500 000
14 000 000

10 000 000

34 500 000

Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) 

DG ECHO actions in Central America focused in 2010 on responding to the emergency needs 
caused  by  tropical  storm  Agatha  in  Guatemala,  El  Salvador  and  Honduras.  A  primary 
 3 million was adopted and a total of 206 260 people benefited 
emergency decision allocating €
from DG ECHO-funded operations.  

This  was  supplemented  by  another  decision  allocating  €
 1  million  to  Guatemala,  adopted  at 
the end of the year with the aim of responding to the effects of the series of natural disasters 
which  occurred  throughout  2010  (Pacaya  volcano  eruption,  tropical  storm  Agatha,  tropical 
depression 11-E, etc.) and had substantially eroded the coping capacity of the most vulnerable 
populations.  Harvest  losses  seriously  affected  subsistence  farmers,  while  opportunities  to 
work as day labourers on bigger farms diminished because of the floods. 

As far as disaster preparedness is concerned, implementation of the Sixth DIPECHO Action 
Plan  for  Central  America  came  to  an  end  with  24  actions  implemented.  The  Seventh 
 10 million) was launched and 22 actions have been financed. For 
DIPECHO Action Plan (€
more detail on this programme, see Section 3.9. 

Regional action in Central America — DIPECHO 

Central America is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world, in terms of recurrence 
of  disasters,  their  severity  and  scope.  There  are  frequent  floods,  flash  floods,  cyclones, 
landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought and forest fires. 

EN 

51 

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Local communities are particularly vulnerable to all these disasters, and the losses they cause 
are  significant  in  both  social  and  economic  terms.  The  capacities  of  Central  American 
countries  to  cope  with  disasters  are  insufficient  and  international  assistance  is  needed  to 
support preparedness and small-scale mitigation actions. 

Hydro-meteorological  events  have  been  predominant  in  recent  years,  with  floods  affecting 
more than 2.2 million people since 1990. Over the same period, more than 5 million people 
have been hit by windstorms, most notoriously by hurricanes Mitch33, Stan and Felix in 1998, 
2005 and 2007 respectively. Hydro-meteorological events are responsible for 82 % of the total 
loss of human life caused by all types of disasters over the period 1990-2009 in the region34. 
Geological events and, more specifically, earthquakes generate the most significant economic 
losses. For example, the two earthquakes which hit El Salvador in 2001 affected a total of 1.5 
million people35. Finally, deforestation is a frequent problem, and events such as the El Niño 
phenomenon  aggravate  its  consequences.  The  drought  induced  by  El  Niño  in  1997-1998 
caused losses of forests (due to fires) corresponding to four years of deforestation36. 

The  Seventh  DIPECHO  Action  Plan  (€
 10  million)  will  target  the  most  vulnerable  local 
communities  and  their  institutions  involved  in  risk  reduction  in  El  Salvador,  Costa  Rica, 
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Furthermore, regional programming could take 
into account the whole of Central America. 

It  is  estimated  that  approximately  800 000  people  benefit  directly  from  the  Seventh  Action 
Plan. 

South America (except Colombia) 

One  of  the  most  powerful  earthquakes  in  history  and  a  subsequent  tsunami  hit  Chile  on 
27 February,  affecting  more  than  two  million  people  and  killing  more  than  400.  The 
 3  million  through  a  primary  emergency  decision  to  assist  75 000 
Commission  disbursed  €
people, mainly by supporting healthcare and shelter. 

Commissioner Georgieva travelled to Chile to visit the areas most affected by the earthquake 
and tsunami and observe the work of European humanitarian and civil protection experts on 
the ground. During her field visit she met representatives of ECHO partners working in the 
area, visited the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) base-camp in Penco, Concepción, 
and had bilateral contacts with Chilean authorities in the region. Commissioner Georgieva’s 
visit coincided with the inauguration of President Sebastián Piñera in Valparaíso on 11 March 
and she represented President Barroso at the ceremony. 

Heavy  rains  caused  floods  and  landslides  in  the  highlands  of  southern  Peru,  affecting  more 
than  190 000  people,  devastating  harvests  and  destroying  the  homes  of  more  than  33 000  in 
the  poorest  part  of  the  country.  The  Commission  disbursed  €
 2  million  to  help  72 000 
vulnerable people affected by the disaster to restore their destroyed livelihoods and houses. 

33 
34 
35 
36 

Hurricane Mitch is a benchmark in Central America’s recent disaster history. 
Source: CRED (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters). 
DG ECHO responded to these earthquakes through three decisions totalling €
According  to  the  CCAD  (Comisión  Centroamericana  para  el  Ambiente  y  el  Desarrollo),  the  losses  of  forests  in 
Central America during 1997-1998 amount to 1.5 million hectares. 

 10 500 000. 

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52 

   EN 

 
                                                 
At the end of the year, the Bolivian region of El Chaco was still facing the consequences of a 
third consecutive  year of drought, which had led to a critical situation in terms of access to 
water for agriculture, livestock and human consumption. Agricultural losses were reported to 
be higher than 90 %. Through an ad hoc decision allocating €
 1.5 million, DG ECHO helped 
vulnerable indigenous families to recover their livelihoods and access to water as well as to 
increase their resilience to droughts. 

Furthermore, three projects were funded in South America in 2010 to cover some remaining 
humanitarian gaps following the earthquake in Chile, respond to the floods in Venezuela and 
support the victims of the landslides in Bolivia.  

The  strategy  adopted  by  DG  ECHO  in  2010  has  been  to  frame  a  common  approach  and 
strategy together with its partners for each emergency so that all projects fit together and share 
objectives  and  results,  thus  multiplying  the  impact  of  the  funding  decision  and  ensuring 
coherence between DG ECHO-funded projects in the same response. This was the case in the 
response to the Peru floods and Bolivia drought. 

As far as disaster preparedness is concerned, implementation of the Sixth DIPECHO Action 
Plan for South America came to an end in the last quarter of 2010.  

Colombia  (including  Colombians  in  need  of  international  protection  in  Ecuador  and 
Venezuela) 

Internal armed conflict in Colombia continued in 2010. Despite government military advances 
over illegal armed groups, massive and individual displacements, confinement of civilians and 
weapon  contamination  continued  to  be  major  consequences  of  the  conflict  in  Colombia. 
While  the  government  reported  decreasing  levels  of  forced  displacements  in  2010, 
humanitarian needs remained a cause of concern, particularly in rural zones affected by armed 
confrontations  and  in  border  zones.  In  cumulative  terms  (and  depending  on  the  source), 
between 3.537 and 4.9 million38 people have been displaced since 1984. And the phenomenon 
of confined, or blocked, communities persists39. According to the UNHCR, around 500 00040 
Colombians  are  refugees  or  live  in  a  refugee-like  situation  in  Ecuador,  Venezuela  and 
Panama. 

Despite a sophisticated legal protection system and substantial allocations by the Colombian 
government41,  there  are  significant  gaps  in  humanitarian  assistance  and  protection, 
particularly  during  the  time  immediately  following  displacement  and  in  remote  rural  areas, 
where the population often has to face restrictions of movement and lack of access to basic 
goods and services. 

Women,  children  and  Afro-Colombian  and  indigenous  communities  are  particularly 
vulnerable. The blurring of civil and military lines has triggered a reduction of humanitarian 
space  in  Colombia.  In  the  neighbouring  countries,  protection  (in  particular  refugee-status 

37 
38 

39 
40 
41 

According to Acción Social, the number of IDPs officially registered is 3 551 106, up to 10 Nov 2010. 
The  Colombian  NGO  Consultoría  para  los  Derechos  Humanos  y  el  Desplazamiento  —  CODHES 
estimates 4 915 579 IDPs for the period 1984-2009. 
According to the study ‘Población confinada en Colombia’ OCHA, 2010. 
As of January 2010, the UNHCR counted 454 088 Colombian refugees and asylum seekers. 
Estimated at COP 1.5 billion by the GoC in 2010 (Acción Social, press release on 5 Jan 2011). 

EN 

53 

   EN 

 
                                                 
determination)  and  emergency  assistance  for  new  arrivals  remain  the  most  important 
humanitarian issues to be addressed.  

In  addition,  Colombia  is  vulnerable  to  natural  disasters;  floods  in  particular  caused  huge 
damage in 2010. Almost 2.3 million42 people were affected by the rainy season countrywide; 
despite  the  efforts  of  the  Colombian  government  to  respond  to  the  humanitarian  needs, 
national capacity was overwhelmed. An appeal for humanitarian assistance was made to the 
international community and the private sector on 23 November. 

Funding  of  €
 14  million  was  allocated  to  support  the  Colombian  population  affected  by  the 
conflict  and  the  emergency  provoked  by  the  heavy  rainy  season  in  2010.  Around  198 000 
people  were  assisted  by  DG  ECHO  under  the  Global  Plan  for  Colombia  2010  (IDPs  and 
affected  populations  in  Colombia:  123 000;  asylum  seekers  and  refugees  in  Ecuador  and 
Venezuela: 38 000; Colombians affected by recent floods: 37 000). 

Protection  has  been  the  main  objective  of  DG  ECHO’s  operation  in  Colombia.  DG ECHO 
continued  to  concentrate  humanitarian  operations  in  remote  rural  areas,  where  state 
institutions are generally not present or government assistance is not sufficient. The protection 
of  children,  women  and  minorities  continued  to  be  a  priority.  DG  ECHO  assistance  was 
intended to cover those humanitarian emergency needs not — sufficiently — covered by the 
aid provided by the Colombian government, and ensure humanitarian protection as much as 
possible. 

In line with Colombia’s policy of ‘democratic security’, a presidential directive was issued in 
March 2009, seeking the ‘alignment’ of armed forces and civilian state entities. As a result of 
this  directive,  an  increasing  number  of  mixed  civil-military  brigades  have  been  organised, 
blurring  civil  and  military  lines  and  therefore  further  limiting  the  humanitarian  space  of 
government  agencies  in  2009  and  2010.  Respecting  the  humanitarian  principle  of 
independence, DG ECHO partners have refused to participate in these mixed brigades.  

3.7.2.  Caribbean 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for the Caribbean region
Food Aid

Humanitarian 

Dipecho

Haiti / Dominican Rep.
TOTAL 

Haiti 

122 000 000
122 000 000

Total
122 000 000
122 000 000

On 12 January an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti’s capital Port-
au-Prince and the surrounding areas. An estimated 230 000 people were killed and more than 
2  million  people  were  displaced  out  of  a  total  population  of  9.8  million.  The  humanitarian 
situation  was  compounded  by  the  already  high  level  of  poverty  in  Haiti  and  the  regular 
occurrence  of  natural  disasters,  and  the  fact  that  the  state  was  severely  hit,  with  the 
presidential palace and most of the ministries destroyed, further reducing the weak capacity of 
the government to respond to such a massive disaster.  

42 

According  to  official  data  (Dirección  de  Gestion  del  Riesgo,  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  and  Justice), 
2 234 154 people have been affected by the floods (update on 11 Jan 2011). 

EN 

54 

   EN 

 
 
                                                 
Commissioner Georgieva travelled to Haiti in early March to visit the areas most affected by 
the  earthquake.  During  her  field  visit  she  visited  humanitarian  projects  and  displacement 
camps,  met  representatives  of  ECHO  partners  working  in  Port-au-Prince,  flew  over  the 
devastated cities of Léogâne and Jacmel and held high-level meetings with the Humanitarian 
Coordinator  and  the  Canadian  Armed  Forces  and  Ambassador.  She  then  joined  Catherine 
Ashton for a meeting with President Préval and Prime Minister Bellerive. 

