REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual report on the European Union's humanitarian aid operations financed in 2019
Date: 2020-08-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, activity report, aid evaluation, aid to disaster victims, aid to refugees, food security, forced migration, implementation of the budget, natural disaster, third country

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.8.2020  COM(2020) 358 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Annual report on the European Union's humanitarian aid operations financed in 2019  
 
 
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 2 

HUMANITARIAN AID OPERATIONS supported in 2019 .................................................................. 2 

Overview of the main humanitarian aid operations supported ........................................... 2 

Horizontal priorities ............................................................................................................ 8 

Summary of evaluations completed in 2019 ..................................................................... 10 

2019 budget ....................................................................................................................... 11 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SOURCES ................................................................................. 12 

List of partners having signed the 2014 Framework Partnership ..................................... 12 

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INTRODUCTION 

This report presents the European Union's (EU) main activities and policy outcomes in 2019 in 
the field of humanitarian aid, as funded through the European Commission (EC). The report is 
prepared pursuant to Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996. 

HUMANITARIAN AID OPERATIONS supported in 2019 

In  2019,  humanitarian  needs  kept  increasing  due  to  complex  crises  –  often  causing  massive 
population displacement – as well as to natural disasters and epidemic outbreaks. Against this 
background, the EC Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid 
Operations (DG ECHO) remained a leading humanitarian donor, allocating EUR 2.4 billion to 
millions  of  crisis-affected  people  in  more  than  80  countries.  To  address  the  growing 
humanitarian funding gap, DG ECHO continued promoting the implementation of the Grand 
Bargain commitments, notably in relation to multi-sectoral joint needs assessment.  

A  significant  proportion  of  the  EU  humanitarian  aid  was  devoted  to  crisis-affected  people 
inside Syria and its neighbouring countries, including the humanitarian component of the EU 
Facility for Refugees in Turkey. The EU also focused on supporting populations in "forgotten 
crises”, such as in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Pakistan, Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, 
and the Philippines.  

DG ECHO played a leading role in the promotion of a principled humanitarian aid and respect 
of international humanitarian law. It did so through active advocacy for specific humanitarian 
crises, but also globally as chair of the Donor Support Group1 of the International Committee 
of  the  Red  Cross  (ICRC),  and  of  the  Good  Humanitarian  Donorship  initiative2  (with 
Switzerland).  

DG  ECHO  funds  and  uses  for  its  evidence-based  approach,  the  INFORM  Risk  index 
developed by the JRC, and which is becoming the de-facto  risk assessment methodology for 
many organisations such as the UN and INGO’s. 

Overview of the main humanitarian aid operations supported 

Sahel – complex crisis 

The  EU  responded  to  the  emergency  humanitarian  needs  in  Burkina  Faso,  Mauritania,  Mali, 
Chad,  Niger,  Nigeria  and  Cameroon,  by  allocating  EUR  188  million.  This  included  Rapid 
Response Mechanisms (a three-month multi-sectorial emergency aid package) and support to 
existing national structures to maintain access to basic services. EU aid helped access to hard-
to-reach  areas  through  Humanitarian  Air  Services,  humanitarian  Civil-Military  Coordination 
and information management.  

The  EU  provided  food  during  the  lean  season  and  nutrition  treatment  for  children  suffering 
from  severe  acute  malnutrition  and  in  need  of  life-saving  treatment.  Moreover,  the  EU  was 

1 The ICRC Donor Support Group is made up of governments, supranational organizations or international institutions that contribute a 
minimum of 10 million CHF per year. 
2 The Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative is an informal donor forum that brings together 42 donors committed to providing effective and 
accountable humanitarian assistance. 

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working actively on implementing the humanitarian-development nexus to build resilience of 
crisis-affected  people,  and  addressing  the  root  causes  of  food  insecurity  and  acute  under-
nutrition. 

Central African Republic regional crisis 

Despite  the  signing  of  a  peace  agreement  in  February,  the  humanitarian  situation  has  not 
improved in the Central African Republic (CAR). EUR 22.4 million was provided to CAR and 
Central  African  refugees  in  Cameroon  and  Chad,  providing  multi-sectoral  humanitarian  aid, 
and reinforcing humanitarian coordination, security and logistics.  

