Summary: April 28, 2004: ECHO Annual Review 2003 - Commission appeals for respect of humanitarian principles in Darfur, Sudan and announces EUR 10 million in extra aid to victims of the conflict (Brussels)
The European Commission today launched a strong appeal to warring parties in the Darfur region of Western Sudan to secure "safe humanitarian access" so that the enormous needs of the population can be properly addressed. The Commission also announced that ECHO was preparing a new €10 million humanitarian aid decision to assist the victims of the conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and resulted in huge population displacements. The proposed decision will shortly be submitted
to the Member States. Speaking at the launch of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office Annual Review ("ECHO 2003"), Poul Nielson, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, highlighted the "tragic situation" in Darfur. Threats to the "humanitarian space" is the central theme of ECHO's Annual Review this year.
Commissioner Nielson said: "The concept of a humanitarian space requires warring parties to respect both the physical space occupied by humanitarian actors - including facilities such as hospitals - and the personnel who are working to assist the conflict victims. In recent years humanitarian space has increasingly been violated as exemplified by last year's appalling attacks on the Baghdad headquarters of the United Nations and the Red Cross. This is a deeply disturbing development
that threatens the delivery of vital aid to people in distress. We must insist on the clearest possible distinction between military and humanitarian personnel. If local populations understand this distinction, the groups that deliberately target relief operations can be further marginalised."
ECHO's Annual Review provides a comprehensive picture of the Humanitarian Aid Office's work in assisting victims of humanitarian crises outside the EU during 2003. Funding for humanitarian projects rose by more than 10% to €600 million, additional resources having been released during the year to meet increased needs in Iraq and Southern Africa. ECHO-funded operations were implemented in more than 60 countries. ECHO is one of the world's largest providers of humanitarian aid.
In 2004, ECHO will continue to intervene in areas of greatest humanitarian need as identified in its global needs assessment: in Africa (the Horn, Great Lakes, West Africa and Southern Africa), in certain parts of Asia (notably Iraq and Afghanistan) and in the Middle East. A specific emphasis on forgotten crises and forgotten needs is being maintained in places such as Haiti, Western Sahara, Myanmar/Burma, Thailand (Burmese border), Nepal, Russia (Chechnya), Sudan, Somalia, and Uganda.
ECHO remains committed to addressing cross-cutting issues such as linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD), disaster preparedness, child-related activities and water. Water has been chosen as a new horizontal priority because of its importance in terms of a life-saving response in humanitarian crises and as one of the elements or factors at the origin of natural disasters.
ECHO continues to focus on advocacy to maintain an independent "humanitarian space" in crisis situations and to preserve the dignity of populations in humanitarian disasters.
"ECHO 2003" is available on the ECHO website at the following address:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/information/publications/annual_reviews_en.htm
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