In  October,  a  cholera  epidemic  started  in  the  valley  of  the  Artibonite,  quickly  spreading  to 
other  departments.  It  was  compounded  by  hurricane  Tomas  in  early  November,  which 
brought heavy rains and disturbed the provision of water and healthcare during a short period. 
At the end of the year, 3 573 people had died of cholera, out of 160 929 cases seen and 90 076 
hospitalised, representing a 2.2 % lethality rate. This was an improvement on the 10 % rate at 
the  beginning  of  the  epidemic  but  was  still  significantly  above  the  1 %  internationally 
recommended threshold.  

in 

to 

to  respond 

the  massive  needs 

DG  ECHO’s  response  to  the  earthquake  was  quick  and  significant.  A  total  of  €
 122  million 
was  allocated 
the  sectors  of  shelter,  food, 
water/sanitation/hygiene, health, coordination/logistics and to enhance disaster risk reduction, 
which  was  also  mainstreamed  in  the  whole  response  operation.  The  Commission  financed 
projects not only in Port-au-Prince, targeting populations in camps and staying in tents close 
to  their  damaged  homes,  but  also  in  the  rest  of  the  country,  where  significant  numbers  of 
displaced people sought refuge in the aftermath of the earthquake, staying with relatives and 
host  families  and  thereby  depleting  their  already  scarce  resources.  In  addition  to  the  2010 
funding,  funds  remaining  from  the  2009  Global  Plan  (€
 8  million)  were  reallocated  to  the 
response to the earthquake.  

DG ECHO also responded very quickly to the cholera epidemic, focusing on the health sector 
to save lives through medical treatment, the provision of clean water and adequate sanitation, 
and support for epidemiological surveillance and logistics.  

Haiti  remains  a  fragile  democracy,  where  crime  rates  are  high.  Political  unrest  due  to  the 
electoral process at the end of the year is hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance in 
some areas. 

3.7.3.  Pacific 

Given the remote location of the region (as observed from Europe) and the presence of very 
active  donors  in  the  South  Pacific,  i.e.  Australia  and  New  Zealand,  who  have  a  tradition  of 
responding swiftly to disasters in the region, the Commission’s involvement in the funding of 
humanitarian assistance is regular, but less frequent than in other parts of the world. 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for the Pacific region

Pacific region
TOTAL

Food Aid

Dipecho

Humanitarian
2 000 000
2 000 000

Total
2 000 000
2 000 000

Implementation  of  a  pilot  disaster  preparedness  programme  (DIPECHO)  continued  in 
Vanuatu  and  the  Solomon  Islands,  strengthening  the  resilience  of  communities  to  natural 
disasters.  Some  9 400  people benefited directly from this programme, which also includes a 
component in support of strengthening disaster response capacity in the South Pacific region. 

EN 

55 

   EN 

 
 
A  financing  decision  was  adopted  towards  the  end  of  2010,  to  provide  support  for  building 
regional capacity in disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation in the Pacific region. 
Actions  are  being  developed  in  the  context  of  existing  regional  and  national  Disaster  Risk 
Reduction  frameworks,  including  National  Disaster  Management  structures.  Activities 
include capacity-building of organisations with a disaster risk reduction mandate; institutional 
linkages  and  advocacy,  targeting  institutions  involved  in  disaster  management/disaster  risk 
reduction,  including  contingency  planning;  development  and  dissemination  of  standardised 
tools  and  systems  for  Information,  Education  and  Communication;  stock-building  of 
emergency  and  relief  items  at  local  level;  reinforcing  the  early  response  capacity  of  local 
actors and institutions in disaster-prone areas by providing rescue and first aid equipment plus 
training  activities;  piloting,  documentation  and  promotion  of  “climate  change  adaptation  – 
disaster preparedness” integrated approaches. 

3.8.  Worldwide 

In  order  to  be  able  to  intervene  in  new  ‘small-scale’  crises  three  funding  decisions  with  a 
worldwide scope were adopted in 2010:  

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for the Worldwide decisions

Epidemics
Small scale response
Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF)

TOTAL 

3.8.1.  Epidemics  

Humanitarian Aid
10 000 000
8 000 000
3 000 000

21 000 000

Food Aid Dipecho

Total
10 000 000
8 000 000
3 000 000

21 000 000

Epidemic outbreaks pose major risks to the world’s poorest populations, because they are less 
able  to  respond  to  shocks  of  all  kinds.  The  vaccination  coverage  in  developing  countries  is 
generally  low  and  the  risk  of  transmission  of  infections  is  thus  enhanced.  Poverty,  lack  of 
basic  sanitation  facilities,  low  hygienic  standards  and  malnutrition  in  post-emergency  or 
structurally weak countries increase the vulnerability to communicable diseases. Populations 
already affected by natural and man-made disasters are particularly vulnerable. A timely and 
adequate response to epidemic outbreaks, combined with appropriate preparedness action, can 
help save thousands of lives. 

 10 million from its humanitarian aid budget to reducing 
In 2010, the Commission allocated €
the  impact  of  epidemics  on  vulnerable  people  in  developing  countries  and  supporting 
emergency operations to address outbreaks of communicable diseases. These funds will help 
an estimated 3 600 000 individuals living in areas at high risk of epidemics to receive proper 
protection against diseases. Populations in these countries are exposed to great risks to their 
health,  lives  and  livelihoods.  National  resources  to  fight  epidemics  are  often  exhausted, 
causing major, even regional, emergencies.  

The  Commission  assistance  is  driven  by  two  objectives:  preparedness  —  including 
surveillance, early warning systems, prevention, planning and stockpiling — and the capacity 
to  respond  effectively  to  the  outbreaks.  In  that  regard,  the  funding  will  emphasise  the  pre-
positioning  and  provision  of  effective  emergency  items  such  as  medical  supplies  and  water 
and sanitation products.  

EN 

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3.8.2. 

Small-scale response 

Small-scale  disasters  often  occur  in  remote  or  isolated  areas,  rarely  trigger  a  declaration  of 
emergency and do not usually figure prominently in the news despite the serious humanitarian 
needs they create locally.  

In 2010, the Commission allocated €
 8 million from its humanitarian budget to provide small- 
scale  assistance  for  disaster  preparedness  and  relief  to  victims  of  natural  or  man-made 
disasters throughout the globe. This allocation will facilitate appropriate emergency response 
funding where the local response is insufficient, be it to small-scale disasters or disasters of a 
somewhat larger scale where there are unmet humanitarian needs, and for which a small-scale 
operation is adequate. It will be the tool to allow a rapid response to those disasters where the 
number of affected people is low, or the unmet needs are not significant enough to launch a 
specific decision. 

At least one of the following two criteria must be fulfilled: 

–  extent of damage: the number of affected people is less than 50 000; 

–  unmet needs (gaps left by ongoing assistance), where an operation limited to a maximum 

amount of €

 200 000 per disaster is sufficient to cover unmet needs. 

As  for  other  DG ECHO  operations,  funds  are  channelled  through  NGOs,  international 
organisations  including  the  United  Nations  (UN  agencies)  and  Member  States’  specialised 
agencies. 

3.8.3.  The IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) 

Vulnerable people in non-EU countries throughout the world are affected by disasters, such as 
floods,  landslides,  cyclones,  tsunamis,  drought,  fires,  cold  waves,  earthquakes,  volcanic 
eruptions,  epidemics,  food  insecurity,  population  movements  and  civil  unrest.  Relief  is 
required,  as  well  as  preparedness  for  imminent  disasters,  in  the  context  of  small-scale 
emergencies  for  which  an  appeal  is  unlikely  to  be  launched.  Most  small-scale  emergencies 
(sometimes  no  more  than  100 000  people  are  affected)  are  responded  to  at  local  or  national 
level.  The  Red  Cross  and  Red  Crescent  National  Societies,  supported  by  the  International 
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), are often best placed to provide 
an  immediate  response,  being  rooted  in  the  local  community  and  mobilising  community 
members as volunteers. 

DG ECHO ensured that it had the capacity to react quickly to many small-scale disasters in 
2010,  by  means  of  an  earmarked  contribution  to  the  IFRC’s  DREF.  The  2010  Decision 
contributing  to  the  DREF  was  used  so  effectively  that  the  original  allocation  was  doubled, 
 3  million.  A  rapid  response  was  provided  via  37 
bringing  DG  ECHO’s  support  to  €
operations, bringing life-saving assistance and relief to victims of floods, landslides, cyclones, 
epidemics,  civil  unrest  and  other  small-scale  disasters.  Preparedness  for  imminent  disasters 
was supported, and the disaster preparedness capacities of Red Cross National Societies were 
enhanced. 

3.9. 

Disaster preparedness activities, including DIPECHO 

The EU’s main contribution to the global disaster risk reduction effort remains the DIPECHO 
programme, which targets highly vulnerable communities living in seven of the most disaster-

EN 

57 

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prone  regions  in  the  world.  In  DG  ECHO  terminology,  this  is  called  the  ‘community-based 
approach’. 

Since  launching  the  DIPECHO  programmes  (1996-2010),  the  Commission  has  invested 
 300 million in the associated action plans. 

Besides  the  DIPECHO  action  plans,  mainstreaming  activities  contribute  also  to  disaster 
preparedness. The effort is based on activities related to the following sectors: infrastructure 
support,  capacity  building  and  training,  advocacy  and  public  awareness,  small-scale 
mitigation, mapping and data computerisation, early warning systems, education, facilitation 
and coordination, institutional strengthening and climate change adaptation activities.  

In  2010,  disaster  preparedness  activities  managed  by  DG  ECHO  allowed  about  28  million 
beneficiaries to be reached.  

Disaster Preparedness Activities 1996-2010

Region 

Funding
1996-2009

Funding 
2010

Funding 
1996-2010

Southern Africa
Southern Caucasus/Eastern Europe
Central Asia
South Asia
South-East Asia
Central America
South America
Peru
Caribbean
Pacific
Other 
Other - Capacity-building
Total DIPECHO programmes

5.735.000
4.703.357
22.375.000
31.753.043
31.680.000
32.480.000
36.227.663
2.000.000
25.178.156
1.500.000
4.245.381
200.000
198 077 600

6.000.000

7.295.000

10.000.000
10.000.000

33 295 000

11 735 000
4 703 357
29 670 000
31 753 043
41 680 000
42 480 000
36 227 663
2 000 000
25 178 156
1 500 000
4 245 381
 200 000
231 372 600

Drought preparedness (on the HA budget)

50 000 000

20.000.000

70 000 000

Total disaster preparedness activities

248 077 600

53 295 000

301 372 600

Details concerning the actions implemented in 2010 are included in Sections 3.3 to 3.7 above 
under the regional sections concerned. 

DG  ECHO’s  contribution  to  disaster  preparedness  goes  well  beyond  the  DIPECHO 
programme  as  many  of  its  major  humanitarian  financing  decisions  include  disaster 
preparedness or mitigation of disaster impacts as an objective. Even post-disaster emergency 
responses  often  have  a  risk  reduction  element.  In  2010,  this  was  the  case  in  the  following 
regions/countries:  

–  Africa: Sudan, Chad, DR Congo, Kenya, Somalia, South Africa;  

–  Asia: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, South-East Asia; 

–  Latin America: Central America, South America, Haiti. 

