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EU Presidency Statement - Strengthening the Coordination of UN Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey and the EFTA Country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

The European Union sees today's debate as an important opportunity to focus the attention of the 58th General Assembly on humanitarian issues: an area where the leading role of the United Nations is uncontested and high expectations are held by the international community and by those in need. I wish to take this opportunity to renew the EU's commitment to strengthening the United Nations action in this area, especially at a time when the number of the humanitarian crises is increasing and we are faced with growing challenges in terms of resources, security and access.

On behalf of the EU, I wish to express our sorrow over the personnel who have lost their lives while bringing relief to the poor and needy. The safety and security of humanitarian personnel working in the field is a key issue for the EU and has to be addressed effectively. In this regard, we condemn all cases of violence against humanitarian personnel, including abductions, such as the case of the Medicins Sans Frontiers worker Arjan Erkel, abducted in Dagestan in August 2002.

However, condemning deliberate attacks on humanitarian personnel is not enough. The international community must act, jointly and decisively, to end the culture of impunity wherever it exists. In this regard, the EU welcomes the Security Council's adoption of resolution 1502 (2003) on the protection of the humanitarian personnel and urges States to fully comply with its recommendations. The EU also welcomes the Secretary-General's recent support on the issue of security in the field and looks forward to the concrete initiatives that will follow the current review phase.

The EU is convinced that the International Criminal Court can play an important role in deterring intentional attacks on humanitarian personnel as well as serious violations of the international humanitarian law. We warmly welcome the start of the Court Prosecutor's work and reiterate our full support for it.

While stressing the need for increased security, the EU also wishes to underline the importance of having the necessary presence of United Nations staff in crisis situations. The international community expects the UN to be physically present in order to provide not only humanitarian assistance but also the necessary humanitarian protection of those in need. A central challenge is achieving a balance between minimising the security risk and providing a meaningful humanitarian presence. We strongly urge all Governments and parties to armed conflicts and post-conflict situations to cooperate fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies and organizations in providing safe and unimpeded access to vulnerable populations.

Mr. President,

The General Assembly must consider several important issues in today's debate: strengthening the coordination of humanitarian assistance as well as specific regional and country situations. The EU would like to see greater emphasis on pressing thematic issues and situations relevant to the humanitarian community. We are convinced that the sectoral policies and guidelines that the General Assembly is expected to produce should also be applicable to specific country situations.

The EU welcomed the outcome of last July's ECOSOC humanitarian segment. Once again this segment provided appropriate guidance on a number of important issues: protection of civilians in complex emergencies, sexual abuse and exploitation in humanitarian crises, the role of affected countries and communities in facing emergencies, the role of military assets in the provision of humanitarian assistance, the transition from relief to development, the respective roles of States, UN agencies and donors in providing coordinated and effective response. The EU looks forward to further developing humanitarian policies and guidelines on those issues in the wider context of the General Assembly.

Mr. President,

The EU provides about half of all global humanitarian assistance. In 2002 alone, EU Member States collectively contributed more than 2 billion Euros, while the European Commission, through its humanitarian office ECHO, allocated more than 537 million Euros to projects in more than 60 countries. However, although humanitarian assistance has more than doubled in the recent years, the growing number of crises that the international community has to face puts enormous pressure on donors. Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Southern Africa, Haiti, Sri Lanka are just some examples of high profile emergencies. The humanitarian community has been required to assure maximum coordination and coherence of all available instruments. Maximising the use of limited resources and ensuring their equitable allocation based on need are the main challenges that we currently face.

The debate recently launched on "Good Donorship" and the harmonization of procedures may contribute significantly to meeting these challenges. The EU is willing to give greater depth to this debate, together with other donors and partners, so as to improve the effectiveness and coordination of humanitarian assistance. We expect the UN, particularly the Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, to play a major role in this process.

The EU believes, furthermore, that the issue of the transition from relief to development should be considered in an integrated manner involving both humanitarian and development actors.

Advocacy is another important area that requires OCHA leadership. In so-called forgotten emergencies, in particular, there is a clear need for a coherent advocacy and public information strategy. A more specific advocacy role is also needed in relation to the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, internally displaced persons and civilians in armed conflict. Such a role will require more effective coordination between OCHA, the Security Council, the Department for Peace-keeping Operations and the various agencies, funds and programs operating in the field.

In this context, the EU commends the indispensable advocacy role played by civil society. The role of non-governmental organizations has been instrumental in bringing about a more forceful response from the United Nations to humanitarian crises in many parts of the world, especially Africa. Their role in providing humanitarian assistance is also extremely important. The EU will continue to support the activity of the NGOs, as well as of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the strengthening of the partnership and coordination between the United Nations and civil society in the humanitarian field.

Mr. President,

I wish to reiterate the EU's full support for the work of the UN in the humanitarian area and its readiness to engage with all stakeholders in finding ways and means to improve the effectiveness and coordination of our humanitarian response. We very much rely on the leading role of OCHA in this respect, and I wish the new Emergency Relief Coordinator, Under-Secretary-General Jan Egeland, every success in his new and challenging position.

Thank you.

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