REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual Report on the Implementation of the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative in 2018
Date: 2019-06-24
Institutions: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, EU initiative, activity report, aid to disaster victims, emergency aid, executive agency, international voluntary worker, man-made disaster, natural disaster, third country

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 24.6.2019  COM(2019) 289 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual Report on the Implementation of the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative in 2018  
 
 
I. Introduction 

Acting in  accordance  with  Article 214(5) of the  Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union,  the  European  Union  (EU)  launched  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative  in  20141.  The 
initiative aims to strengthen the EU’s ability to provide needs-based humanitarian aid and to 
strengthen the capacity and resilience of vulnerable or disaster-affected communities in non-
EU countries. At the same time, it allows European citizens to show solidarity with people in 
need by taking part in humanitarian actions in these countries. 

This  report  describes  the  implementation  of  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative  in  2018.  It  is 
prepared in  line with  Article 27(4)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 375/20142, which requires  the 
Commission  to  submit  annual  reports  on  progress  made  in  implementing  the  Regulation  to 
the European Parliament and to the Council. Previous reports for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 
are available online3. 

The  report  is  based  on  data  collected  and  analysed  in  line  with  the  Framework  for  the 
monitoring of the implementation of actions under the initiative. This framework was drawn 
up  and  agreed  between  the  Commission  and  the  Education,  Audiovisual  and  Culture 
Executive  Agency  (EACEA),  which  is  responsible  for  managing  most  of  the  operations 
carried out under the initiative. 

II. Objectives and priorities 

The activities described in this report were based on the 2018 Annual Work Programme for 
implementing  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative  adopted  by  the  Commission4  in  accordance 
with  Article 21(3)  of  Regulation  (EU)  No 375/2014.  EUR 19 235 000  was  set  aside  in  the 
budget to implement the initiative, with the following objectives: 

 

resilience  building  and  disaster  risk  management  in  vulnerable,  fragile  or  disaster-
affected countries and forgotten crises; 
  synergy with disaster preparedness projects; 
  selection, training and deployment of volunteers; 
  capacity building and technical assistance for hosting and sending organisations; 
  certification of sending and hosting organisations; 
  maintaining and further developing the EU Aid Volunteers Platform for registration, 

networking, online volunteering and learning; 

  outreach activities and promotion of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative. 

1  Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 establishing 
the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (‘EU Aid Volunteers initiative’) (OJ L 122,  24.4.2014, p. 1). 
Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  No 1398/2014  of  24 October  2014  laying  down  standards  regarding 
candidate  volunteers  and  EU  Aid  Volunteers  (OJ  L  373,  31.12.2014,  p.  8).  Commission  Implementing 
Regulation (EU) No 1244/2014 of 20 November 2014 laying down rules for the implementation of Regulation 
(EU)  No 375/2014 of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  3  April  2014  establishing  the  European 
Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (‘EU Aid Volunteers initiative’) (OJ L 334, 21.11.2014, p. 52). 
2  OJ L 122, 24.4.2014, p. 1-17. 
3 
4 
work programme of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative. 

Commission  Implementing  Decision  C  (2018)165  of  22.1.2018  concerning  the  adoption  of  the  2018 

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/who/accountability/annual-reports_en 

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III. Actions implemented in 2018 

The actions described in sections 1-4 in this document are delegated to and implemented by 
EACEA, in cooperation with the Commission5. 

EACEA is responsible for the calls for proposals, calls for tender, contract management and 
implementing  the  relevant  budget  appropriations  in  line  with  the  annual  work  programmes 
adopted  by  the  Commission.  In  terms  of  managing  operations,  the  Commission  remains 
directly  responsible  for  creating  and  maintaining  the  partners  and  volunteers’  network,  the 
online  platform,  communications  and  the  interim  evaluation  of  the  initiative  launched  in 
2017. The evaluation report and staff working document were adopted in June 20186. 

1.  Deployment 

The  deployment  of  EU  Aid  Volunteers  to  humanitarian  projects  in  countries  affected  by 
disaster  offers  a  concrete  opportunity  for  EU  citizens  and  long-term  residents  in  the  EU  to 
show  their  solidarity  with  those  in  need.  Full-time  volunteering  deployments  in  non-EU 
countries are supported by online volunteering that people can take part in wherever they are 
in the world. 