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

In  2010,  following  rising  demand  from  countries  providing  external  assistance  in  transition 
contexts,  LRRD  issues  received  increased  attention  from  humanitarian  and  development 
actors.  

The  growing  complexity  and  duration  of  crises  led  to  a  situation  where  numerous 
international actors in the areas of humanitarian aid, recovery, development and peacekeeping 
have  been  working  side  by  side,  making  proper  interlinking  and  close  coordination  (from 
needs assessment through to actual implementation of operations) critical. 

While managing transition and LRRD has proven to be a challenge for country desk officers 
and personnel in the field in different contexts (such as in Haiti and Pakistan), DG ECHO has 
been  working  on  ensuring  improved  coordination  and  consistency  at  policy  and  operational 
level. 

In order to improve coordination, a shared analysis of the needs of beneficiary populations is 
fundamental.  For  this  reason,  DG  ECHO  has  been  involved  in  the  Post  Disaster  Needs 
Assessments (PDNA) approach led by the EU, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and 
the World Bank (in Haiti). There is still a need to ensure consistency between operations in 
transition contexts and the outcomes of such exercises.  

From  a  humanitarian  perspective,  the  integration  of  humanitarian-related  activities  (such  as 
activities  aimed  at  prevention  and  risk  reduction)  into  the  development  agenda  is  a 
fundamental  step  towards  the  reduction  of  vulnerability  of  disaster-prone  countries  and 
regions.  

DG ECHO has also been engaged (with the Commission services in charge of development) 
in  the  development  of  Joint  Framework  aimed  at  ensuring  coherence  between  humanitarian 
and  development  operations  addressing  different  levels  of  vulnerabilities  in  transition 
contexts,  while  respecting 
the  different  principles,  decision-making  processes  and 
implementation methods.  

The DG ECHO Office in Ethiopia constantly works with the EU Delegation (in particular the 
Rural Development  and Food Security Section) and other donors in order to  pursue LRRD. 
Nevertheless, the level of success in this regard is not as such considered impressive due to 
the  different  natures  of  the  funding  instruments.  The  Humanitarian  Donors  Coordination 
Group,  in  which  DG  ECHO  plays  a  key  role,  was  consolidated  in  2010.  Among  the 
humanitarian  donors  those  involved  are  OFDA43,  the  DFID44,  the  Dutch  Embassy  and 
OCHA’s  Humanitarian  Response  Fund  (HRF)45.  In  the  Humanitarian  Donors  Coordination 
Group the humanitarian situation in the country is discussed as input for the decisions to be 
taken  by  the  individual  donor.  Attempts  are  made  to  avoid  double  funding  and  geographic 
overlap, and the implementation capacity of potential partners is also discussed. 

DG ECHO pursued its phasing out from Burundi thanks to a successful LRRD strategy with 
development  actors,  not  least  the  European  Development  Fund.  The  constructive,  ongoing 
and  wide-ranging  dialogue  between  DG  ECHO,  the  EU  Delegation  and  other  Commission 

43 
44 
45 

US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. 
UK Department for International Development. 
The HRF obtains funding from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

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departments has resulted in several new multi-sectoral programmes in the health, post-conflict 
rural development and food security sectors. Coordination on LRRD and other matters is also 
being  pursued  with  other  development  players,  including  the  DFID,  the  CTB,  Swiss  and 
German  Cooperation,  the  World  Bank  and  GAVI  (Global  Alliance  for  Vaccines  and 
Immunisation).  Ongoing  and  enhanced  synergy  between  these  programmes  has  made  it 
possible to progressively reduce humanitarian aid to Burundians in health, food security and 
water and sanitation. 

South Sudan, with its post-conflict context characterised both by urgent humanitarian needs 
and  by  structural  deficiencies  requiring  the  engagement  of  development  actors,  has  a  high 
potential for  successful links between  relief, recovery  and  development  efforts.  The  process 
is,  however,  fraught  with  obstacles,  linked  to  the  sheer  magnitude  of  development  needs,  a 
significant lack of local capacity, insecurity and slow disbursement of funding. However, DG 
ECHO continues to support the transition towards development, for example by insisting on 
the  quality  and  sustainability  of  the  operations  funded,  the  inclusion  of  capacity  building 
components and advocacy.  

In  2010  the  Commission  made  distinct  progress  in  improving  the  complementarity  between 
development assistance and humanitarian aid in Southern Sudan. As a consequence of its non-
ratification of the revised Cotonou Agreement, Sudan is ineligible for funding from the 10th 
EDF, which risked compromising the LRRD process. Eventually, two measures were adopted 
to address this potential gap: firstly, €
 15 million from the Instrument for Stability (IfS) was 
 8.15  million  was  allocated  for  funding  basic  services.  Secondly, 
mobilised,  out  of  which  €
 150 million of decommitted money from the 9th EDF was made available for programmes 
in Sudan. Activities funded or to be funded by these measures complement the operations of 
DG ECHO in Southern Sudan, and all departments concerned are working closely together to 
ensure as many synergies as possible.  

Much effort was put in 2010 into encouraging improved coordination with other Commission 
departments and other donors present in the Sahel. NGO partners were encouraged to work 
more closely together and their willingness and ability to do this was taken into consideration 
in funding decisions. The interlinking of aid instruments in a coherent and coordinated LRRD 
aid strategy for addressing nutrition issues is a priority goal. DG ECHO actively participated 
in the many recent initiatives on nutrition promoted by major institutional donors, including 
EU Member States, the UN family, the World Bank and US aid agencies. 

Under  the  Peace,  Recovery  and  Development  Plan  (PRDP)46  for  northern  Uganda, 
development partners are expected to align their programmes under key thematic areas. The 
Commission  launched  programmes  under  the  9th  and  10th  EDF  that  could  follow  up 
DG ECHO’s operations in the country, such as NUREP47, ALREP48 (Food Security Thematic 
Programme),  KALIP49,  the  Water  Facility  programme  and  vocational  training  in  northern 
Uganda under the Non-state Actors budget line for the years 2009 and 2010. 

DG ECHO has been funding humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe since 2002, mainly in the 
food  security  and  water  and  sanitation  sectors  until  late  2007.  At  that  time,  DG  ECHO’s 

46 
47 
48 
49 

http://www.prdp.org.ug/index.php. 
Northern Uganda Recovery Programme. 
Agricultural Livelihoods Recovery Programme. 
Karamoja Livelihoods Programme. 

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€
                                                 
assistance  strategy  was  refocused  to  take  account  of  the  serious  deterioration  in  the  public 
health sector, where a two-pronged approach sought to tackle health emergencies, on the one 
hand, and mitigate the collapse and signal the recovery of the delivery of basic services to the 
population, on the other. This approach was designed to be coherent with, and complementary 
to,  the  strategy  of  the  EU  Delegation,  with  both  entities  coming  together  in  funding  the 
provision  of  essential  medicines.  The  Water  Emergency  Response  Unit  and  Health 
Emergency Response Unit (WERU and HERU) set up during the massive cholera outbreak of 
2008/2009 now provide national coverage, and have been integrated into the cluster system.  

In terms of food security, DG ECHO’s LRRD strategy of advocating scaling down massive 
food  distributions  in  favour  of  food  security  actions,  and  reinforcing  the  complementarities 
with the EU Delegation and other donors’ food security projects, has borne fruit to the extent 
that DG ECHO will no longer support food security/livelihoods actions as of mid-2011.  

As  the  situation  in  the  country  has  moved  from  emergency  to  transition,  DG  ECHO 
participated  in  inter-service  missions  to  shape  the  Commission’s  Short-Term  Strategy  for 
Zimbabwe (now in its third phase), itself reflecting the priorities of the Short-Term Economic 
Recovery  Plan  (STERP)  established  in  February  2008  by  the  then  new  Government  of 
National  Unity.  The  STS  fully  pursues  the  link  between  relief,  rehabilitation  and 
development. 

The  LRRD  strategy  has  also  been  applied  to  humanitarian  coordination  mechanisms,  with 
clusters being established (and supported by DG ECHO), and moving steadily away from a 
pure humanitarian towards a programmatic, quasi-developmental approach. This is evidenced 
in  the  fact  that  the  latest  Consolidated  Appeals  Process  (CAP)  is,  rightly  in  view  of  the 
circumstances,  much  more  a  transitional  than  a  humanitarian  instrument.  A  further  step 
should be the disappearance of the CAP in Zimbabwe altogether, in favour of a government-
led process.  

In  the  current  context,  DG  ECHO’s  strategy  has  also  to  maintain  an  emphasis  on  including 
potential  development  donors  in  order  to  have  them  take  over  as  of  2011-2012,  in  order  to 
allow  DG  ECHO  to  establish  a  proper  exit  strategy.  The  trigger  for  moving  forward  in  the 
transition process will be the holding of free, fair and peaceful elections in Zimbabwe (now 
planned for 2011), which in turn would undoubtedly encourage donors to release substantial 
long-term funding.  

In  the  Horn  of  Africa,  LRRD  efforts  were  stepped  up  steadily,  including  cooperation  with 
OFDA and the DFID in Kenya and Ethiopia and with the EU Delegation in Kenya as regards 
their Drought Management Initiative and supporting, jointly with the Government of Kenya 
and  the  World  Bank,  the  Drought  Contingency  Fund.  In  Uganda,  the  DG ECHO-supported 
drought  preparedness  actions  are  closely  coordinated  with  the  EU  Delegation’s  Karamoja 
Livelihoods Programme (KALIP) with a view to phasing out the humanitarian support.  

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3.11.  Civil protection 

Table - Breakdown of funding (commitments) for Civil Protection

Civil Protection inside the EU
EU rapid response capability - Preparatory action
Civil Protection outside the EU

TOTAL 

3.11.1.  Prevention 

Total
14 406 872
6 846 101
6 807 793

28 060 766

The Commission engaged in a number of activities to fully implement the EU framework for 
the prevention of disasters50. Within this framework, on 21 December the Commission issued 
a  guidance  paper  on  national  risk  assessment  and  mapping  for  disaster  management,  which 
was developed together with the national authorities of the Member States51. The guidelines 
focus  on  the  processes  and  methods  of  risk  assessment  as  carried  out  within  the  broader 
framework of risk management and risk mitigation and are based on a multi-hazard and multi-
risk  approach,  covering  in  principle  all  natural  and  man-made  disasters.  They  also  propose 
definitions of the most important terms, based on ISO and UN/ISDR terminology. In addition, 
definitions  for  the  major  impact  categories  are  proposed.  Strong  emphasis  is  put  on  using 
empirical quantitative methods as far as possible. It is now expected that Member States will 
further develop national risk management processes, in the context of which they would make 
use of those guidelines. On the basis of information to be provided by Member States by the 
end of 2011, the Commission will in 2012 produce an overview of the major risks faced by 
the EU. 

The  Commission  is  also  working  towards  improving  its  knowledge  base  on  disasters  and 
encouraging  effective  and  greater  investment  in  disaster  prevention.  With  regard  to  disaster 
prevention, the following issues were identified as deserving further consideration52: 

•  effective use of EU funding for preventing disasters;  

•  introducing conditionality in EU funding — linking the level of funding to Member States 

to prevention measures being in place; 

•  greater  use  of  disaster  insurance  policies  with  risk-based  premiums  for  households,  the 

public sector, business and agriculture; possibility of insurance pooling; 

•  exploring  the  possible  use  of  insurance-linked  securities  (catastrophe  bonds)  and  other 
alternative risk transfer instruments in the European context to raise additional finance on 
the international capital markets and thus reduce the costs of insurance. 

