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Summaries of EU Legislation

World Humanitarian Summit: strengthening humanitarian action

SUMMARY OF:

COM(2015) 419 final: A global partnership for principled and effective humanitarian action

SUMMARY

WHAT DOES THIS COMMUNICATION DO?

  • It presents the EU’s strategy and concrete recommendations for reshaping humanitarian action in preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016.
  • Its main objectives are to build and reinforce partnerships around the globe in order to advance the common principles of saving lives, preventing / alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity.

KEY POINTS

The strategy has 2 overall priorities:

  • 1.

    principled humanitarian action and

  • 2.

    effective humanitarian action.

Under those priorities, there are 7 action areas.

Action areas under the first priority:

  • Reaffirming humanitarian values :
    • dignity, integrity, and solidarity, as well as humanitarian principles;
    • obligations under international law; and
    • the commitment to keep humanitarian work distinct from political agendas.
  • Ensuring access to humanitarian assistance: governments and humanitarian actors should facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in crises zones.
  • Putting protection at the heart of humanitarian response: because humanitarian crises often make the affected population vulnerable to ill treatment and exploitation, protection should be systematically integrated in humanitarian response.

Action areas under the second priority:

  • A global consensus on the basics of humanitarian effectiveness: creating a common framework needs assessments, quality and results, and accountability to affected populations.
  • Subsidiarity and solidarity: building partnerships between local, national, regional and international actors can help foster interaction and interoperability to minimise gaps and overlaps.
  • Sufficient and efficient funding:
    • ensuring that every euro of aid is spent in the most efficient way;
    • broadening the donor base.
  • Partnership with the development community: humanitarian aid and development cooperation should be more interlinked to better anticipate, prepare for, and respond to humanitarian crises.

BACKGROUND

There has been an unprecedented rise in humanitarian crises over the last 25 years. These crises, which include conflicts, natural disasters, and social and economic fragility, affect nearly 80 million people. Meanwhile, funding and assistance cannot keep up with demand for humanitarian needs.

The United Nations Secretary-General has called for a World Humanitarian Summit to address these alarming trends. The Summit will be held on 23-24 May 2016 in Istanbul. As a world leader in global humanitarian efforts, the EU is expected to play a key role in this summit.

ACT

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council – Towards the World Humanitarian Summit: A global partnership for principled and effective humanitarian action (COM(2015) 419 final of 2.9.2015)

last update 24.11.2015

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