Lake Chad Basin crisis 

Out of 17.4 million people living in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, 10.7 million people were 
in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 6 million children. The EU provided 
about EUR 64 million of multi-sectoral humanitarian aid. 

South Sudan 

In 2019, around 7.5 million  South Sudanese were in  urgent  need of humanitarian assistance, 
and neighbouring countries were hosting more than 2 million refugees from the country. The 
EU allocated EUR 51.6 million to South Sudan, addressing the high level  of food insecurity 
and malnutrition across the country. Protection of children and women is a priority for the EU, 
given the extreme levels of violence and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. 

Sudan 

The country suffered from the effects of decades of conflict compounded by an unprecedented 
economic  crisis  and  a  rising  price  of  food,  and  having  25%  of  the  population  at  very  high 
levels of severe food insecurity. During the year, the bulk of the EU humanitarian aid – EUR 
55.7  million  –  went  to  food  assistance,  nutritional  care  and  treatment,  mainly  for  children 
under  5  years  and  pregnant  or  breastfeeding  women. In  order  to  increase  people’s  access  to 
long-term  social  protection  in  Sudan,  the  EU  is  complementing  humanitarian  funding  with 
development assistance to help communities build resilience.  

The Great Lakes regional crisis 

Both the DRC and Republic of Congo were affected by continuous conflict and by the Ebola 
Virus  Disease.  The  Commission  allocated  around  EUR  72  million  to  the  region,  including 
response to the Ebola Virus Disease. An additional EUR 7 million were spent on the ECHO 
Flight operations. 

Ethiopia  

As a result of ethnically motivated violence, the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) 
in Ethiopia reached a peak of 3.1 million in early 2019, before decreasing to 2 million. Despite 
the fact that safety and security conditions were not always met, the authorities tried to return 
displaced  persons  to  their  place  of  origin,  thus  violating  the  principles  of  voluntary  and  safe 
returns.  The  EU  provided  EUR  51.5  million  in  2019  to  assist  the  affected  people  with  food, 
shelter,  essential  household  items,  malnutrition  treatment,  water,  sanitation  and  protection 
services.  The  largest  share  of  funding  was  dedicated  to  persons  fleeing  from  persisting 
violence and destruction of their homes and livelihoods. 

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Kenya 

Kenya  hosts  about  490  000  refugees,  whilst  the  government’s  encampment  policy  makes 
refugees  completely  dependent  on  aid.  A  new  drought  caused  food  insecurity  for  about  2.6 
million people, displacement of population, and an elevated risk of conflict over scarce pasture 
and water.  

EU  funding  for  Kenya  amounted  to  EUR  15.95 million,  including  EUR  11.5  million  for  the 
refugees  camps,  EUR  1.3  million  for  the  Disaster  Preparedness  in  three  counties  prone  to 
sudden onset disasters, and EUR 3.15 million in emergency response to the drought and floods 
outside camps. 

Somalia  

The humanitarian needs  remained high due to  the continued  erratic weather  patterns and the 
armed conflict.  A new drought  contributed to  the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, 
while  the  end  of  the  year  was  marked  by  an  above-average  rainy  season  in  the  South  of  the 
country,  causing  severe  riverine  floods.  The  latter  affected  over  500,000  people,  displacing 
370 000, and destroying crops. As a result, it undermined the population’s coping capacity and 
delayed recovery. The Commission allocated about EUR 63 million in response to the crisis. 

Uganda 

Uganda has hosted 1.41 million refugees, of whom 91 percent from South Sudan and the DRC. 
Moreover, since August 2018, the country has been at high risk of receiving the Ebola Virus 
Disease  from  the  neighbouring  DRC,  which  experiences  the  largest  outbreak  ever.  The  EU 
allocated EUR 33 million for protection, food assistance, health care, access to safe water and 
sanitation  services,  and  education  assistance  to  refugees  and  their  host  communities.  In 
addition, support was provided for Ebola preparedness, monitoring and response, and to raise 
resilience  and  self-sufficiency  of  the  most  vulnerable  people  to  reduce  their  dependency  on 
long-term aid.  

Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region (SAIO) 

Extreme  weather  events  are  a  regular  occurrence  in  SAIO,  and  are  becoming  more  frequent 
and  intense  due  to  the  climate  change.  The  EU  allocated  over  EUR  66  million  to  SAIO  for 
emergency  humanitarian  assistance  and  disaster  preparedness,  and  emphasised  strengthening 
the  capacity  of  communities  and  disaster  management  authorities  to  cope  with  recurrent 
natural disasters.  