50 

51 

52 

See  Commission  Communication  on  a  Community  approach  on  the  prevention  of  natural  and  man-
made disasters (COM(2009) 82 final, 23.2.2009) and Council Conclusions of 30 November 2009 on a 
Community framework on disaster prevention within the EU. 
Commission  Staff  Working  Paper  —  Risk  Assessment  and  Mapping  Guidelines  for  Disaster 
Management (SEC(2010) 1626, 21.12.2010). 
See,  inter  alia,  the  Council  Conclusions  of  8  November  2010  on  Innovative  Solutions  for  Financing 
Disaster Prevention. 

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Actions  were  also  developed  with  the  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA)  to  encourage 
better  information  and  comparability  of  disaster  data,  such  as  information  on  the  costs  of 
disasters. The results of this work will contribute to development of the adaptation to climate 
change Clearing House Mechanism. 

The  Commission  is  also  actively  ensuring  linkages  with  the  initiatives  developed  by  the 
United  Nations’  International  Strategy  for  Disaster  Reduction  secretariat  (UN/ISDR) 
implementing  the  Hyogo  Framework  for  Action  (HFA).  The  Commission  took  part  in  and 
contributed to the annual meeting of European national platforms and HFA focal points, the 
‘European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction’. Synergies are ensured with the ongoing work 
at EU level. 

In 2010 the Civil Protection Financial Instrument financed, on the basis of an annual call for 
proposals for prevention projects, nine projects in the area of prevention. The projects will be 
implemented  in  2011  and  2012,  with  a  total  EU  contribution  of  €
 2.8  million  (75 % 
cofinancing  rate).  Three  prevention  projects  were  successfully  completed  in  2010,  with  the 
focus on the following areas: (1) prevention of fires; (2) linking civil protection and planning 
for  preventing  disasters  in  Europe  and  (3)  prevention  of  natural  risks  in  the  Mediterranean 
region, with a focus on seismic risks. 

3.11.2.  Preparedness  

Preparedness  activities  seek  to  contribute  to  reaching  a  state  of  readiness  and  capability  of 
human  and  material  means  enabling  them  to  ensure  an  effective  rapid  response  to  an 
emergency,  obtained  as  a  result  of  action  taken  in  advance53.  Early  Warning  Systems, 
modules  and  the  Civil  Protection  Mechanism’s  training  programme  are  essential  parts  of 
those  activities.  In  addition,  the  Commission  gave  financial  support  to  a  number  of 
preparedness cooperation projects. 

(1) Several Early Warning Systems were financially supported in 2010, including: 

•  EFAS (European Floods Alert System), which provides early warning of floods in Europe. 
The system is developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).  

•  EFFIS  (European  Forest  Fire  Information  System),  covering  the  EU  and  neighbouring 
countries, which monitors and predicts forest fires in Europe (fire forecasts up to six days 
ahead). The system, which is also a JRC product, is able to assess the damage following a 
forest fire.  

•  The  Global  Disaster  Alert  and  Coordination  System  (GDACS),  which  provides  a 
worldwide  warning  for  earthquakes,  tsunamis,  hurricanes  and  volcanic  eruptions.  It  also 
serves as a coordination tool during emergencies and provides an automatic analysis of an 
event.  

53 

See Article 4 of the Mechanism Recast. 

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(2)  Member  States  are  to  identify  in  advance  modules54  that  might  be  available  for 
intervention or could be established at very short notice and dispatched, generally within 12 
hours  following  a  request  for  assistance.  As  civil  protection  modules  should  be  capable  of 
working self-sufficiently for a given period of time, general requirements for self-sufficiency 
and,  where  appropriate,  specific  requirements  that  may  vary  according  to  the  type  of 
intervention or the type of module concerned are established at EU level so that Participating 
States know in advance the features to be met by the modules they offer on a voluntary basis 
for  participating  in  an  EU  civil  protection  assistance  intervention55.  In  2010,  those 
requirements  were  partially  changed  with  respect  to  the  ‘Aerial  forest  fire  fighting  using 
airplanes’  and  ‘Field  hospital’  modules56.  In  addition,  recent  civil  protection  operations 
demonstrated  the  need  to  add  and  implement  four  new  types  of  civil  protection  modules  to 
reinforce  the  civil  protection  rapid  response  capability,  namely  the  ‘Ground  forest  fire 
fighting’, ‘Ground forest fire fighting using vehicles’, ‘Flood containment’ and ‘Flood rescue 
using boats’ modules57. 

As  of  31  December,  participating  States  had  registered  in  the  Mechanism’s  Common 
Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS) 17 different modules, such as 
Water purification, Aerial forest fire fighting using airplanes and Field hospitals. 

(3)  The  Mechanism’s  training  programme  aims  to  enhance  the  coordination  of  civil 
protection assistance intervention by ensuring compatibility and complementarity between the 
intervention  teams  and  modules,  and  by  improving  the  competence  of  the  experts  to  be 
deployed  on-site  as  members  of  an  EU  assessment  and  coordination  team.  The  programme 
comprises  joint  courses  and  exercises  (including  exercises  involving  modules)  and  an 
exchange system whereby individuals may be seconded to other Member States. 

•  Training courses 

In  2010  873  persons  took  part  in  the  12  types  of  training  courses  offered  by  selected  civil 
protection  organisations.  Altogether  49  courses  were  organised  in  2010.  These  types  of 
training  courses  are  offered  to  eligible  personnel  from  Participating  States’  civil  protection 
organisations  and  UN  personnel.  The  experts  participating  in  the  training  programme  can 
become part of EU Civil Protection Teams deployed in the event of an emergency within and 
outside the EU (42 experts deployed in 2010).  

•  Exercises  

In  2010,  four  exercises  were  successfully  completed.  The  exercises  focused  on  flood, 
earthquake,  hazardous  material  and  terrorist  attack  scenarios.  Two  new  full-scale  exercises 

54 

55 

56 

57 

‘Module’  means  a  self-sufficient  and  autonomous  predefined  task-  and  needs-driven  arrangement  of 
Member  States’  capabilities  or  a  mobile  operational  team  of  the  Member  States  representing  a 
combination  of  human  and  material  means,  that  can  be  described  in  terms  of  its  capacity  for 
intervention or by the task(s) it is able to undertake (Article 3(5) of the Mechanism Recast). 
Commission  Decision  2004/277/EC,  Euratom  of  29  December  2003  as  regards  rules  for  the 
implementation of Council Decision 2007/779/EC, Euratom establishing a Community civil protection 
mechanism (OJ L 87, 25.3.2004, p. 20), as amended by Decision 2008/73/EC, Euratom of 20 December 
2007 (OJ L 20, 24.1.2008, p. 23). 
Commission  Decision  2010/481/EU,  Euratom  of  29  July  2010  amending  Decision  2004/277/EC, 
Euratom  as  regards  rules  for  the  implementation  of  Council  Decision  2007/779/EC,  Euratom 
establishing a Community civil protection mechanism (OJ L 236, 7.9.2010, p. 5). 
Ibid. 

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were  selected  which  focused  on  the  following  areas:  a  chemical,  biological,  radiological  or 
nuclear (CBRN) accident affecting public places and a passenger sea line accident.  

•  Exercises with modules 

One table-top and two field exercises took place in 2010 and were supplemented by five basic 
courses on modules that are part of the training programme, with the total participation of 126 
participants.  

(4) In 2010, the Civil Protection Financial Instrument financed three preparedness projects in 
the following areas: 

•  Water pollution on the boundary between Bulgaria and Greece;  

•  Legal  conditions  for  the  provision  of  disaster  assistance  in  the  EU  and  selected  Member 

States; 

•  Improvement  of  the  Meteoalarm  early  warning  system  for  30  European  countries,  by 

extending the forecast period to five days and including rain and flood warnings. 

3.11.3.  The civil protection response 

In 2010 the European Civil Protection Mechanism was activated 12 times in order to respond 
to emergencies within the EU58 and 20 times for emergencies occurring outside EU borders59. 
Although  the  total  number  of  activations  was  in  line  with  that  of  2009,  2010  will  be 
remembered  as  a  year  in  which  the  world  experienced  a  series  of  particularly  devastating 
disasters.  On  a  global  scale  the  Mechanism  was  called  upon  to  react  to  two  of  the  worst 
natural  disasters  in  recent  decades,  i.e.  the  Haiti  earthquake  and  the  Pakistan  floods,  and  in 
response  to  the  explosion  of  the  Deepwater  Horizon  drilling  well  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
which  resulted  in  the  most  environmentally  damaging  oil  spill  on  record.  Europe  and  its 
immediate  neighbours  were  also  severely  affected,  with  the  Mechanism  being  activated  for 
numerous tragic events ranging from the alkali sludge incident that damaged flora/fauna and 
agricultural  land  in  Hungary,  through  flash  floods  and  severe  storms  in  Western  Europe, 
large-scale  floods  in  Central  Europe,  volcanic  ash  clouds,  to  unprecedented  forest  fires  in 
Russia.  

Given the large number of major emergencies, 2010 is the year in which the Monitoring and 
Information  Centre  (MIC)  deployed  the  highest  number  of  experts.  Overall,  a  total  of  83 
experts were deployed with 48 being sent on mission and 35 participating in exercises. 

In  terms  of  disasters,  it  should  be  noted  that  2010  was  heavily  plagued  by  floods  (14 
activations) and forest fires (6 activations). Also noteworthy were the requests for assistance 

58 

59 

The alkali sludge accident in Hungary; floods in Hungary, Poland and Romania; forest fires in France 
and Portugal (3 emergencies); rescue for potholers in France; snowfall in the UK and the Netherlands; 
torrential rain in Malta. 
The  cholera  outbreak  in  Haiti;  earthquake  in  Haiti  and  Chile;  floods  in  Albania  (2  emergencies), 
Benin,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Colombia,  Montenegro,  Moldova,  Pakistan,  Tajikistan  and  Ukraine; 
forest fires in Israel and Russia; oil spill in the United States and Cuba (to counter the after-effects of 
the US oil spill); potential dam collapse in Ukraine; tropical storm in Guatemala; volcanic eruption 
in Iceland. 

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received as a result of earthquakes (2 activations), oil spills (2 activations), heavy snowfall (2 
activations), environmental disasters (1 activation) and volcanic eruptions (1 activation).  

More information on the 2010 activations can be found in the overview below: 

3.12.  Case studies on launching humanitarian aid and civil protection 

3.12.1.  Humanitarian aid — Sudan 

With a size three times that of Switzerland, Jonglei state is the biggest of the ten states in Southern 
Sudan, and is prone to inter- and intra-tribal clashes such as cattle raiding or clan fighting, resulting 
every year in thousands of people being displaced.  

After  the  general  elections  in  April  2010  another  conflict  erupted  in  Jonglei.  Fighting  between  two 
parties both claiming the post of Governor in Jonglei resulted in a large number of IDPs.  