Volunteering opportunities funded under the EU  Aid Volunteers initiative are published by 
consortia of sending and hosting organisations on the EU Aid Volunteers Platform7.  

The chart below shows the number of EU Aid Volunteers funded through the annual calls for 
proposals published from 2015 to 2018. 

Deployment 

749 

368 

44 

162 

175 

2015

2016

2017

2018

2015-2018

5 
The  division  of  tasks  between  the  Commission  and  EACEA  is  based  on  Commission  Decision  C 
(2013)9189 of 18.12.2013 delegating powers to the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency with 
view  to  performance  of  tasks  linked  to  the  implementation  of  Union  programmes  in  the  field  of  education, 
audiovisual  and  culture  comprising,  in  particular,  implementation  of  appropriations  entered  in  the  general 
budget of the Union and of the EDF allocations. 
6 
7 

https://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding-evaluations/evaluations/thematic-evaluations_en 
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/echo/eu-aid-volunteers_en/ 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 1: Number of volunteers per year of call 

The  backgrounds  and  skillsets  of  EU  Aid  Volunteers  are  diverse,  reflecting  a  needs-based 
approach  to  defining  volunteer  deployments  and  selecting  potential  EU  Aid  Volunteers.  Of 
the 368 volunteer opportunities expected to be available in the course of 2019, organisations 
plan  to  offer  275  positions  (75.7 %)  to  junior  volunteers  (less  than  5  years  of  relevant 
experience)  and  93  positions  (25.3 %)  to  senior  volunteers  (more  than  5  years  of  relevant 
experience)8. 

The  graph  below  shows  the  countries  to  which  deployments  are  planned  to  start  in  2019 
under the 2018 call. The assessment of the security situation in each country will be reviewed 
before the start of the deployment (e.g. for Nicaragua and Burundi). 

Figure 2: Deployment countries proposed as result of the 2018 deployment call  

Since the start of the initiative, the skills areas most requested by organisations have been in 
communication (17 %), disaster risk management  (11 %), finance (10 %), capacity building 
(10 %),  project  management  (9 %),  community-based  development  (7 %),  gender  equality 
(7 %), monitoring and evaluation (4 %) and climate change adaptation (4 %). 

Since  the  launch  of  the  initiative,  77  online  volunteering  assignments  were  successfully 
completed,  54  of  them  in  2018.  The  most  frequently  requested  tasks  included  research, 
translation, graphic design, knowledge sharing and technology and mapping activities. 

8  Data from applications submitted in response to the 2018 call for proposals. 

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Volunteering examples from projects implemented in 20189 

The  ‘EU  Aid  Volunteers  strengthening  the  resilience  and  response  capacity  of  vulnerable  and  disaster-
affected communities in the Middle East, Africa, Southern and  Central America’ project brings together 
three  sending  organisations  from  Italy  (GVC)  and  Spain  (Alianza  por  la  Solidaridad  and  Acción  Contra  El 
Hambre)  that  work  together  to  deploy  33  EU  Aid  Volunteers  to  humanitarian  aid  operations  in  19  hosting 
organisations  in  12  non-EU  countries  (Tunisia,  Palestine,  Jordan,  Lebanon,  Bolivia,  Peru,  Guatemala, 
Nicaragua,  Burkina  Faso,  Burundi,  Mozambique,  Mauritania).  In  Guatemala,  the  project  aims  to  build  the 
capacities of local organisations to host volunteers, prevent emergencies and strengthen preparedness in case of 
disaster. Europeans and local citizens  work together to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities in 
least  developed  and  fragile  countries.  A  junior  EU  Aid  Volunteer  working  on  monitoring,  evaluation, 
accountability  and  learning  writes  about  his  role  in  Guatemala,  where  he  conducted  surveys  on  children’s 
nutrition: 
‘First of all, what takes most of the time are short term tasks at project level. For example, to take part in the 
selection  of  beneficiaries,  calculating  a  sample  size  for  a  given  survey,  constructing  the  questionnaire  for  a 
tablet-friendly use, revise statistical studies, define indicators … It’s quite technical most of the time but I feel 
useful using my IT and statistical knowledge to take part in the project.[…] From the professional point of view, 
it was a good reminder on how theory applied in the field is difficult to balance with reality to be found. How to 
randomly  select houses to survey  at  2400 metres of altitude when some  are 40 minutes far by walk, isolated, 
behind a stream? […] While I was watching and learning from very professional staff during the first day, I was 
after conducting surveys by myself, in charge of one of the two teams of two investigators and an anthropometer 
that  measures 
to  detect  undernutrition.’ 
(https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/echo/eu-aid-volunteers_en/story-meal_en) 