Two  powerful  cyclones  hit  Southern  Africa  and  affected  three  million  people  in  Zambia, 
Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe Malawi and the Comoros”. The EU 
responded  immediately  with  humanitarian  assistance  to  the  affected  countries,  including  an 
activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in Mozambique.  

While facing an economic crisis, Zimbabwe was hit by shocks such as cyclone Idai, resulting 
in 7.7 million people – more than 50% of the population – being severely food insecure. The 
EU allocated EUR 31.6 million in response to the impact of the cyclone, mainly focusing on 
humanitarian food assistance and disaster preparedness.  

Venezuela 

Venezuela’s socio-economic collapse resulted in the displacement of 3.9 million Venezuelans 
in  2019.  According  to  UN  OCHA,  at  least  7  million  people  were  in  need  of  humanitarian 

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assistance, mainly due to a lack of access to health services, education, food and nutrition.  

A total  of EUR 55 million was allocated by the  EU for the provision of humanitarian aid  to 
displaced  people  and  support  to  host  communities.  To  ensure  a  close  follow-up  of 
interventions,  DG  ECHO  established  an  office  in  Caracas  in  May.    Increased  efforts  on 
humanitarian advocacy contributed to opening the humanitarian space in the country, and DG 
ECHO was on the frontline at the Venezuela Solidarity Conference in Brussels in October.   

Colombia 

The  humanitarian  situation  in  Colombia  deteriorated  sharply  due  to  the  escalating  internal 
conflict,  compounded  by  the  impact  of  having  received  1.6  million  Venezuelan  refugees. 
Colombia  is  highly  prone  to  natural  disasters  and  conflict-affected  municipalities  are 
particularly  at  risk.  Around  140  000  people  were  displaced  and  more  than  350  000  suffered 
mobility restrictions, which resulted in a lack of access to livelihoods and basic services. An 
estimated 350 000 Colombian refugees were hosted in neighbouring countries.  

EUR  11  million  was  allocated  by  DG  ECHO  to  help  people  hit  by  conflict  and  natural 
disasters in Colombia and the region.  Aid sectors included protection, health care, water and 
sanitation, education and disaster preparedness. 

Haiti 

Political turmoil, increased violence and economic downturn in Haiti caused an erosion of the 
already weak purchasing power of the most vulnerable households, with 3.7 million people in 
acute food crisis. DG ECHO provided EUR 14 million to respond to the acute food insecurity 
and  to  support  humanitarian  coordination.  An  additional  EUR  3  million  were  invested  in 
disaster preparedness. 

The Afghan crisis (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran) 

Afghanistan bears one of the deadliest conflicts worldwide with 17 million people (50% of the 
country’s population) living in areas highly affected by conflict, of which 3.4 million people 
are internally displaced. There are around 10 million Afghan refugees worldwide, documented 
or undocumented.  Iran and Pakistan are the main recipients  of Afghan refugees, hosting and 
assisting almost 3 and 4 million respectively.  

DG  ECHO  allocated  EUR  61  million  to  Afghanistan,  focusing  on  emergency  response  and 
trauma care. In Iran and Pakistan, EU humanitarian aid assisted Afghan refugees and the most 
vulnerable  local  populations  with  EUR  18  million.  The  EU  supported  education  to  Afghan 
children  in  Iran,  which  entailed  also  a  registration  of  their  families.  Other  sectors  of  EU 
assistance in both Iran and Pakistan were water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security 
& livelihoods, shelter, protection and health.  

Rohingya Crisis (Myanmar, Bangladesh) 

The  Rohingya  population  of  Myanmar  has  been  exposed  to  systematic  discrimination  and 
targeted  violence.  At  the  end  of  2019  there  were  855,000  Rohingya  refugees  registered  by 
UNHCR  in  Cox’s  Bazar  (Bangladesh),  in  an  extremely  congested  mega-camp.  The  refugees 
have been completely dependent on humanitarian aid, due to lack of freedom of movement, of 

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livelihood opportunities and access to social services. In addition, the area is extremely prone 
to natural disasters. About 600 000 Rohingyas still lived in the Rakhine State of Myanmar in 
dire conditions, part of them in confinement camps and completely dependent on humanitarian 
aid.  