Khorfulus  Boma,  a  small  village  by  the  river  in  northern  Jonglei,  was  reported  to  have  received  the 
highest number of displaced persons, 6 246 people. Medair, an NGO working in Southern Sudan since 
1992, conducted a needs assessment in the water and sanitation sector, which was reported to be the 
predominant concern. With only one safe water point (a manual filtration system), the local population 
mainly used untreated river water. Medair’s assessment revealed that the most appropriate system to 
serve a large number of people with good and safe drinking water would be a SWAT (surface water 
treatment)  system  using  the  nearby  river.  The  system  could  be  set  up  quickly  and  operated  by  the 
local population after only three weeks of training. As a result of this rapid reaction both local residents 
and people displaced by the conflict gained access to safe drinking water, which significantly reduced 
their vulnerability to water-borne diseases.  

Medair,  with  the  support  of  DG  ECHO,  aids  victims  of  man-made  and  natural  disasters  in  Southern 
Sudan  by  providing  medical  assistance  and  access  to  water  and  sanitation  services.  In  2010  alone 
Medair  helped  166 541  people  through  18  rapid  response  actions  across  ten  states  of  Southern 
Sudan. 

3.12.2.  Humanitarian aid — floods in Pakistan 

In the course of the 2010 monsoon season, Pakistan experienced the worst floods in living memory. 
Heavy  rainfall,  flash  floods  and  riverine  floods  combined  to  create  a  moving  body  of  water  equal  in 
dimension to the land mass of the United Kingdom. The floods affected 84 out of a total of 121 districts 
in  Pakistan  and  almost  20  million  people  —  about  10 %  of  the  total  population,  devastating  villages 
from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Occurring only a year after a massive population displacement 
described as the most significant in the region since partition in 1947, which had already resulted in 
almost 3 million people displaced, the floods were classed on 6 August as the worst natural disaster in 
Pakistan’s 63-year history by Prime Minister Gilani, who appealed for international help.  

The international humanitarian system had never had to deal with a disaster on that scale before. The 
Commission was able to react swiftly and with sufficient expertise thanks to the early deployment of 14 
humanitarian experts, very soon followed by civil protection experts in charge of preparing the arrival 
of  in-kind  assistance  from  the  EU  Member  States.  In  total,  €
 150  million  was  made  available  for 
 12  million  worth  of  in-kind  assistance  transported  by  the  coordinated 
humanitarian  aid  and  almost  €
civil protection mechanism. 

Bearing in mind the scale of the needs and the number of people affected, the priority was to respond 
immediately to the basic needs of the population. The main sectors of humanitarian intervention were: 
food  assistance,  water  and  sanitation  including  hygiene  education,  health  services  and  nutrition, 
shelter  and  distribution  of  non-food  items  (NFIs).  Protection  of  the  population  had  to  be  taken  into 
account  in  all  operations,  bearing  in  mind  the  fragile  security  context  of  most  of  the  areas  and  the 
conflict  situation  in  the  northern  parts  of  Pakistan.  Coordination  and  support  for  logistics  was  also 
crucial.  The  response was  balanced across  sectors  and  took  into  account  the most pressing  needs, 
other donors’ operations and the need to balance the geographic coverage between the North and the 

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South.  A  strong  focus  was  given  to  food  assistance  with  cash–based  assistance  whenever  possible 
and appropriate. 

This disaster has, once more, confirmed the pertinence of and need to include disaster risk reduction 
in  humanitarian  aid  and  development  cooperation  in  countries  that  are  highly  prone  to  natural 
disasters such as Pakistan. 

3.12.3.  Humanitarian  aid  —  Bolivia:  support  to  drought-affected  communities  in  Chaco 

region 

 1.5  million  to  provide  humanitarian  assistance to  the  most  vulnerable 
In  October,  the  EU allocated  €
people  affected  by  droughts  in  the  Bolivian  Chaco.  This  drought  response  is  multi-sectoral  and  is 
expected  to  help  at  least  25 000  beneficiaries  among  the  most  vulnerable  people  in  the  affected 
region. Drought response in Bolivia combines several elements, highlighting the need to intervene with 
a multi-sector approach in slow disaster-affected environments and the importance of mainstreaming 
disaster risk reduction measures in all activities so as to improve the communities’ resilience to future 
events. 

This area had been experiencing record high temperatures and longer than average periods without 
rainfall  for  three  consecutive  years  since  2008.  The  cumulative  impact  of  drought  reached  its  most 
critical level in the 2010 dry season and was seriously affecting the human population, livestock and 
agricultural  activity,  generating  emergency  humanitarian  and  recovery  needs.  The  humanitarian 
response  in  such  contexts  requires  an  integrated  approach  in  order  to  reduce  communities’ 
vulnerability in a sustainable manner. Humanitarian and recovery needs in terms of safe water access, 
food and livelihood were addressed in such a way as to ensure an appropriate balance between short-
term emergency distributions and mid-term resilience support. Measures in the following sectors were 
designed in an integrated manner: 

–  Water: delivery of water trucking, water catchment rehabilitation, water storage facilities and water 

management training with communities and authorities; 

–  Food: staple commodities for the human population;  

–  Livelihood support: distribution of seeds together with rehabilitation of soils and improvement of 
production  and  post-harvesting  practices  as  well  as  distribution  of  vitamins,  salts,  veterinary 
treatments and water, in order to prevent high losses in food security sources; 

–  Disaster  risk  reduction  (DRR):  apart  from  the  DRR  impact  of  several  sector  activities  listed 
above,  the  design  also  includes  DRR-specific  activities,  such  as  training  of  communities  and 
authorities in basic DRR skills, coordination support and advocacy. ECHO partners plan to provide 
at  the  end  of  the  intervention  a  methodological  proposal  for  communities,  authorities  and  aid 
agencies based on best practices compiled during the humanitarian response. 

The DG ECHO intervention in Bolivia is also promoting particularly intense coordination among ECHO 
implementing partners (FAO, ACF-S, COOPI). Analysis of the crisis, needs assessments and design 
of the humanitarian response were undertaken in close collaboration among the partners and with DG 
ECHO. A common logical framework was developed. The result of this emphasis on early coordination 
is optimal distribution of geographic areas, sector activities and responsibilities, ensuring the best use 
of  each  partner’s  added  value.  Technical  leadership  was  established  on  the  basis  of  capacities  and 
previous  experience.  Operational  links  among  partners  when  established  from  the  outset  underpin 
constant dialogue and collaboration for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations.  

3.12.4.  Civil protection — Pakistan floods 

The 2010 monsoon floods in Pakistan represented a natural disaster of unprecedented intensity and 
impact.  Moreover,  they  affected  a  country  with  a  fragile  economy,  ravaged  by  internal  conflicts  and 
characterised by insecurity which, in 2009 alone, caused the displacement of 3 million people.  

Notwithstanding  the  difficult  context,  the  European  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  responded  rapidly, 
coherently and effectively. A seven-member EU Civil Protection team was deployed to Islamabad and 

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became immediately operational thanks to excellent cooperation with the ECHO office on site, which 
provided administrative and transport support. Among other things, the team coordinated the arrival of 
assistance  by  identifying  consignees  and  ensuring  that  it  reached  the  final  destination.  The  several 
hundred  tonnes  of  civil  protection  assistance  deployed  by  18  of  the  States  participating  in  the 
Mechanism  represented  a  valuable  and  highly  needed  contribution  to  the  overall  relief  effort  in  line 
with identified needs (assistance included water purification tablets/units, water distribution equipment, 
field  hospitals,  emergency  health  kits,  medical  supplies,  non-food  items  (NFIs),  shelter  items,  high 
energy food supplements and power generators).  

In terms of transport, the Mechanism offered rapid transport solutions and established an air bridge to 
deliver  assistance  to  Pakistan.  Of  the  14  flights  arranged,  11  were  facilitated  through  the  MIC  and 
cofinanced by the Commission Civil Protection Instrument, while the remaining 3 were made possible 
by close collaboration with the EU Movement Planning Cell (EU Military Staff — EUMS), in line with 
the  2006  cooperation  agreements  and  international  (in  particular  Oslo)  guidelines.  Overall,  transport 
arrangements  functioned  well  and  cooperation  with  the  EUMS  showed  that  they  are  an  important 
partner for the future. 

In addition to the generous and rapid provision of civil protection assistance, the Pakistan floods 
also  highlighted  the  complementarities  that  exist  between  the  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  and 
the  humanitarian  aid  branch  of  DG  ECHO.  The  fruitful  collaboration  with  humanitarian  aid 
colleagues,  at  both  headquarter  and  field  level,  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  keys  to  success.  The 
integration  of  humanitarian  aid  and  civil  protection  under  the  same  political  and  administrative 
leadership  not  only  provided  benefits  in  terms  of  financing,  coordination  and  implementation  of  the 
EU’s  overall  response  but  also  significantly  improved  the  flow  and  exchange  of  information  among 
relevant actors.  

3.12.5.  Civil protection — Poland floods 

In  May  Poland  activated  the  European  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  in  order  to  respond  to  floods 
caused by heavy rainfall and the consequent swelling of the Vistula, Oder and Warta river basins. The 
EU civil protection response was swift with over 55 pumps, 22 expert teams and 300 rescuers being 
deployed by eight European countries. The emergency also saw the successful deployment of an EU-
cofinanced  multinational  high  capacity  pumping  module  (Balt  Flood  Combat  Module)  developed  by 
Estonia,  Latvia  and  Lithuania  under  the  Preparatory  Action  for  an  EU  Rapid  Response  Capability. 
Interaction  among  team  members  was  good  and  the  three  high  capacity  pumps  which  make  up  the 
module  were  positioned  in  various  areas  affected  by  flooding  along  the  Vistula  River.  Operations 
lasted  almost  13  days  with  approximately  295  Olympic-size  swimming  pools  of  flood  water  being 
removed. 

Besides providing operational support, the Monitoring and Information Centre also deployed a Liaison 
Officer to facilitate coordination of assistance on the ground. The MIC Liaison Officer contributed, inter 
alia,  to  the  preparation  of  flood  forecast  maps  using  a  web-based  application  powered  by  the 
Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre  (DG  JRC)  and  was  involved  in  a  rapid  flood  situation 
assessment, mainly in the Swietokrzyskie region. 

The  Polish  floods  are  an  example  of  an  effective  response  operation  in which  the  needs  of  an 
affected country are fully met. The assistance provided via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was 
essential to pump flood water back to river streams, evacuate and relocate the population at risk and 
monitor, repair and reinforce river banks. The excellent outcome of this response operation is also to 
be attributed to Poland as they provided excellent host nation support and made sure that international 
teams and assistance were used effectively and appropriately. 

4. 

AID MANAGEMENT   

Humanitarian  aid  is  often  delivered  in  an  emergency  and/or  situations  where  access  to 
beneficiaries  is  difficult  due  to  logistical  or  security  constraints.  To  make  sure  that  the  best 
use  is  made  of  public  funds  under  these  circumstances,  the  Commission  pursues  an  active 

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relationship  with  its  stakeholders  and  has  put  in  place  various  monitoring  and  coordination 
mechanisms. Some of their key features are described below. 

4.1. 

Aid delivery methods 

The  EU  is  the  only  humanitarian  donor  to  have  a  worldwide  network  of  field  experts  who 
play  a  key  role  in  assessing  humanitarian  needs  and  monitoring  EU-funded  operations.  The 
aid itself is implemented by a limited number of humanitarian organisations, which have both 
the financial and the operational capacity to manage emergency operations in often difficult 
circumstances. 

4.1.1.  Experts in the field 

The Commission manages its humanitarian activities from its headquarters in Brussels via a 
network of more than 40 field offices all over the world. 