the  weight  and  height  of  children  under  5  years  old 

The  ‘Sustainable  development  through  humanitarian  aid  volunteers’  project  complements  work  done  to 
support  partners  outside  the  EU  with  humanitarian  expert  volunteers  to  work  on  their  local  projects  and  help 
their beneficiaries. The project brings together EU partners from France (ADICE), Italy (ASPEm) and Estonia 
(MTÜ  Mondo)  with  hosting  organisations  in  10  non-EU  countries  (Thailand,  Nepal,  India,  Uganda,  Kenya, 
Ghana, Peru, Bolivia, Ukraine and Palestine) to work on volunteering projects between 6 and 12 months. 
A  senior  EU  Aid  Volunteer  active  in  community-based  development  reported:  ‘I  was  deployed  in  a  small 
Muslim village Kokpayom in Southern Thailand, close to seawater canals surrounded by mangrove forests. The 
host  organisation  has  a  long-term  commitment  in  the  village  with  focus  on  education,  life-long  learning, 
community  development  and  environmental  conservation.  I  assisted  the  hosting  NGO  in  developing  more 
effective networking activities, so that it can build stronger and sustainable partnerships. One of my main tasks 
was to support the NGO in developing a more strategic partnership with the local community college, with the 
goal to promote and support education accessible to everyone, life-long learning for better future prospects and 
community development.’ (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/echo/eu-aid-volunteers_en/story-field-eu-aid-volunteer-
petya-6-month-thailand_en) 

More stories from the field: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/echo/eu-aid-volunteers_en/ 

The  2018  call  for  proposals  for  deployment  of  EU  Aid  Volunteers10  was  published  on 
1 February  2018  with  a  submission  deadline  of  6 April  2018.  The  call  aimed  to  co-finance 
projects for the deployment of EU Aid Volunteers, including apprenticeship placements for 
junior  professionals  and  additional  capacity  building  activities  carried  out  by  volunteers. 
Initially, the budget allocated to this call was EUR 8 400 000 and it was expected that eight 
proposals would be selected. However, interest in the call was higher than expected and the 
number of applications increased from 6 to 13 compared to 2017. Following the evaluation of 
applications,  the  budget  was  subsequently  increased  to  EUR 12 000  000  by  transferring 
EUR 3 600  000  from  the  budget  allocated  to  the  technical  assistance  and  capacity  building 
call for proposals. Eleven projects were selected11 for co-financing with a total EU grant of 

9 The  text in italic is a testimony from EU Aid Volunteers involved in the implementation of projects funded 

under the EU Aid Volunteers. 

10 EACEA/04/2018. 
11 https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/euav_deployment_2018_publication_of_results.pdf 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
EUR 12 015  059.  The  projects  started  in  October-December  2018  and  will  result  in  the 
deployment of 368 EU Aid Volunteers starting in late spring 2019. 

2.  Technical assistance and capacity building 

Capacity building and technical assistance projects12 supported through funding provided by 
the EU Aid Volunteers initiative strengthen the abilities of organisations intending to deploy 
EU Aid Volunteers and ensure that they comply with the standards and procedures set under 
the initiative. 

On 27 March 2018,  EACEA published a call for proposals13 with  a submission  deadline of 
1 June  2018.  The  call  aimed  at  co-financing  projects  for  capacity  building  for  hosting 
organisations  based  outside  of  the  EU  and  technical  assistance  for  EU-based  sending 
organisations,  in  areas  such  as  disaster  risk  management,  volunteer  management  and  needs 
assessment  methodology.  The  total  budget  allocated  for  the  co-financing  of  projects  in  the 
annual work programme was reduced from EUR 7 700 000 to EUR 4 100 000, following the 
transfer  of  EUR 3 600  000  to  the  projects  selected  under  the  call  for  proposals  for 
deployment. 