The EU has provided EUR 36 million of humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya crisis, both 
in  Bangladesh  and  Myanmar,  consisting  of  basic  health  care,  water,  sanitation,  shelter, 
nutrition, education, protection, psychosocial support and disaster risk reduction. 

Philippines 

Mindanao  has  been  enduring  long-standing  internal  conflicts,  with  about  400  000  people  in 
need of humanitarian assistance (including IDPs and returnees). In addition, the Philippines is 
one  of  the  most  disaster-prone  countries  in  the  world.  The  EU  allocated  a  total  of  EUR  6.7 
million  to  the  country  for  humanitarian  assistance  to  conflict-affected  people  in  Mindanao 
(emergency shelters, WASH services, health, food and non-food items, education), as well as 
emergency response to natural disasters and disaster preparedness actions. 

The Syria Crisis 

The  Syria  conflict  is  in  its  ninth  year,  with  more  than  11  million  people  in  need  of 
humanitarian assistance  inside the country.  A total  of EUR 260 million was provided by the 
EU  to  deliver  life-saving  assistance  inside  Syria  and  for  Syrian  refugees  in  Lebanon,  Jordan 
and  Egypt  for  delivery  of  food,  medicine,  water,  and  shelter.  In  neighbouring  Lebanon  and 
Jordan,  EU  humanitarian  funding  contributed  to  cash  assistance  for  the  most  vulnerable 
refugees, as the most cost-efficient and dignified delivery mode.  

DG  ECHO  was  directly  involved  in  international  diplomatic  initiatives  such  as  the  third 
Conference  "Supporting  the  Future  of  Syria  and  the  Region"  held  in  Brussels,  the 
Humanitarian  Task  Force  of  the  International  Syria  Support  Group  in  Geneva,  the  Senior 
Officials meetings organised in February in Geneva and November in Copenhagen.  

Iraq 

In Iraq 6.7 million people were still in need of humanitarian assistance, including 1.6 million 
IDPs of which 375 000 in camps. DG ECHO deployed operations worth EUR 38 million for 
emergency  health  care,  basic  shelter,  safe  water,  sanitation  and  hygiene,  and  humanitarian 
protection,  with  a  particular  focus  on  IDPs.  It  supported  assistance  for  survivors  of  sexual 
violence,  and  the  provision  of  physical  therapy  and  rehabilitation  support  for  victims  of  the 
conflict, particularly for targeted groups such as the Yezidis in northwest Iraq. 

DG ECHO supported the resumption of basic public services in war-affected areas, helping 4.5 
million  to  return  home.  This  support  included  education  in  emergencies  (EiE),  to  help  bring 
children back to school, often after years of interruption.   

DG ECHO provided legal assistance to families to obtain identification papers that were lost or 
not  produced  under  the  so-called  Islamic  State’s  control,  basic  services  in  overcrowded 
prisons,  assistance  for  minors  in  detention  centres,  and  community-based  mechanisms  to 
reintegrate former child soldiers. 

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Yemen 

The  country  is  experiencing  the  largest  humanitarian  crisis  in  the  world,  with  24.1  million 
persons  (80%  of  the  population)  in  need  of  assistance,  of  which  3  million  are  internally 
displaced. Food insecurity affects 20 million Yemenis, with at least 238 000 people in famine 
conditions.  In  addition,  the  country  faces  a  collapse  of  health  services,  leaving  19.7  million 
people in need, 460 000 suspected cases of cholera, restricted and insufficient imports of food, 
fuel and medicine, and school closures.  

DG ECHO deployed operations worth EUR 115 million to provide food, healthcare, education 
as well as water, shelter and hygiene kits to war-affected areas and displaced populations. The 
funding  was  used  for  treatment  of  severely  malnourished  children,  fighting  the  cholera 
epidemic and outbreaks of measles and diphtheria, rehabilitation for the disabled, rehabilitation 
of classrooms, and support to the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS), which 
provides critical and reliable air and sea transport to humanitarian aid workers.  

Turkey 

Turkey continues to host the largest refugee community in the world, with 3.6 million Syrians 
under  temporary  protection  and  around  370,000  non-Syrians  registered  under  international 
protection. In total, under the first and second tranche of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey 
(FRiT), the EU provided EUR 2.4 billion in humanitarian aid that supported around 1.7 million 
refugees through 64 projects,  through 19 partner  organisations working on basic needs,  non-
formal education, protection and health. 

