Summary: November 19, 2003: Speech by Commissioner Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. Launch of the UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeals (CAPs) for 2004 (Brussels)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives the European Commission great pleasure to be able to host this important annual event in the UN humanitarian calendar today and I would like to thank Mr Morris, Mr Verwilghen, Mr Laschet and all the other speakers for contributing to ensuring that the Consolidated Appeals for Uganda, Sudan and Tajikistan gain as much publicity as possible here in Brussels, which is an important centre of influence. The Commission is active in many international fora and events in the humanitarian world
through its Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and our hosting of this event (one of several UN events we have been involved in this year) is testament to the already close partnership which exists between the EU and the UN, and to our support for the CAPs process. The Commission already participates in the various international CAPs "flanking" events, for example the Montreux process and the OCHA High Level Working Group, where it makes its "voice" heard. That voice is one which pleads for a respect
for the basic principles of humanitarian aid - neutrality, impartiality and independence, the principles of international humanitarian law, which we are all striving to protect in a world in which these principles are increasingly threatened. The CAPs process, although far from a perfect tool, is one which is constantly evolving and improving and can assist greatly to ensuring respect for those principles, where aid remains needs-based and free from political considerations.
"Hear Our Voices"
So, to the very appropriate theme of this year's CAP, "Hear Our Voices". Let me first say how pleased we are that Mrs Angelina Atyam has been able to travel here from Uganda to give us a first hand account of her own tragic experience and the work of her association, the Concerned Parents Association, which works for the release of children held captive by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and for peace in Uganda. I have been in the field many times myself and heard the voices of
many of the people whom we help. Through ECHO, in responding to needs, we primarily listen to the voices of victims, especially those of children and other vulnerable groups. This may sound unscientific - but talking to the people on the ground is an invaluable source of information.
The Countries focussed on in this CAP
Let me turn now to the three countries which we are focussing on today in Brussels, countries which fit very well into ECHO's "principled" approach and its priorities for 2004 and why we were happy they were chosen for the Brussels launch.
These countries are good examples of the different stages of crisis with which humanitarian actors have to contend. In fact, they cover the whole spectrum of crises from the acute stage through to the emergence stage.
In Uganda, that crisis is still acute, with all the challenges, particularly in relation to access and security, which that poses for the international humanitarian community.
The evident lack of protection that exists for the affected community at large is a matter of extreme concern and vulnerable groups, especially children, are one of ECHO's more visible strategic priorities for 2004.
This strategy is enhanced by the valuable work carried out by local actors such as Mrs Atyam and her association. I fully understand the concern of the parents of Uganda and in this connection, I am pleased to tell you that ECHO will continue to fund childhood soldier reintegration programmes.
Sudan is a country in which ECHO has been intervening since 1993. Even throughout the period of suspension of formal EC co-operation, ECHO's humanitarian assistance to Sudan has always been maintained, demonstrating its impartial approach. But thankfully, Sudan is now emerging from its crisis and the burgeoning peace process must be supported by the international community with all the means at its disposal. This involves, where appropriate, the use of other instruments to ensure that
there is a link between relief, rehabilitation and development (the so-called concept of "LRRD").
Tajikistan was, prior to September 2001, a classic example of a forgotten crisis. Humanitarian needs stemming from war and drought were almost unknown to the rest of the world due to lack of media coverage. Fortunately, Tajikistan is no longer a forgotten crisis, although there are still forgotten needs, particularly in non-food sectors such as health and water/sanitation and it is here that the European Commission, as both a humanitarian and development donor, is seeking to strengthen
the links between its humanitarian and development programmes in Tajikistan, in line with our overall policy of LRRD which I referred to earlier. This reflects the fact, also highlighted in the 2004 CAP, that the improving situation in Tajikistan requires the international community to start moving from humanitarian aid to longer-term development assistance.
Commission Funding for all 3 countries will continue in 2004, building on the substantial funding which has been given over the past few years. For Uganda we envisage around €8-10 million, for Sudan, initially, around €20 million (with further substantial funding coming from the European Development Fund) and for Tajikistan contributions in the region of €8 million for continuing humanitarian aid.
