Annexes to SEC(2010)1505 - On the mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan: Assessing progress and priorities in the EU's implementation of humanitarian action - Accompanying document to the Communication on the mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan - implementing effective, principled EU humanitarian action

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dossier SEC(2010)1505 - On the mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan: Assessing progress and priorities in the ...
document SEC(2010)1505 EN
date December  8, 2010
agreement that coherent transition strategies are of vital importance, implementation of the approach remains difficult.

Work should continue to be undertaken on several levels amongst humanitarian and development services in the European Commission with a view to better coordinating the different approaches starting from the design stage of aid through to the actual implementation of operations. An ongoing study run by EuropeAid should contribute in this regard as it aims to come up with a set of best-practices by selecting a number of target countries and analysing in detail how to improve transition strategies. In parallel, the conceptual work on situations of fragility aims to provide a set of references to guide development and humanitarian actors in the programming and delivery of aid. One aspect requiring specific attention in the aftermath of conflict is the need to clear unexploded ordnance and landmines, which cause an immediate threat to civilians and hinder sustainable development.31

This should also be facilitated by reinforcing joint assessment missions (e.g. PCNA and PDNA) by the different actors, targeting particularly early recovery situations following a disaster.

In addition to strengthened emphasis on LRRD, the EU should maintain focus on setting common objectives and strategies for longer-term instruments in protracted crises. In some situations, these need to be implemented in parallel to short-term humanitarian operations to maximise the opportunities for durable impact. In the context of the Food Security Thematic Programme (FTSP), as well as the upcoming discussions on the objectives and programming of the 11th European Development Fund, the Commission's DG for humanitarian aid and civil protection remains fully engaged to ensure a successful framework that would lay the basis for a systematic common approach on shared priorities. This could, for example, translate into more integration of food security and nutrition matters into country strategy papers.
4.Conclusion

This Staff Working Paper, accompanying the Communication on 'the mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan – implementing effective principled EU humanitarian action', has sought to give a comprehensive overview of the considerable progress made during the first half of the implementation period of the current 'European Consensus Action Plan'. A further review is envisaged at the full-term of the Action Plan, before end 2012.

In conducting the review, a number of further priorities have emerged for improving focus under the existing Action Areas. The Action Plan is ambitious in the range and quantity of actions envisaged and a number of challenges arise in its implementation. These challenges are set out in the accompanying Communication, together with a small number of recommendations from the European Commission, which focus on how to improve implementation modalities to get the most out of the EU's potential to work together on humanitarian issues. Together, the Communication and Staff Working Paper aim to support the intended impact of EU action, i.e. to ensure the best possible contribution to the humanitarian aid response to vulnerable people facing crisis.

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1OJ C 25, 30.1.2008

2SEC (2008) 1991, 29.5.2008

3Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies (March 2003)

4Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in International Disaster Relief – "Oslo Guidelines" (re-launched by UN OCHA in November 2006)

5See OCHA (2010) "World Humanitarian Day: Security Trends". http://ochaonline.un.org/whd/docs/SecuritySheet/whd_2010_security_sheet_en.pdf

6Conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union at the 2985th Foreign Affairs Council meeting, 8.12.2009

7OJ C 303/12, 15.12.2009

8Annual resolution, first adopted during the 52nd session of the General Assembly (A/RES/52/167)

9Annual resolution, first adopted during the 46th session of the General Assembly (A/RES/46/182)

10International Committee of the Red Cross (2010) "Annual Report 2009" Available from: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/section_annual_report_2009

11In accordance with Article 19 of Council Regulation (EC) 1257/96

12In accordance with Article 12 of Council Regulation (EC) 1257/96

13COM (2008) 55 – 5.2.2008

14SEC (2008) 135 – 5.2.2008

15Conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union at the 2870th External Relations Council meeting (26-27.5.2008)

16OJ C 76 E/3 – 25.3.2010

1715671/1/08 REV 1

18COM (2010) 126 – 31.3.2010

19Conclusions adopted by the Council of the European Union at the 3011th meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (10.5.2010)

20COM (2010) 127 – 31.3.2010

21Council Regulation (EC) 1257/96

22International Disaster Assistance and Relief Training (2009) "Study on International Humanitarian Transport, Logistics and Stockpiling Capacities" (study commissioned by European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection)

23Telford, John and Robert Thomson (2010) "Evaluation on the Provision of Air Transport in Support of Humanitarian Operations" and "Review on the Provision of Air Transport in Support of Humanitarian Operations." (studies commissioned by European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection)

24Recently renamed 'Enhancing Capacity Response' guidelines

25OCHA (2010) "CERF Pledges and Contributions: 2006-2010". Available from: http://ochaonline.un.org/cerf/Donors/Donors/tabid/5370/language/en-US/Default.aspx

26Principles of Partnership: equality, transparency, results-oriented approach, responsibility and complementarity

27A/RES/63/139

28M. Spaak & R. Otto (2009) "Revised Final Report: Study on the Mapping of Donor Coordination (Humanitarian Aid) at Field Level.' Study commissioned by DG ECHO on behalf of Good Humanitarian Donorship Initiative

29In the previous Commission, humanitarian aid had been the responsibility of the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, while civil protection the responsibility of the Commissioner for Environment.

30COM (2009) 84 – 23.2.2009

31A recent evaluation carried out by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining on behalf of EuropeAid has conveyed strong recommendations to this effect

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