In 2019 DG ECHO contracted EUR 1.021 billion, largely to the Emergency Social Safety Net 
(ESSN). This flagship programme provided 1.7 million refugees with monthly cash payments 
through a debit card to address their basic needs. The Conditional Cash Transfer for Education 
(CCTE) is the EiE program that reached more than 560,000 children. It provides cash transfers 
to  vulnerable  families  to  promote  school  enrolment  and  regular  attendance  for  refugee 
children. 

Western Balkans 

At the beginning of 2018 a new ‘sub-route’ for refugees emerged, leading through Bosnia and 
Herzegovina (BiH) towards Croatia and Slovenia. 29 000 People of Concern arrived to BiH in 
2019, compared to 24 000 in 2018. The total number of migrants and refugees in the country 
are about 8 000, of which around 2 000 sleep rough (in squats, abandoned buildings or railway 
stations). The EU humanitarian aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina amounted to EUR 3.8 million. 
Through  its  humanitarian  partners,  DG  ECHO  provided  health,  protection  and  outreach 
assistance (including identification of vulnerable individuals, provision of emergency food and 
non-food items, medical assistance, etc.) to refugees and migrants.   

Ukraine 

The  conflict  is  affecting  over  5.2  million  people,  of  which  3.5  million  are  in  need  of 
humanitarian assistance, mainly in the non-government controlled areas and along both sides 
of  the  contact  line.  The  EU,  together  with  its  Member  States  is  the  biggest  donor  of 

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humanitarian and early recovery/development assistance to Ukraine. It has provided over EUR 
762.5 million since the beginning of the conflict, of which approximately half in humanitarian 
aid.  The EU (through the EC) has to  date provided over EUR 141.8 million  in  humanitarian 
aid,  of  which  EUR  23  million  in  2019  to  11  partners  working  on  both  sides  of  the  line  of 
contact in 6 sectors of intervention, i.e.: health, shelter, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), 
education, basic needs and protection.  

Libya 

820 000 Libyans are in need of humanitarian assistance. 20% of the health facilities are closed 
due to destruction, damage or occupation. There has been rampant crime against International 
Humanitarian  Law,  human  trafficking  and  obstacles  to  aid  delivery  and  access  by  aid 
organisations.  

DG ECHO deployed operations worth EUR 8 million that supported essential health care for 
victims of the conflict, including emergency war surgery, trauma kits, physical rehabilitation, 
prosthesis and psychosocial support, provision of essential medicines and care of gender-based 
violence survivors. The aid restored primary healthcare services in conflict-affected areas and 
essential education in Benghazi and Sirte, which enabled thousands of children to access basic 
education  and  psychosocial  support.  The  EU  also  provided  food  assistance  and  livelihood 
support,  as  well  as  cash-based  assistance  to  the  most  vulnerable  people.  Services  were 
provided  indiscriminately  to  all  vulnerable  people,  including  migrants,  refugees  and  asylum 
seekers. 

Egypt 

250 000 registered refugees are stranded in the most overcrowded and poorest neighbourhoods 
of large cities such as Cairo and Alexandria, where also the hosting communities suffer from a 
high level of vulnerability. About 50% of the refugees are from Syria, and the rest are mainly 
from East Africa, Iraq and Yemen. 

In  2019  DG  ECHO  deployed  operations  worth  EUR  5  million,  offering  humanitarian 
protection,  emergency  health  services  (in  particularly  maternal  and  reproductive  healthcare), 
EiE,  and  cash  to  cover  basic  needs.  38%  of  all  refugees  are  children,  with  a  share  of 
unaccompanied and separated children increasing. 

Saharawi Crisis 

After  four  decades  of  unresolved  political  conflict  with  humanitarian  consequences,  tens  of 
thousands of Sahrawi refugees are stranded in a forgotten and protracted crisis. They live in 5 
camps in the desert of southwest Algeria, depending on humanitarian aid for their survival. 