And of course it is not just ECHO who will be supporting these 3 countries - other Community funding will come from different budget lines managed by other Commission services and will substantially add to the figures I have just given you.
Good Donorship/Good Partnership
Let me turn now to some more general matters, starting with the concepts of good donorship and good partnership, which have been touched upon by Mr Morris. As many of you will know, a major humanitarian conference was held in Stockholm this year, the Conference on Good Humanitarian Donorship, out of which came some important commitments by donors. Donors accepted that they have to work together in a co-ordinated way so that the humanitarian agencies who have to deliver concretely in the
field are put in the best position to be effective and to offer a quality response to those in need. This is particularly relevant in the area of Needs Assessment where a commonly agreed approach is the only way to meet the real need and to achieve efficient delivery of aid. The Stockholm Conference advocated that humanitarian assistance should be given on the basis of needs and needs alone. This demands an understanding of what constitutes a "need" and devising a way of measuring it
with reasonable consistency.
Looking at that issue from a "donor perspective", ECHO has been using for the purposes of its response, a mix of field based analysis and a set of carefully selected statistical indicators, such as number of refugees, mortality rate and disaster proneness in order to be able to focus on high needs areas in a consistent way over time. ECHO has shared this approach with EU Member States in the Humanitarian Aid Committee and the UN and other humanitarian actors in the forum of the Strategic
Programming Dialogues.
Generally, it seems that our respective analyses and findings coincide with those of other donors. We must continue to refine this and also the linked "Vulnerability Assessment Methodology". The Commission welcomes WFP's new so-called "real time" evaluation of emergencies and hopes it will add to the effectiveness and appropriateness of emergency response.
Equally important as reliable needs assessments is the concept of LRRD, whenever it is applicable. The Commission attaches a great deal of importance to LRRD - in 2001 it adopted a Communication on the issue and since then Commission services have been working on its practical implementation. We are pleased to see that the UN has engaged in a similar process through the UNDG/ECHA Inter Agency Working Group on Transitional Issues chaired by Mrs Carol Bellamy and we have already expressed our
willingness to share our experiences and to work together in this area with UN agencies.
The fact that our various initiatives are all going in the same direction is proof not only of good donorship but also of good partnership. And it is axiomatic that good donorship must be matched by good partnership.
UN/EC Partnership
Let me now say a few words about that. Important achievements have been accomplished over the last few years, in building a closer partnership between the European Union and the United Nations, particularly in the field of humanitarian affairs. These achievements are not only in terms of funding - ECHO and other Commission services continue to be major donors for UN humanitarian agencies - but also through the enhanced and deeper EC involvement at various levels of UN work, particularly in
policy-making and operational matters. The EC is committed to facilitating procedural co-operation and engaging in a policy dialogue in order to consolidate even more the continuing support that it is already providing to the UN's core mandates and capabilities, which can only be to our mutual benefit. Indeed, this year saw the signing of the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement between the EU and the UN which should facilitate further the way we work together.
Conclusion
By providing humanitarian assistance, the European Union expresses not only the values of humanity on which the EU is founded but also its solidarity with people in need, the world over. This is probably one of the best projections of the European model of society to the outside world and it is at the core of the European political project. But to maintain our credibility, we must ensure that what we deliver is worthy of that model.
This is why, in our joint endeavour of providing humanitarian assistance, we must combine to ensure that we do not just blindly deliver the required quantities of aid but that we do so in an intelligent and timely way which will result in the beneficiary receiving "quality aid", based on accurate needs assessments with, where appropriate, a link to other instruments once the initial humanitarian needs have been met. Beneficiaries have a right to receive "quality aid" and it is only by working
together through coherent, common strategies, through strengthened co-ordination mechanisms and by exchanging best practices that this quality can be achieved.
And this is the reason why the EU attaches so much importance to the CAPs process - we are convinced that the preparation of a comprehensive picture of global humanitarian needs by all humanitarian actors and the harmonisation of all the efforts will increase the effectiveness of aid operations. Only by working together to develop a common strategy and "hearing all the voices", can assistance be delivered more effectively to people living in emergency situations.
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