EU humanitarian operations in Afghanistan

The European Commission is allocating a further €2.28 million to support the humanitarian aid effort in Afghanistan. This latest decision focuses on data collection and mapping, and on boosting monitoring and co-ordination, with a view to maximising the impact and effectiveness of aid operations in the country. Channelled through the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson this brings the amount allocated by ECHO for 2001 to €54.7 million.

Humanitarian aid provided by ECHO through its partner NGOs, UN agencies and the ICRC, has now reached €54.7 million for 2001. With such substantial aid flows, and more likely in the coming months, the need for an accurate information management system in relation to the humanitarian situation on the ground throughout Afghanistan is more vital than ever. Moreover, co-ordination among NGOs is of primary importance. ECHO funding will therefore support two important elements of the information system run by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) - the PROMIS mapping center and the newly-created Humanitarian Information Center (HIC).

In a similar vein, financial support will be provided for the work of the inter-agency Strategic Monitoring Unit (SMU). This was established in September 2000 with the aim of improving the emergency response in Afghanistan through geographical and sectoral studies, and the analysis and dissemination of lessons learned in other large-scale humanitarian crises.

The third main component of the new decision involves funding for ACBAR, the NGO co-ordination body which was established in 1988. Non-governmental organizations are still the main source of humanitarian and development support in Afghanistan, and the ECHO contribution will enable ACBAR to strengthen its role as the clearing house for NGO information exchange and as a key NGO interlocutor in discussions on humanitarian aid policy and implementation.

The decision will include additional technical assistance funding for the operation of the ECHO offices in Islamabad and Kabul.

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• The European Union and Afghanistan (30/3/2004)
• EU humanitarian aid to earthquakes in the Hindu Kush region (Afghanistan) (26/3/2002)
• Afghanistan Reconstruction - EU approves funds for Initial Recovery Programme (26/2/2002)
• Commissioner Patten's speech on Reconstructing Afghanistan (20/2/2002)
• The EU's contribution to Afghanistan's reconstruction process (22/1/2002)
• EU to co-chair Afghanistan Reconstruction Steering Group (18/1/2002)
• The Afghan crisis: the humanitarian response  (18/12/2001)
• EU support for Afghanistan (14/12/2001)
• Commissioner Patten welcomes outcome of Bonn talks on Afghanistan (6/12/2001)
• EU humanitarian aid for Afghanistan (30/11/2001)
• EU humanitarian response to Afghan crisis (29/11/2001)
• EU humanitarian aid for Afghanistan (16/11/2001)
• EU Presidency Statement - The situation in Afghanistan (13/11/2001)