DG ECHO deployed operations worth EUR 9 million, supplying food and tackling the rising 
malnutrition among Sahrawi refugee children and women, as well as providing safe drinking 
water.  It  also  furnished  essential  medicines,  covering  80%  of  the  health  needs  of  the 
population  in  the  camps,  and  specific  support  for  people  with  disabilities.  Moreover,  DG 
ECHO  provided  EiE,  mitigating  the  poor  state  of  the  education  infrastructures  and  sanitary 
facilities in schools.  

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Horizontal priorities 

In  line  with  its  previous  commitments,  DG  ECHO  dedicated  10%  of  the  EU’s  2019 
humanitarian  aid  budget  to  Education  in  Emergencies  and  maintained  its  commitment  to 
deliver 35% of humanitarian assistance through cash transfers. 2019 also saw the adoption of 
Operational  Guidance  on  “The  Inclusion  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  in  EU-funded 
Humanitarian Aid Operations”. 

Education in Emergencies (EiE) 

DG  ECHO  continued  to  act  as  a  global  champion  for  EiE.  The  funding  dedicated  by  DG 
ECHO  to  EiE  amounted  to  EUR  166  million,  supporting  activities  in  52  countries  and 
benefiting over 2.5 million beneficiaries, securing access to safe and quality education for girls 
and boys in the most vulnerable situations.  

To raise awareness and visibility of EiE, DG ECHO hosted in May 2019 a High Level Event 
on  "Education  in  Emergencies:  School4All”  with  Commissioner  Christos  Stylianides,  Nobel 
Peace  Prize  winner  Denis  Mukwege,  Handicap  International  ambassador  Axelle  Red  and 
singer  Typh  Barrow.  DG  ECHO  launched  a  social  media  campaign  #RaiseYourPencil  for 
#School4All to show solidarity with all crisis-affected children who are out of school. 

Cash assistance 

DG ECHO continued to drive forward discussions on cash transfers. It has been instrumental 
in fostering greater donor coordination through the adoption of a joint donor statement on cash 
in the two pilot countries Nigeria and Bangladesh.  

DG  ECHO  published  the  "EU  Cash  Compendium  2019:  Doing  More  Cash,  Better",  which 
highlights  results  at  project-level  with  reference  to  the  recommendations  outlined  in  DG 
ECHO’s  Large-scale  Cash  Guidance  Note.  The  document  highlights  what  the  projects  do 
differently, how they follow the recommendations of DG ECHO’s Large-scale Cash Guidance 
Note, and how they ensure coordination with other donors and with social safety nets, as well 
as  challenges  and  lessons  learned.  Efficiency  ratios  of  85:15  (85%  of  funding  reaching  the 
targeted  beneficiaries)  and  above,  as  envisioned  in  the  Guidance  Note,  are  already  being 
achieved in several countries.  

Innovation and private sector engagement 

DG  ECHO  continued  to  engage  in  the  global  debate,  notably  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
World  Economic  Forum,  at  the  United  Nations  Economic  and  Social  Council  (ECOSOC) 
Humanitarian Affairs Segment, the UN General Assembly and at the Berlin donor meeting on 
the  Future  of  Innovation  in  Humanitarian  Action.  DG  ECHO  continued  to  support  the 
development  of  innovative  approaches  through  the  Thematic  Policies  Annex  to  the 
Humanitarian  Implementation  Plans  (HIPs),  which  encourages  partners  to  lower  the 
environmental  footprint  of  humanitarian  response  by  using  digital  approaches,  and  by 
supporting  the  European  Innovation  Council  Horizon  2020  Prize  for  'Affordable  High-Tech 
for Humanitarian Aid', to be awarded in 2020.   

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EU Leadership of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in 
Emergencies 

DG  ECHO  is  a  member  of  the  global  initiative  Call  to  Action  on  Protection  from  GBV  in 
Emergencies.  An  Enhanced  Response  Capacity  (DG  ECHO  programme)  project  run  by 
UNFPA  promoted  the  development  of  inter-agency  standards  on  GBV  in  emergencies,  and 
guidance on how to develop context-specific Call to Action Road Maps (from pilots in Nigeria 
and  DRC).  During  2018  and  2019,  DG  ECHO  allocated  approximately  €52  million  euro  to 
prevent  and  respond  to  sexual  and  GBV.  DG  ECHO  launched  its  first-ever  e-learning  on  its 
Gender-Age Marker. 

