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Self Report 2019

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 1B
    Act early

    Individual Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will continue to intensify its partnership on conflict prevention with the UN and commit to work with regional organisations to increase their prevention and mediation capacities, where relevant in partnership with the UN.
    • Partnership
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • The EU will actively use its Early Warning System for Conflict to identify and anticipate risks of conflict or escalation of existing conflict in order to inform decisions on the prioritisation of resources.
    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • The EU will continue to deploy its Special Representatives and Special Envoys, also with conflict prevention mandates, where they can provide added value to its Member States and wider international efforts.
    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • The EU will implement its comprehensive approach to preventing conflicts and resolving crises. It will increase the use of conflict analysis, including jointly with international partners, to inform its strategy development and programming, and to assess the impact on addressing conflict causes, as well as consequences.
    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • The EU will more systematically capture, share and reflect on good practices and lessons learned on prevention within EU institutions, with EU Member States and with international partners, including with the UN, building on the now-established annual conflict prevention dialogue.
    • Operational
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to act early upon potential conflict situations based on early warning findings and shared conflict analysis, in accordance with international law.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • Commit to make successful conflict prevention visible by capturing, consolidating and sharing good practices and lessons learnt.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The European Union (EU) has been shifting its focus to preventive action, enhancing its capacity to address structural and root causes of violence. In January 2018, Council Conclusions on the EU Integrated Approach to External Conflicts and Crises were adopted, serving as the conceptual basis for the EU's conflict prevention agenda. In practical terms, the EU has worked towards upgrading its tools and instruments; strengthening expertise and joint learning; and deepening partnerships with like-minded structures. The EU has invested in mechanisms allowing for early warning leading to early action. Throughout 2018, four Early Warning (EW) Missions were carried out to facilitate in-country workshops aimed at assessing structural risks of conflict. These EW missions informed new projects in countries highlighted by the Early Warning System (EWS). For the first time, a monitoring report on EWS progress was produced, highlighting a further step towards structured evaluation and identification of lessons learnt. In addition, as a follow-up to the Council Conclusions on Resilience, the EU worked on a Horizon Scanning product, identifying countries at risk of a violent conflict with a 3 to 6 month timeframe, with the aim enhancing the EU's capacity to prevent conflict. Furthermore, a Responsibility to Protect/atrocity prevention toolkit was developed to assist EU delegations and missions on the ground on how to assess the risk of atrocities and to act in a preventive manner. In an effort to strengthen multilateralism, the EU established working-level dialogues on conflict prevention and mediation with the African Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mirroring the dialogue with the United Nations. At the same time, the EU has strengthened internal coordination and coherence between humanitarian, development and peace actions and actors through the triple nexus approach. Finally, the EU has been working towards the institutionalization of conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity. 

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Such challenges impact implementation of commitments because they make the EU early warning, subsequent early action and conflict prevention dependent on human and financial resources, inter-service and inter-institutional coordination as well as stakeholder willingness to implement [commitments].

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    While conflict prevention is a clear political priority, collective progress requires the effective operationalisation of an integrated approach, as well as building synergies and aligning activities among the various actors involved. This includes assigning the required human and financial resources.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 1C
    Remain engaged and invest in stability

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will increase expert capacity in its delegations on conflict-affected and fragile states. It will establish a professional career development stream including of cross-cutting advisers who can work across the political-security-development fields.
    • Capacity
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to improve prevention and peaceful resolution capacities at the national, regional and international level improving the ability to work on multiple crises simultaneously.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • Commit to sustain political leadership and engagement through all stages of a crisis to prevent the emergence or relapse into conflict.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    • Commit to address root causes of conflict and work to reduce fragility by investing in the development of inclusive, peaceful societies.
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    In line with the Joint Communication and the Council Conclusions on the Strategic Approach to Resilience in the European Union's (EU) external action adopted in 2017, the EU continued to work towards the identification and promotion of drivers of resilience, recognising the need to move from crisis containment to upstream action focused on structural causes. Attempting to link short-term crisis response to long-term peacebuilding efforts, the EU has included the peace element in the humanitarian-development nexus to strengthen coherence and complementarity between the various actors present and the instruments available. Furthermore, the EU has worked towards the operationalization of the 'stabilisation concept', also in consultation with other partners developing similar concepts. To this end, a roadmap was established on "monitoring and evaluation of EU stabilisation measures". The objective is to develop recommendations and capacity for an EU approach to monitoring and evaluation to assess the overall effectiveness of EU interventions in crisis situations.