Seven applications (one for technical assistance and six for capacity building) were selected 
for co-financing14 with a total EU grant of EUR 4 157 886. 

Overall, the 2014-2018 calls resulted in the funding of: 

  28 capacity building projects, involving 311 beneficiaries/project partners from 18 EU 

countries and 60 non-EU countries, and 

  12 technical assistance projects, with 70 beneficiaries from 25 EU countries. 

These  projects  aim  to  strengthen  the  management  and  operational  systems  of  participating 
organisations  and  help  the  organisations  involved  to  work  in  partnership  to  implement  best 
practices in humanitarian aid delivery and volunteer management. 

Examples of projects selected for funding in 2018 

Capacity building 

The  ‘Strengthening  the  capacity  of  local  organisations  to  respond  effectively  in  emergencies  (SCORE)’ 
project  involves  the  rollout  of  capacity  strengthening  initiatives  with  a  consortium  of  12  local  members.  The 
focus is on emergency preparedness, e.g. digital data collection and cash-based programming, the incorporation 
of  Core  Humanitarian  Standards,  with  a  focus  on  protection,  gender  and  accountability  mainstreaming 
principles, and staff/volunteer conduct, care and management. 

The  ‘RESILIACT:  Resilience-strengthening  of  local  communities  through  a  transnational  EU  Aid 
Volunteers  capacity  building  action’  project  is  implemented  by  four  EU  organisations  and  19  non-EU 
partners.  The  action  aims  to  contribute  to  strengthening  the  resilience  of  the  most  vulnerable  and  disaster-
affected  communities  and  the  Union’s  capacity  to  provide  needs-based  humanitarian  aid  on  migration-related 
issues,  climate  change  and  disaster  risk  reduction  and  management,  in  order  to  save  and  preserve  life  in 
humanitarian crises. 

12  Article 10 and 15 of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014. 
13  EACEA 14/2018. 
14  https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/euav_ta-cb_2018_publication_of_results.pdf 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
The ‘Empowering Youth Led Volunteering in Local Level Responses’ project has been set up to build the 
capacity  of  hosting  organisations  in  the  consortium  to  enable  them  to  submit  successful  applications  for 
certification  under  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative.  The  project  has  a  specific  focus  on  empowering  young 
people,  particularly  young  women,  in  local  level  responses  in  areas  of  humanitarian  aid  in  their  local 
communities  and  to  generate  a  relevant  local  volunteering  capacity,  thereby  helping  to  shift  power  towards 
locally owned and led responses. 

Technical Assistance  

The ‘EU Aid Volunteers - volunteering for humanity’ project aims to strengthen the capacity of consortium 
NGOs  to  participate  in  the  EU  Aid  Volunteering  deployment  programme.  The  project  involves  four 
organisations  based  in  the  EU  and  interested  in  certification.  These  results  are  to  be  achieved  through  policy 
sharing,  tailored  training,  workshops  and  reviews,  job  twinning,  partner  visits,  and  mentoring  between 
organisations. 

Figure 3: Technical assistance and capacity building EU Aid Volunteers projects 2018 

Organisations involved in: 

     Only technical assistance 
     Only capacity building 
    Technical assistance and capacity building 

3.  Certification 

Organisations that wish to deploy EU Aid Volunteers must be certified as sending or hosting 
organisations  under  the  certification  mechanism  of  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative.  This 
certification verifies whether participating organisations are fully able to apply the volunteer 
management  standards  drawn  up  by  the  initiative  to  manage  volunteers  before  and  during 
their deployment. 

An  open  call  was  published  in  2015,  allowing  for  ongoing  applications  until  30 September 
202015.  By  the  end  of  2018,  the  number  of  certified  sending  and  hosting  organisations 

15  https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/certification-call-announcement-012115.pdf 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
 
reached  208  (42  sending  and  166  hosting  organisations),  providing  opportunities  for  the 
deployment of more EU aid volunteers. 

The chart below shows the number of organisations certified from 2015 to 2018. 