In  order  to  meet  the  target  set  by  the  post-tsunami  action  plan  of  January  2005,  the 
Commission  has  consolidated  its  network  of  field  experts  with  the  aim  of  organising  multi-
sectoral  rapid  response  teams.  This  allows  it  to  dispatch  its  field  experts  and  programme 
assistants rapidly in response to new crises to carry out humanitarian needs assessments and 
help coordinate humanitarian activities in the field. 

By  the  end  of  2010,  more  than  100  experts  and  300  local  staff  were  in  place  in  44  field 
offices. New field offices had been opened in Port au Prince (Haiti) and Gaza, the office in 
Islamabad (Pakistan) had been reopened, the existing regional office in Bangkok (Thailand) 
had been extended and activities in the Beirut and Moscow offices had been reduced. 

4.1.2.  Relations with partners 

The  Commission  does  not  intervene  directly  on  the  ground,  but  implements  its  mandate  by 
funding  about  200  partners  ranging  from  non-governmental  organisations,  United  Nations 
agencies,  other  international  organisations  such  as  the  International  Committee  of  the  Red 
Cross  and  the  International  Federation  of  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Red  Crescent  Societies,  to 
specialised agencies of EU Member States. 

Having  a  diverse  range  of  partners  is  important  for  the  Commission  since  it  allows 
comprehensive coverage of an ever-growing list of needs in different parts of the world and in 
increasingly complex situations. Grants and contributions are decided on the basis of the best 
proposals covering the needs of the most vulnerable beneficiaries. 

Relations  between  DG ECHO  and  its  implementing  partners  are  governed  by  Framework 
Partnership  Agreements  (FPAs),  which  define  the  respective  roles  and  responsibilities  in 
humanitarian  operations  financed  by  the  European  Union.  The  FPAs  govern  relations  with 
both non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international organisations (IOs). 

In  the  case  of  United  Nations  agencies,  the  Financial  and  Administrative  Framework 
Agreement between the Commission and the UN (FAFA) governs the relations between them 
in the domain of humanitarian aid. 

Further  information  on  these  Agreements  is  available  on  DG ECHO’s  website  at 
http://EU.europa.eu/echo/about/actors/partners_en.htm.  

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There are mainly three types of partners: international organisations, UN agencies and NGOs. 
In 2010 the relative share of these organisations in the funding provided by DG ECHO was 
NGOs: 50 %, UN organisations: 39 % and international organisations: 11 %. The graph below 
provides an overview of the funding by category of partners over the last three years: 

Funding by category of partners (2008-2010) 

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

%
0
5

%
7
% 4
4
4

%
6
4

%
9
3

%
9
3

%
4
% 1
0
1

%
1
1

NGO

UN

Int Org

2008

2009

2010

The  share  of  funding  that  went  to  NGOs  increased  from  44 %  in  2008  to  50 %  in  2010, 
whereas over the same time period the share of funding taken by the UN decreased from 46 % 
to 39 %. In 2008 the percentage of funding allocated to the UN was particularly high due to 
the food crisis, for which operations were mainly implemented by UN partners (WFP). The 
2010 figures are again in line with figures before the food crisis. 
The top 10 partners receive over 50 % of DG ECHO funding for humanitarian operations60. 

4.2. 

Coordination of humanitarian funds 

Various  mechanisms  are  in  place  to  ensure  that  the  humanitarian  funds  provided  by 
DG ECHO are coordinated with those of other humanitarian actors involved in responses: 

•  Coordination  with  Member  States  is  ensured  through  regular  meetings  with  their 
representatives  in  the  Humanitarian  Aid  Committee  (HAC),  which  gives  an  opinion,  in 
conformity  with  the  Humanitarian  Aid  Regulation,  on  all  funding  decisions  exceeding 
 2 million61  before  they  are  adopted  by  the  Commission.  In  addition,  exchanges  of 
information on specific crisis situations feature regularly on the agenda of COHAFA. 

•  Other  EU  departments  are  consulted  on  funding  decisions,  prior  to  their  approval  and 

through various coordination meetings, in particular on LRRD62 issues. 

•  Contacts  at  field  and  headquarters  level  take  place  regularly  with  major  partners,  in 
particular United Nations agencies and other international organisations such as the ICRC 
and the IFRC. 

60 

61 
62 

EN 

The top 10 partners are: WFP, UNHCR, ICRC, Unicef, Save the Children UK, Oxfam UK, IFRC, FAO, 
UNRWA, ACTED. 

 10 million for emergency actions. 

Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development. 

70 

   EN 

 
 
€
                                                 
€
•  Coordination  with  NGOs  is  ensured  through  a  dedicated  network  (VOICE)  and  the 

organisation of an annual conference with partners.  

•  An IT application has been developed to collect data on humanitarian aid funding by the 
EU  and  Member  States  (called  the  14-points  application).  This  database63,  which  is 
accessible to anyone64, gives the total EU (EU + Member States) humanitarian assistance 
provided  by  year  and  country.  The  system  is  linked  to  the  Financial  Tracking  System 
(FTS) of OCHA65.  

The core objective of the 14-points application is to cover all humanitarian aid contributions, 
whichever government department is responsible for them. The definition of what constitutes 
humanitarian aid — and therefore should be reported — is a difficult question and Member 
States have developed their own working definitions. 

 2 756  million  were  reported  in 
In  2010,  humanitarian  aid  contributions  totalling 
DG ECHO’s 14-points application, of which 60 % were from Member States and 40 % from 
EU funds. 

Member 
States 60%

EU 
40%

EU Huma-
nitarian 
aid; 68%

EU Food 
aid; 
23%

EU disaster 
preparedness; 
3%

EU Technical 
assistance; 3%

EU Civil 
protection; 3%

Looking at the geographic breakdown of the total EU + MS funding in 2010, the largest share 
went to African countries — 37 % (against 47 % in 2009), 18 % to Central Asia and 12 % to 
the  Caribbean  &  the  Pacific.  This  reflects  the  high  level  of  contribution  to  the  two  mega-
disasters  that  hit  Pakistan  and  Haiti.  Contributions  to  the  Middle  East  &  the  Mediterranean 
represent 3 %, South Asia 4 % and Latin America 2 %. The 20 % classified as ‘not specified’ 
stands  for  contributions  allocated  to  unspecified  countries,  meaning  mainly  to  UN  agencies 
and other humanitarian aid activities. 

63 
64 
65 

Available since 1 January 2003. 
Weblink: https://webgate.EU.europa.eu/hac 
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid. 

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€
 
                                                 
20%

2%
4%

7%

12%

18%

Africa

Central Asia 

37%

Caribbean & Pacific 

Middle East &
Mediterranean 

South Asia

Latin America 

Not specified 

Geographic breakdown of MS and EU humanitarian aid contributions 

Overall, largely the same countries benefited from humanitarian aid from the Member States 
and from the EU. The two mega-disasters that occurred in 2010 (Pakistan and Haiti) are the 
main recipients of EU assistance (EU + MS), representing 26 % of the aid provided during the 
year.  Beside  this,  the  two  complex  crises  dating  back  to  previous  years  (Sudan  and  DR 
Congo) accounted for 15 % of the EU assistance (EU + MS). 

400,0

350,0

300,0

250,0

200,0

150,0

100,0

50,0

0,0

 €

n
o

i
l
l
i

m
n

I

N
A

KIST

A
P

EU

MS

AITI
H

N
A
D
U
S

O (D.R.)

G
N
O
C

oPt

LIA
A
M
O
S

AN
T
NIS
A
H
FG
A

R
E
NIG

D
A
H
C

E
W
B
A
B
ZIM

Top 10 beneficiaries 

Some 45 % of the top 10 funding went to African countries in 2010, with the balance going to 
Pakistan, Haiti, Afghanistan and the occupied Palestinian territory. 

EN 

72 

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800,00

700,00

600,00

500,00

400,00

300,00

200,00

100,00

0,00

EU

MS

Africa

Central Asia

Caribbean

Middle East

Top 10 beneficiaries — geographic breakdown of MS and EU humanitarian aid contributions 

4.3. 

Evaluations   

4.3.1.  The 2010 work programme   

Each  year,  an  indicative  Evaluation  Programme  is  established  after  a  consultative  process 
within DG ECHO and with the Humanitarian Aid Committee. This programme is flexible and 
can be adapted to include evaluations not scheduled in the initial programme, in response to 
particular events or changing circumstances. 

DG ECHO’s mandate to evaluate is set out in Article 18 of the Humanitarian Aid Regulation, 
which requires the Commission to ‘regularly assess humanitarian aid operations financed by 
the [European Union] in order to establish whether they have achieved their objectives and to 
produce guidelines for improving the effectiveness of subsequent operations’.  

These  evaluations  are  carried  out  by  independent  consultants  placed  on  a  list  drawn  up 
following a call for expressions of interest (CEI) and valid for three years. In 2010 the former 
CEI  list  expired  and  a  new  call  for  expressions  of  interest  for  the  database  of  evaluation 
contractors was prepared and launched in March. The Evaluation sector is receiving proposals 
in response to that call that are immediately assessed and responded to. A set of FAQs was 
published on the DG ECHO website for guidance. At the end of 2010 the CEI list of eligible 
consulting firms already included 18 members. 

Evaluations can cover not only reviews of Commission-funded operations, but also thematic 
issues  and  partnerships.  It  is  intended  to  increase  the  level  of  coordination  with  other 
Commission departments, Member States and other major donors. 

The evaluations and reviews concluded in 2010 confirmed that, in general terms, DG ECHO’s 
actions in the field of humanitarian aid contributed to effective implementation of the DG’s 
objectives.  The  evaluation  programme  for  2010  included  17  evaluations  and  studies. 
However,  in  the  light  of  the  prioritisation  given  to  unplanned  evaluations/reviews  linked  to 
the  Commission  Work  Programme  (namely  the  evaluation  of  civil  protection,  the  real-time 
evaluation of Haiti and the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps — EVHAC review) 

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in the first part of the year, the Evaluation sector had  to re-prioritise the  programme in line 
with DG ECHO’s evolving needs. 

In 2010, 1766 evaluations, reviews and follow-up contracts were finalised or launched:  

–  Twelve evaluations: Iraqi crisis, air transport, Nepal, Burmese refugee camps in Thailand, 
Sahel, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and 
Zimbabwe, plus two that were not initially planned and were added in line with operational 
needs: real-time evaluation in Haiti and civil protection evaluation. 

–  Three reviews/studies with a core focus on DG ECHO’s policy development priorities: air 
transport at field level, the unit cost approach  and the  European Voluntary Humanitarian 
Aid Corps (EVHAC) review.  

–  Two follow-up contracts: air transport and the EVHAC. 

4.3.2.  Results of some evaluations finalised in 2010 

-  The  Evaluation  of  the  provision  of  air  transport  in  support  of  humanitarian  operations 
concluded that each service has its advantages and disadvantages, which will be more or less 
significant according to the context. In particular, the ECHO Flight service remains effective, 
highly regarded, visible and relatively cost-efficient. 

- According to the Evaluation of DG ECHO’s assistance to vulnerable groups affected by the 
crisis  in  the  Central  African  Republic  during  the  period  2007–2010,  DG ECHO  performed 
well in responding to the humanitarian needs. Its operations remained flexible to a changing 
situation in all areas of the country and its support allowed partner organisations to respond on 
the basis of need, within their capabilities. 