ECHO Flight (Africa) and support to Humanitarian Air Transport Services 

ECHO Flight is a humanitarian air service with six aircrafts, has a budget of 12.4 million and 
is  free  of  charge  for  DG  ECHO’s  partners  and  humanitarian  organisations.  In  2019,  it 
supported  over  250  projects,  transported  over  25  000  humanitarian  aid  workers,  and  around 
200 tons of humanitarian cargo.  

Moreover, EU contributed to not-for-profit humanitarian air services such as EUR 25 million 
to the WFP/ United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and its logistics operations in 
12 countries.  

Summary of evaluations completed in 2019 

Combined  evaluation  of  the  European  Union's  humanitarian  interventions  in  Central 
Africa, and of humanitarian coordination (2014-2018) 

The  EU  made  important  contributions  to  addressing  acute  needs  and  strengthening 
humanitarian responses in Central Africa. DG ECHO’s activities, and the reliable delivery of 
intended  results  through  partners  and  support  to  UN  OCHA’s  coordination  function, 
particularly in filling coordination gaps, were assets. 

The  evaluation  highlighted  challenges,  related  to  addressing  chronic  needs  and  coordination 
gaps that persist, and offered recommendations to support future EU humanitarian assistance 
and coordination in the region.  

Combined  evaluation  of  the  European  Union's  humanitarian 
interventions 
Afghanistan, and of the partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (2014-2018) 

in 

The evaluation found DG ECHO to be a key player in the Afghanistan aid context and that it is 
supporting the synergy between development  and humanitarian actions.  DG ECHO’s  actions 
are  helping  with  immediate  after-effects  of  conflict  and  disasters,  Its  Emergency  Response 
Mechanism and cash assistance (mostly deliver need-based response) to IDPs. 

The  partnership  evaluation  found  that  a  high-quality  partnership  existed.  Strong  evidence  of 
regular, comprehensive and transparent exchange of information at all levels existed- with trust 
being the key factor. There were some weaknesses too: some processes were inefficient, there 
were  some  lapses  in  internal  communications,  and  audit  requirements  came  at  considerable 

10 

 
 
cost to both.  

2019 budget 

1. List of funding agreements concluded by the Commission in the field of humanitarian aid3:  

Agreements for humanitarian aid awarded by the EU can be found on the Financial 
Transparency System (FTS) website  

2. Budget implementation  

ECHO 2019 BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION 

Excluding external assigned revenue from Member States 

Region/country 

Amount 

Africa 

Sudan & South Sudan 

Central Africa 

Great Lakes 

Horn of Africa 

Southern Africa, Indian Ocean 

West Africa 

North Africa 

Africa 

632 

105 

68 

72 

163 

60 

138 

17 

10 

% 

29% 

Middle East, Southeast Europe and Eastern neighbourhood 

1.062 

50% 

Middle East 

Southeast Europe and Eastern neighbourhood 

Asia, Pacific 

South West and Central Asia 

South East Asia and Pacific 

Latin America, Caribbean 

Latin America 

Caribbean 

Worldwide disasters 

Civil protection4 

EU Aid Volunteers 

Complementary operations and support 

436 

627 

127 

75 

52 

104 

84 

20 

40 

95 

18 

68 

6% 

5% 

2% 

4% 

1% 

3% 

3 Including names of partner organisations concerned. 

4 Activities under this item are not covered under the Humanitarian Aid Regulation and are not financed by the Humanitarian Aid budget. 

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TOTAL 

2.146 

100% 

( in million €) 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SOURCES 

•  General information on DG ECHO:  

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en 

•  Financial information on the European Commission's humanitarian aid activities in 

2019: 
https://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding-evaluations/financing-decisions-hips-2019_en 

•  Operational information from previous years:  

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

•  2019 Annual Activity Report, DG ECHO: 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/annual-activity-report-2019-
european-civil-protection-and-humanitarian-aid-operations-echo_en 

•  2019 Annual Management and Performance Report: 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/annual-management-and-
performance-report-2019_en 
•  DG ECHO’s evaluation reports:  
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding-
evaluations/evaluations en 

•  European Commission and Member States' humanitarian aid funding data: 

• 

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/hac/ 
INFORM Global Risk Index 
https://drmkc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/inform-index 

List of partners having signed the 2014 Framework Partnership 

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/weblistpartners.pdf 

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