Certification 

208 

20 

62 

63 

63 

2015

2016

2017

2018

2015-2018

Figure 4: Sending and hosting organisations certified per year 

Article 36(1)  of  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  1244/201416  requires  the  certified 
sending  and  hosting  organisations  to  undergo  re-certification  after  three  years  of  being 
awarded  certification.  In  2018,  20  organisations  certified  in  2015  had  to  go  through  the 
process of re-certification. 

4.  Training programme 

The  training  programme  for  EU  Aid  Volunteers  is  delivered  by  a  consortium  led  by  the 
company  ICF.  It  is  based  on  a  competence  framework  set  out  in  Commission  Delegated 
Regulation  1398/2014  and  is  delivered  using  a  combined  learning  approach,  with  online 
preparatory  learning  and  face-to-face  classroom  training  comprised  of  mandatory  and 
optional training modules and a scenario–based exercise17. 

In 2018, 8 training cycles were held for 20 groups of candidate volunteers in training centres 
in  Austria,  Belgium,  Italy  and  the  Netherlands.  A  total  of  295  candidate  volunteers  were 
trained. As in previous years, a number of reserve candidates attended the training to ensure 
that there are substitute volunteers if chosen candidates resign or are no longer available. The 
final  selection  by  sending  and  hosting  organisations  takes  place  after  the  training  is 
completed. 

The courses were delivered mainly in English. Four out of the 20 groups of volunteers were 
taught  in  Spanish  and  one  group  was  taught  in  French.  Candidate  volunteers’  satisfaction 
with the training remains high, with an average score of 8.7 out of 10 points. 

16  OJ L 334, 21.11.2014, p. 52-83. 
17  Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1244/2014. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Since  2018,  representatives  of  sending  organisations  and  former  EU  Aid  Volunteers  have 
been  invited  to  join  parts  of  the  training  to  share  their  experience.  In  the  course  of  2018, 
representatives  of  three  sending  organisations  took  part  in  the  training  to  present  their 
organisation and exchange views with the candidate volunteers. 

5.  Support measures 

In 2018, communication work related to the initiative included the production of a series of 
infographics  in  all  EU  official  languages,  flyers  and  social  media  posts.  A  social  media 
campaign for  International  Volunteer Day (5 December) reached a wide audience. Material 
produced in previous years was also widely distributed on social media. By the end of 2018, 
around 450 000 people were reached, mainly through YouTube and Instagram. The campaign 
continued in 2019. 

The EU Aid Volunteers Platform continued to be a hub for volunteering-related information, 
providing  details  of  vacancies  for  full-time  deployment  and  online  volunteering.  It  also 
provides  tools  for  managing  EU  Aid  Volunteers,  a  database  of  successfully  trained 
volunteers,  tools  to  manage  online  volunteering  assignments,  collaborative  spaces  for 
volunteers  and  projects,  a  public  forum  where  updates  about  the  initiative  are  posted,  the 
possibility of posting stories from the field, and reporting and survey tools. The platform has 
3 360 active registered users. 

The  platform  is  consulted  by  visitors  worldwide  and  the  subscriptions  service  for 
volunteering vacancies had around 2 656 subscribers at the end of 2018. 

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

Figure 5: Number of people subscribed to receive EU Aid Volunteer vacancies on the EU Aid 
Volunteers Platform in 2018 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Moreover,  the  Commission  organised  two  major  EU  Aid  Volunteers  events  in  2018.  The 
second EU Aid Volunteers network workshop was held in April 201818 and was attended by 
100 participants from 34 countries (16 EU and 18 non-EU). The workshop brought together 
organisations  that  have  been  active  in  EU  Aid  Volunteers  deployment  projects  and  were 
certified under the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, and those that have been active in capacity 
building projects. The objective of the workshop was to share experiences of the deployment 
process, exchange good practices and discuss how to help further grow and develop the EU 
Aid Volunteers initiative. For organisations just beginning EU Aid Volunteers projects, this 
was an opportunity to learn from more experienced organisations.  

Another  event  took  place  in  October  2018  —  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  Back-to-Base 
workshop.  It  brought  together  more  than  70  participants  (EU  Aid  Volunteers  and 
organisations)  who  have  been  active  under  the  initiative  since  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers 
legislation entered into force in 2014. The EU Aid Volunteers shared their experiences of the 
different  phases  of  deployment  and  provided  feedback  to  the  organisations.  A  ‘Volunteer 
deployment guide’ was published as a result of the workshop19. 