- The Evaluation of DG ECHO’s actions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo identified 
the  major  impact  of  DG  ECHO’s  activity  in  this  conflict  area  and  made  operational 
recommendations for the improvement of protection-oriented activities. 

- The Evaluation of DG ECHO’s action in response to the Iraqi crisis (2007–2009) showed a 
positive balance as regards the handling of refugees’ needs in Syria and Jordan. 

-  DG  ECHO’s  activities  were  found  to  contribute  to  the  protection  of  the  lives  and  good 
health  of  malnourished  individuals,  as  well  as  to  the  protection  of  livelihoods  of  vulnerable 
households,  according  to  the  Evaluation  of  DG  ECHO’s  funded  actions  in  Kenya  (2008-
2009),  although  the  report  recommended  that  it  place  a  greater  focus  on  water  provision, 
animal feed and seed distribution. 

- Finally, the Evaluation of DG ECHO’s action in Nepal concluded that sectoral approaches 
were generally appropriate, effective and efficient in water and sanitation, health and disaster 
risk  reduction,  but  the  move  towards  more  development  activities  creates  increasing 
challenges for partners working with DG ECHO. 

More  detail  on  the  evaluations  carried  out  can  be  found  on  DG ECHO’s  website: 
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/evaluation/introduction_en.htm.  

66 

The air transport exercise included an evaluation of DG ECHO activities and also a study on the topic 
with a broader perspective. This two-pronged exercise was covered by just one contract. 

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4.4. 

Control of the use of funds 

4.4.1. 

Internal control 

Correct  implementation  of  EU-funded  operations  is  ensured  by  several  layers  of  checks  at 
various  stages  of  the  project  cycle  for  humanitarian  operations.  The  main  aspects  of  the 
control  strategy  developed  by  the  Commission,  the  supervision  and  monitoring  procedures 
and the ex-ante and ex-post controls are described below and comprise: 

•  Strict  selection  and  quality  control  mechanisms  for  partners  under  the  Framework 
Partnership  Agreement  (FPA)  signed  with  NGOs  and  international  organisations67  that 
specify the financial credentials and expertise required of implementing partners, combined 
with  both  regular  and  ad  hoc  assessments  of  FPA  partners  in  order  to  ensure  that  these 
requirements  are  met  continuously.  Financial  management  and  control  requirements  for 
UN bodies are laid down in the EU-UN Financial Administrative Framework Agreement 
(FAFA).  

•  Strictly  needs-based  systems  for  identifying  the  actions  to  be  funded.  These  needs 
assessments  are  carried  out  by  the  partner  organisations  and  cross-checked/monitored  by 
DG ECHO’s technical assistants on the ground.  

•  Ex-ante controls on the selection of projects and before the signature of contracts. 

•  Day-to-day monitoring of progress of projects. Each grant and contribution agreement is 
monitored by the desk and field expert and the outcome is recorded on a project appraisal 
worksheet (‘fichop’). 

•  Project monitoring by a network of field experts (technical assistants) worldwide. These 
specialists  are  based  in  the  field  in  order  to  facilitate  operations  funded  by  the  EU, 
regardless of where,  and  maximise their impact. They closely monitor projects and  write 
regular  reports.  In  order  to  enhance  the  rapid  reaction  capacity  and  monitoring  of 
operations,  the  number  of  field  experts  has  gradually  been  increased  in  recent  years. 
Currently about 100 field experts are based in the various field offices.  

•  Regular field visits to projects by geographic desks, auditors and management. 

•  An  obligation  on  the  partners  to  provide  reports  after  the  end  of  the  operations  to 

substantiate their expenses. 

•  A  thorough  analysis  of  these  reports  and  checks  on  eligible  expenditure  by  both  the 
operational and financial desk officers. Various procedures, such as check-lists and double 
checking,  have  been  set  up  to  ensure  that  all  financial  transactions  are  in  line  with  the 
financial rules, comply with sound financial management and are recorded correctly in the 
accounting  system.  Expenditure  which  is  not  sufficiently  substantiated  in  final  reports  is 
disallowed and deducted from the final payment. 

•  Approximately  ten  evaluations  are  undertaken  on  average  each  year,  focusing  on  major 
 50 million  and 

country  operations  (i.e.  operations  that  receive  funding  totalling  about  €

67 

Mainly the IFRC, ICRC and IOM. 

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have not been evaluated in the last three years), partners and thematic issues. The results of 
at 
found 
these 
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/evaluation/introduction_en.htm (see also Section 4.3). 

DG ECHO’s 

evaluations 

website 

can 

on 

be 

•  EU-funded  activities  implemented  by  external  partners  and  contractors  are  subject  to  a 
financial audit. The audit strategy is based on a twin-track approach: audits are performed 
both at partners’ headquarters on a cyclical basis for finalised projects and in the field for 
ongoing projects. 

In 2010, a budget of €
 2.2 million for contracts with external auditors was allocated to audits. 
In terms of work carried out, 62 audits were performed at headquarters; 45 field audits were 
finalised  on  projects  under  way;  4  field  office  audits  were  carried  out  and  5  humanitarian 
procurement centres were assessed. 

Audit  recommendations  are  a  valuable  channel  for  feedback  for  improvements  to  partners’ 
reporting systems. Furthermore, audit findings on the eligibility of expenditures are analysed 
by Commission officials and appropriate follow-up action is taken, such as recovery of funds. 

The working arrangements for audits performed by DG ECHO are available on the internet at 
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/audit_en.htm to inform partners about what they can expect 
from audits as well as what the audit team expects from its partners. 

DG ECHO also has an Internal Audit and Advice sector (IAC), which provides independent, 
objective assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve the operations 
of  the  DG.  The  IAC  helps  the  DG  accomplish  its  objectives  by  bringing  a  systematic, 
disciplined  approach  in  order  to  evaluate  and  make  recommendations  for  improving  the 
effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. 

The checks listed above should not be seen in isolation. Each of them contributes to providing 
overall reasonable assurance on the legality and regularity of the transactions. 

4.4.2.  External control 

Every year, the European Parliament and the Council give their opinion on the discharge of 
past budgets. To this end, the specialised committees of the budget authority exercise control 
over  financial  management 
the 
Commissioners  concerned.  All  Commission  departments  are  accountable  to  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council,  among  other  things  in  annual  reports  giving  details  of  their 
activities.  Their  budget  management  is  also  continuously  audited  by  the  European  Court  of 
Auditors, which reports to the budget authority. 

in  EU  bodies  and  organise  yearly  hearings  with 

The  Commission’s  operations  and  its  financial  management  in  the  field  of  humanitarian 
assistance are audited by its Internal Audit Service (IAS) and by the Court of Auditors. 

The task of the Internal Audit Service is to audit the internal control systems that exist within 
the  Commission.  In  its  2009  Internal  Audit  Report,  the  IAS  reported  on  the  financial 
management of food assistance. In 2010, the IAS also audited DG ECHO’s compliance with 
payment  deadlines.  The  IAS  endorsed  the  internal  control  systems  audited,  issuing 
recommendations on the need to improve management of the deadlines for the acceptance of 
final reports submitted late and the management of suspensions. 

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The  Court  of  Auditors  audits  the  EU’s  finances.  Its  observations  and  recommendations  are 
published  in  its  annual  report  and  in  special  reports  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
European Council. For the 2009 financial year, the Court concluded in its annual report that 
all the key internal controls of the Commission in relation to humanitarian aid were effective 
and did not find a material level of errors in DG ECHO transactions. The Court also issued a 
special report in October 2009 on ‘EU assistance implemented through United Nations (UN) 
organisations:  decision-making  and  monitoring’.  The  main  messages  are  directed  to 
EuropeAid and there are no major concerns specifically referring to DG ECHO. This report 
recommends (i) translating procedures for the selection of UN partners into practical criteria, 
(ii)  carrying  out  a  formal  appraisal  of  alternative  aid  delivery  mechanisms,  (iii)  collecting 
adequate information on the efficiency and the achievements of the projects funded through 
the UN, and (iv) improving the UN’s access to supporting documentation. 

4.5. 

Visibility of aid and communication 

The  broad  objective  of  DG ECHO’s  communication  work  is  to  boost  understanding,  in 
Europe and in countries where Commission-funded humanitarian operations are implemented, 
of  the  concrete  contribution  made  by  humanitarian  aid  to  the  EU  commitment  of  solidarity 
with the world’s most vulnerable people. The high profile and rapidly moving environment of 
humanitarian aid means that media-oriented activities are central to the strategy. An example 
of this was the immediate deployment of DG ECHO communication officers in major crisis 
situations such as the Haiti earthquake and the Pakistan floods. They handled the media on the 
spot  and  were  able  to  highlight  the  EU  relief  efforts.  They  were  also  joined  by  film  crews 
working for Europe by Satellite, ensuring broad dissemination of film material. 

An  EU-wide  survey  in  2010  showed  that  EU  citizens  strongly  support  action  at  European 
level to help crisis victims: eight out of ten citizens (79 %) think it is important that the EU 
funds humanitarian aid outside its borders (Special Eurobarometer 343 on humanitarian aid). 
This  policy  therefore  presents  an  ongoing  opportunity  for  the  Commission  to  ‘connect’ 
positively  with  citizens.  Communicating  effectively  with  young  people  who  are  generally 
more receptive could have longer-term humanitarian benefits. 

A number of print publications were produced. These included a trilingual brochure Looking 
at Humanitarian Aid (in English, French and Spanish); a leaflet Protecting the Humanitarian 
Space;  and  reprints  of  existing  leaflets,  in  particular  DG ECHO  at  a  Glance  in  numerous 
language versions. There was continued demand for such information products, in particular 
for  the  comic  book:  173 185  copies  in  five  language  versions  (Dutch,  English,  French, 
German and Italian) were requested and distributed up to the end of the year, mainly thanks to 
strong demand from school teachers.  

Other  communication  products  included:  video  clips  on  humanitarian  crises  and  the  EU 
response, 22 of which were produced in-house and published e.g. on EUTube; press releases; 
eye-witness accounts, stories from the field and country-specific web sections placed on the 
DG ECHO  section  of  the  Commission  website  on  the  Europa  server.  A  website 
(http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/georgieva/index_en.htm) and social media (blog, 
facebook,  twitter68)  were  created  for  the  new  Commissioner  for  International  Cooperation, 

68 

http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/georgieva; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristalina-
Georgieva/120452521322623; http://twitter.com/k_georgieva. 

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Humanitarian  Aid  and  Crisis  Response  and  quickly  became  the  third  most  popular 
Commissioner’s website. 

A  staggering  14  million  people  were  reached  by  a  cinema  spot  campaign  in  Denmark, 
Germany and Spain in January and February (3.4 million in Denmark, 7.2 million in Germany 
and  3.5  million  in  Spain),  thanks  to  the  blockbuster  Avatar,  to  which  the  ECHO  spot  was 
linked. An additional 14 million cinema-goers in France and Italy saw the UNHCR/European 
Commission Humanitarian Aid spot (2.5 million in France and 11.5 million in Italy) between 
January and May. 

To ensure the visibility of EU aid, DG ECHO continued to advise relief partner organisations 
on  communication  activities  funded  under  operational  financing  agreements.  Related 
expenditure  under  operational  visibility  budget  lines  was  also  monitored.  In  addition,  2010 
was  the  first  year  of  implementation  of  a  new  approach  based  on  less  grant  funding  in 
operations  and  more  direct  communication  work  to  be  undertaken  or  monitored  by  the 
information and communication unit. This was achieved by using a €
 1 million Commission 
Decision on the financing of public awareness, information and communication actions in the 
humanitarian field, which was adopted in December 2009. DG ECHO received 37 proposals 
from partners for joint communication actions, out of which six proposals were selected. Two 
of  the  proposed  actions  have  already  been  completed,  and  the  remainder  are  planned  for 
implementation in the first half of 2011. The two joint communication actions carried out in 
2010  were:  (1)  an  interactive  multimedia  exhibition  ‘La  Scienza  dell’Emergenza’  plus 
associated media events in northern Italy, organised by CEVSI; (2) ‘Le banquet de la faim’ — 
public  awareness-raising  events  in  28  French  cities,  including  a  central  event  at  the  Eiffel 
Tower in Paris on World Food Day. The latter provided very good publicity for the cause as 
well  as  for  the  organisers  Action  Contre  la  Faim  and  European  Commission  Humanitarian 
Aid.  ‘Le  banquet  de  la  faim’  also  won  the  ‘Grand  Prix  Stratégies  des  relations  publiques 
2010’ in France in the category ‘Campagnes d’intérêt général’. 

Other public events organised by DG ECHO’s information and communication unit in 2010 
include:  

•  ‘Don’t shoot! I’m a humanitarian worker’, a media campaign focusing on the safety and 
security  of  aid  workers  on  the  occasion  of  World  Humanitarian  Day  on  19  August.  The 
campaign included, among other activities, an op-ed article by Commissioner Georgieva, 
published  by  several  dozen  prestigious  newspapers  and  media  outlets  in  25  EU  Member 
States and throughout the world.  

•  Humanitarian  Movie  Days  (‘Bewegende  Bilder’)  with  school  screenings  in  Austria 

(Vienna) and Germany (Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg), attended by 6 208 people.  

•  The  world’s  largest  postcard  to  show  solidarity  with  Haiti  —  a  communication  action 

mainly with schools in southern France (to be completed in 2011). 

•  ‘Humanitarian  Maze/Night  at  the  Museums’  in  Bucharest,  Romania.  The  Maze  was 
awarded the Gold Award of Excellence for the best Public Sector Communication by the 
entire Romanian PR Industry in October 2010. 

Participation  in  public  events  not  directly  organised  by  DG  ECHO,  such  as  the  European 
Development  Days,  provided  further  opportunities  for  communication  and  visibility.  The 
presence of the Commissioner attracts substantial media attention at such events.  

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4.6. 

Security and safety issues   

Humanitarian aid organisations operate in difficult environments, typified by unpredictability, 
volatility,  insecurity  and  problems  with  gaining  access  to  the  people  affected.  These 
conditions  combined  with  the  fact  that  operations  are  carried  out  by  third  parties  (DG 
ECHO’s  partners)  make  achievement  of  policy  objectives  a  challenging  task.  This  explains 
why security is a high priority for the Commission. 

During  2010,  a  significant  number  of  violent  acts  were  committed,  directly  or  indirectly, 
against humanitarian aid workers. In particular, there has been an upward trend in the number 
of  incidents  involving  national/local  NGO  staff.  These  security  incidents  continued  to 
undermine  the  operational  efficiency  and  effectiveness  of  humanitarian  partners.  This  more 
insecure  environment  also  affected  DG  ECHO  staff  in  the  field,  who  fell  victim,  although 
unharmed, in several cases, notably in Quito and in Nyala. DG ECHO continues to deploy on 
a permanent basis in high-risk countries/areas, such as Pakistan and Yemen.  

During constant monitoring of the security situation in places where DG ECHO carries out its 
activities, more than 60 security alerts were launched and appropriate security arrangements 
to  mitigate  the  threats  were  proposed.  Security-related  information  held  by  Commission 
departments  and  external  security  partners  was  accessed  and  duly  disseminated  to  relevant 
actors.  

In  this  context,  the  Commission  continued  its  efforts  to  improve  the  overall  security  of 
humanitarian aid personnel — be they Commission or partners’ staff in the field — in order to 
adapt to an increasingly volatile and insecure environment. The Commission has established 
its  own  comprehensive  security  policy,  taking  into  account  the  specifics  of  delivery  of 
humanitarian aid. 

To  respond  to  the  growing  security  threats,  the  Commission  set  up  a  security  team  for 
DG ECHO at the end of 2008. The overall purpose is to develop and implement the security 
policies  and  procedures  for  relevant  staff  at  headquarters  and  in  the  field,  within  the 
Commission’s security framework. 

Internal procedures to improve security aspects of missions involving DG ECHO staff in the 
field  have  been  established,  including  the  adoption  of  a  list  of  high-risk  countries,  which  is 
updated periodically, and a compilation of all security instructions to create standard security 
protocols (ongoing). 

Cooperation and coordination with other Commission departments, other EU institutions and 
leading  stakeholders  is  also  essential  in  order  to  deliver  effective  security  solutions.  On 
security-related  issues,  relations  within  the  Commission  and  with  the  Security  office  of  the 
Council,  the  UNDSS69,  the  ICRC  and  NGOs’  security  set-ups  are  therefore  primarily  the 
responsibility of the security team. 

Finally, specific security plans were produced during the year for all DG ECHO Offices in the 
field. The security coordinator provided advice and support on a wide range of issues such as 
protective  security  measures,  and  security  plans  for  field  offices  in  high-risk  areas.  A 
permanently  manned  security  system  ensured  non-stop  24/7/365  support  for  security  crises. 

69 

United Nations Department of Safety and Security. 

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The Commission also promoted its security arrangements in seminars and fora organised by 
international organisations and NGOs. 

4.7. 

Training initiative — NOHA 

The EU finances networks and training in the humanitarian field. One example is NOHA, the 
first network of universities at European level active in developing education on humanitarian 
action.  It  seeks  greater  professionalism  among  humanitarian  workers  by  providing  a  solid 
intellectual grounding and developing sound concepts and principles that will, in turn, lead to 
‘good  practice’.  It  also  contributes  to  greater  awareness  of  humanitarian  issues  among  the 
broader public and policy-makers. It has been a model for other quality networks. 

The  NOHA  Master’s  programme  is  an  inter-university,  multidisciplinary  postgraduate 
programme launched in 1993 that provides high-quality education and professional skills for 
personnel working or intending to work in the area of international humanitarian assistance. 
NOHA takes an interdisciplinary approach, linking theory, practice, participatory learning and 
case-based analyses. 

NOHA  was  developed  jointly  by  the  Commission  and  the  universities  concerned  under  the 
auspices of the Socrates/Erasmus programme. The NOHA Master’s programme is the first of 
its  kind  in  the  world,  bringing  together  seven  universities  from  all  over  Europe.  The  strong 
commitment of the NOHA Universities is extended through a broader network of associates 
in  each  of  the  EU  countries  and  at  the  broader  level  of  83  European  Faculties  dealing  with 
related issues. This is the Thematic Network of Humanitarian Development Studies of which 
NOHA is the starting point and the core component. 

The objectives pursued by this training are to: 

–  pool  academic  resources  and  cultural  traditions  in  order  to  accommodate  diverse 

individual, academic and employment needs in the field of humanitarian action; 

–  provide the academic and professional profiles and skills for personnel working in the field 

of international humanitarian action; 

–  train a team of professionals in the field of humanitarian action who are able to share their 
experience  world-wide  and  harness  Europe’s  potential  for  innovation  and  social  and 
economic development; 

–  contribute  to  the  quality  and  visibility  of  higher  education  in  Europe  by  implementing  a 
well-defined  joint  Master’s  programme  in  seven  universities  which  corresponds  to  an 
academic  and  professional  profile  within  a  common  framework  of  comparable  and 
compatible qualifications in terms of profile, learning outcomes, skills, workload and level 
(comparable level of intellectual academic endeavour); and 

–  become  a  world  reference  as  a  quality  education  and  training  system  in  the  field  of 
humanitarian  action  offering  a  programme  open  to  graduates  and  scholars  from  non-EU 
countries which allows mobility between the institutions in the NOHA network and leads 
to a joint Master’s degree in humanitarian action. 

With experience and a track record extending over more than ten years, NOHA has become a 
driving-force in the constant search for quality in the training of humanitarian personnel, and 

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a concrete example of European solidarity and response to situations of complex emergencies 
all around the world. 

Administration  and  organisation  of  the  NOHA  programme  are  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the 
is  available  at 
universities  participating.  Further 
http://www.nohanet.org. 

information  on 

training 

this 

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5. 

ANNEXES 

5.1. 

Introduction to financial tables 

DG ECHO  implements  the  part  of  the  EU’s  annual  general  budget  that  is  allocated  to 
humanitarian aid and, as from 2010, to civil protection. Over the last three years, an average 
of €

 1 billion per year has been committed to humanitarian aid. 

Sources of funds for humanitarian assistance  

On the whole, the Commission has two sources of funding for humanitarian assistance: 

•  The  general  EU  budget.  Humanitarian  aid  falls  under  Title  23  of  the  budget,  which  is 

divided into the following lines:  

–  the main one that covers humanitarian operations; 

–  a line which has covered food aid activities since 1 January 2007; 

–  a line that covers operational support and disaster preparedness operations; 

–  as  from  2010,  new  lines  covering  civil  protection  under  DG  ECHO’s 

responsibility; and 

–  lines for support expenditure (humanitarian aid and civil protection). 

•  The European Development Fund, which is used for humanitarian aid operations in ACP 

countries.  

To  be  able  to  respond  rapidly  to  specific  aid  requirements  created  by  events  that  could  not 
have  been  foreseen  when  the  budget  was  established,  the  Commission  may  also  call  on  an 
Emergency Aid Reserve (Title 40). To mobilise this Reserve, a trilateral agreement between 
the Commission, the Council and Parliament has to be obtained. In the case of ACP countries, 
the Commission also draws on financial resources available under the European Development 
Fund (EDF), which has an allocation for emergency and humanitarian aid. 

In recent years, the humanitarian assistance budget has systematically been topped up, either 
by  the  Emergency  Aid  Reserve,  or  by  transfers  from  other  budget  lines  under  the  ‘external 
aid’  heading  or,  in  the  case  of  ACP  countries,  by  using  resources  from  the  European 
 71 million in 2001 
Development Fund (‘B’ allocation), ranging over a ten-year period from €
to €

 301 million in 2010. 

In practice, the Commission applies the same principles and guidelines to aid financed from 
the EDF and aid from the general budget. It uses the Framework Partnership Agreement for 
operations funded from either source. 

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5.2. 

Financial tables 

I 

II 

DG ECHO budget over the years 1993-2010 

Graph on DG ECHO budget over the years 1993-2010 

III  Budget for humanitarian aid and civil protection over the years 1993-2010 

IV  Contracts and funding decisions 

V 

Sectoral breakdown of activities 

VI  Global geographic breakdown of funding 2004-2010 

VII  Geographic breakdown of funding 2004-2010 

VIII  Implementing partners: 

(a) Humanitarian aid contracts by main category and nationality of partners 

(b) Contracts for humanitarian aid operations, by partner 

(c) Contracts for humanitarian aid operations, top 25 partners 

(d)  Contracts  for  humanitarian  aid  operations,  by  beneficiary  country  and 
implementing partner 

IX.  Consolidated  report  on  EU  funding  for  humanitarian  aid 

in  2010  

(European Commission and Member States) 

(a) Breakdown by beneficiary country 

(b) Breakdown by donor 

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