The EU Aid Volunteers initiative was also promoted at several other 2018 events, such as the 
Partnership  Forum  for  partners  in  development  cooperation,  the  European  Development 
Days,  the  Spanish  Volunteering  Platform,  the  Annual  Partners`  Conference  for  the 
Commission’s humanitarian aid partners, and the Global Humanitarian and Development Aid 
Event (AidEx). A dedicated info session was also organised on International Volunteer Day 
on 5 December at the External Cooperation Infopoint in Brussels. 

6.  Other activities 

Following  the  evaluation  report  provided  by  independent  evaluators20,  in  2018  the 
Commission submitted to the European Parliament and to the Council an interim evaluation 
report  on  the  results  obtained  and  the  qualitative  and  quantitative  aspects  of  the 
implementation of Regulation No 375/2014 on the EU Aid Volunteers initiative21. It included 
assessments of the initiative’s impact on the humanitarian sector and the cost-effectiveness of 
the programme during the first three years of implementation, following its establishment in 
2014. 

In the context of the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, on 11 June 2018 the 
Commission  adopted  a  proposal  for  a  Regulation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council establishing the European Solidarity Corps  programme and repealing the European 
Solidarity  Corps  Regulation  of  2018  and  Regulation  (EU)  No 375/201422.  This  proposal 
envisages  the  integration  of  the  current  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative  into  the  European 
Solidarity Corps as of 2021. The proposed integration is informed by the interim evaluation 
of  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative  and  aims  to  streamline  the  various  volunteering 
programmes  and  improve  cost  efficiency.  The  integration  is  expected  to  simplify  processes 
and  provide  a  one-stop-shop  for  individuals  and  organisations,  while  preserving  the 

18  The  first  EU  Aid  Volunteers  network  workshop  took  place  in  February  2017  (see  Annual  Report  for  the 

Implementation of the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative in 2017). 

19  https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/eu-aid-volunteers_en 
20  http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding-evaluations/evaluations/thematic-evaluations_en 
21  COM(2018) 496 of 28.6.2018. 
22  COM(2018) 440 of 11.6.2018. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
specificities of the current EU Aid Volunteers initiative, such as respect for humanitarian aid 
principles, high standards and a strong focus on safety and security of volunteers. 

IV. Conclusions and way forward 

The  implementation  of  the  deployment  and  capacity  building/technical  assistance  projects 
funded  in  previous  years  paved  the  way  for  progress  made  on  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers 
initiative in 2018. Eleven new projects for deployment of volunteers, one technical assistance 
project and six capacity building projects were selected for funding in 2018. The total number 
of EU Aid Volunteers deployed to non-EU countries by the end of 2018 reached about 400 
and  at  least  368  more  will  be  deployed  in  2019.  The  training  programme  again  had  high 
satisfaction  rates  among  volunteers  and  more  training  sessions  in  English,  French  and 
Spanish are planned for 2019. 

The ongoing certification process resulted in a total of 208 certified organisations in 2018 and 
a high number of these applied for re-certification for another three years. 

In  2018,  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  Platform  was  increasingly  used  to  publish  stories  from 
volunteers  and  organisations  (69  new  stories  in 2018).  It  was  further  adapted  to  respond  to 
what organisations needed to manage their volunteers. The platform performs better now and 
is more user-friendly. 

In 2019, in line with the objectives and priorities of the initiative as set by the Annual Work 
Programme23, the activities described above will continue to provide opportunities for more 
hosting and sending organisations to benefit from capacity building and technical assistance 
activities  and  funding  for  more  EU  Aid  Volunteers  to  be  deployed  to  countries  outside  the 
EU. 

Communication activities will continue to provide information to potential organisations and 
volunteers about the EU Aid Volunteers initiative and its key achievements and impact. The 
EU Aid Volunteers network will be supported through an event that will take place in 2020 
and will bring together volunteers and participating organisations. 

information  on 

More 
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/eu-aid-volunteers_en. 

the  EU  Aid  Volunteers 

initiative  can  be 

found  at: 

23  Commission  Implementing  Decision  C(2019)4  of  14.1.2019  on  the  financing  of  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers 

initiative and the adoption of the work programme for 2019. 

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