    The EU has also translated the concept for civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions into a Civilian CSDP Compact, committing the EU and Member States to respond with speed and determination to particular situations throughout the entire conflict cycle, with particular emphasis on stabilisation as well as prevention. In 2018, more than a dozen high-level crisis meetings were organised, leading to the establishment of two new task forces to follow up on protracted crises. The EU also launched a new instrument, Stabilization Actions, under Article 28 of the EU Treaty. The first one was deployed in the central region of Mali, the second one supports the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mission (UNVIM) in Yemen.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Information management/tools
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Lack of human resources/capacity, information management/tools and multi-stakeholder coordination impact EU achievements to the extent that the EU requires in-house expertise, sufficient capacity for methodology development, knowledge management and training, integrated planning and strategic alignment among the actors involved.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    In order to make collective progress, there is a need to operationalise the triple nexus, ensuring an integrated approach by making full use of the complementarity of the actors involved, the EU's capacity and the tools at its disposal. Furthermore, it requires knowledge management capacity to respond and adapt, based on lessons learned.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 2A
    Respect and protect civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of hostilities

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will propose new Protection Guidelines that will provide guidance on programming, monitoring and evaluation of protection in humanitarian crises. They will also set the framework for building the capacities of the international humanitarian system with respect to protection in humanitarian crises.
    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, especially in the conduct of hostilities, for instance by working to prevent civilian harm resulting from the use of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas, and by sparing civilian infrastructure from military use in the conduct of military operations.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    In 2018, protection remained a key priority in policy and operational terms for the European Union (EU). The EU continued to disseminate its policy guidelines on humanitarian protection (May 2016, https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/policy_guidelines_humanitarian_protection_en.pdf). This was done, among others, through dedicated workshops for EU partners and staff, as well as through advocacy for the protection of civilians in various fora. In addition, protection remained one of the largest funded sectors (approx. €173 million in 2018). The EU also funded the Global Protection Cluster to ensure the sustainability of the centrality of protection in humanitarian action, with initiatives on capacity-building, localisation, as well as information management and sharing.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Human resources/capacity
    • IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Violations of international humanitarian law and restrictions on access heavily impact the protection of civilians and hamper efforts in meeting the needs of the affected populations. In addition, in certain contexts, the capacity of humanitarian organisations to implement quality protection actions may be limited.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    There is a continued need to ensure that the centrality of protection remains at the heart of humanitarian action, as well as joint advocacy for humanitarian protection and access.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian principles, Protection

  • 2B
    Ensure full access to and protection of the humanitarian and medical missions

    Individual Commitments (7)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU commits to support awareness-raising and trust building activities to ensure respect for the medical mission and the emblems of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent or other identification for health care.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU commits to support relevant States and non-state actors implementing or reinforcing context-specific measures to enhance physical safety of health care personnel and infrastructure.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU commits to support training on the rules protecting the provision of health care and the applicable sanctions to armed and security forces, as well as on rights and responsibilities of all health care personnel, including on ethical principles.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU commits to uphold and promote the humanitarian principles by increasing the visibility and understanding of the humanitarian mandate and promoting the knowledge and respect for the humanitarian principles through the implementation of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.
    • Policy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU will engage in regular strategic discussions with Member States on principled humanitarian action and IHL in order to increase the understanding and respect of the humanitarian mandate.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU will promote the knowledge and respect for IHL and the humanitarian principles, notably by strengthening the knowledge of Member State and EU staff active in humanitarian contexts and promoting initiatives that disseminate and provide training on IHL and the humanitarian principles, with a view to enhancing protection efforts.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU will promote the understanding of the humanitarian mandate at the political level and strengthen humanitarian advocacy in particular by targeting non-humanitarian actors at the international, EU and national level.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to ensure all populations in need receive rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to promote and enhance efforts to respect and protect medical personnel, transports and facilities, as well as humanitarian relief personnel and assets against attacks, threats or other violent acts.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The European Union (EU) remained engaged in promoting respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) and reaffirmed its strong stance on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. In April 2018, the EU published the first report on the implementation of the guidelines on promoting compliance with IHL for the period July 2016-June 2017. This visibly demonstrated the wide range of measures the EU undertakes to support IHL. The EU also paid particular attention to the protection of humanitarian and medical workers. The EU is the facilitator of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution on the Safety and Security of Humanitarian Personnel and Protection of United Nations Personnel. At the UNGA ministerial week in September 2018, the EU co-organised a high-level side event entitled "Civilians Under Fire: Humanitarian Protection and Respect for IHL". The event drew attention to the consequences of IHL violations on civilians, with a focus on humanitarian action, medical care and education. The EU continued to support the work of the Internatonal Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through funding from the EU's humanitarian aid budget. Through its humanitarian funding, the EU also supported the promotion of respect for IHL among all types of armed non-state actors in a number of contexts e.g. Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The EU also supported global efforts to support the humanitarian community's capacity to negotiate access with non-state armed groups and promote their compliance with IHL in armed conflict. The EU also organised, jointly with ICRC, a high-level event on IHL and gender in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military training missions in Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia, which brought together senior EU civilian and military experts. Promoting respect for IHL is also one of the main priorities of the EU-Switzerland co-chairmanship of the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) initiative over the period June 2018-June 2020.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Adherence to standards and/or humanitarian principles
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Over the last decade systematic violations of IHL have been on the rise. Violations of IHL heavily impact and hamper efforts in meeting the needs of the affected populations and imperil the security of humanitarian workers.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Efforts towards full implementation of IHL principles must continue, as well as collective advocacy exhorting all relevant stakeholders to find a political solution, comply with IHL as well as actively support the follow-up of UN Security Council Resolution 2286 to ensure enhanced protection of medical and humanitarian missions. Given today's predominance of non-international armed conflicts, the humanitarian consequences of the lack of IHL compliance by both States and armed non-State actors need to be addressed.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability

  • 2D
    Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

    Individual Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU underlines that those who have committed serious crimes of concern to the international community, including war crimes, crimes against humanity or the crime of genocide must be brought to justice. In line with its efforts to fight impunity, the EU commits to continue to promote the universality and preserve the integrity of the Rome Statute; include the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern as one of the shared values of the EU and its partners through the insertion of provisions concerning the ICC and international justice into its agreements with candidate countries and third parties; to continue its support to the Court, civil society and to the third States interested in receiving assistance in order to become party to the Rome Statute or to implement it.
    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU will continue its efforts in promoting dissemination and training in international humanitarian law in third countries, including in peacetime, in particular to national authorities, armed non-state actors and humanitarian actors.
    • Training
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • The EU will contribute to preventing and responding to all forms of violence against girls and women, including sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. It will support political, legislative and judicial action to protect girls and women, and to prosecute perpetrators; will ensure the regular collection of reliable and comparable prevalence data as well as administrative data on violence against women and girls; will invest in governmental and non-governmental services and institutional capacity building; and will promote behavioural change through public and media campaigns.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    • The EU will provide policy support and expertise to help host governments put in place legislation giving displaced people access to the formal labour market and decent work and protecting them from labour exploitation.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will work towards eradicating all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, to ensure that survivors are treated with dignity and receive necessary support to help rebuild their lives, and to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Implement a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis contexts, including through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Gender-based violence prevention and response

    In line with the EU’s humanitarian policies on Gender, Health and Protection, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is addressed through a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach including medical care, psychological support, legal/justice support and safety. In 2018, the EU allocated nearly €30 million in humanitarian aid to help fight SGBV under its protection and health programming. The EU also supports global capacity projects on SGBV. From June 2017 to December 2018, the EU led the global humanitarian initiative “Call to Action (CtA) on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies”. The EU welcomed 18 new members to the initiative, organised 10 awareness-raising workshops through its field offices, and facilitated the drafting of the 2017 CtA Progress Report. At the end of 2017, the EU also allocated €975,000 to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the GBV Area of Responsibility and Women's Refugee Commission (WRC), to pilot the CtA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, and develop global minimum standards on GBV. With support from the European Parliament, the EU awarded nearly €445,000 to the Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands/Save the Children Netherlands to study access and barriers for survivors of sexual violence to medical and psychosocial support, with case studies in Haiti, Nigeria and Yemen.

    IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability

    The EU continued to provide political support to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, EU Council Conclusions (16 July 2018) reconfirmed the EU commitment to renew efforts to promote the universality and preserve the integrity of the Rome Statute. The EU also supported several events to celebrate the 20th anniversary, including a diplomatic conference in Brussels in June 2018, focused on the ICC, to take stock of achievements but also to reflect on the future of the ICC and of global justice. Support to the ICC also continued in multilateral fora such as the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council. The EU continued to promote the universality of the Rome Statute, in particular during its human rights dialogues; through démarche campaigns worldwide; by the inclusion of a clause in agreements with third countries; offering implementation assistance or through financial support to civil society organisations advocating the universality of the Rome Statute. The EU continued to support the ICC also through a direct grant aimed at broadening the understanding of the ICC and the Rome Statute among key stakeholders.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Adherence to standards and/or humanitarian principles
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Capacity on the ground can be a challenge to implement projects. Some elements can actually help overcome this challenge: multi-stakeholder coordination and dedicated human resources (not only internally, but also with partners).

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Strengthened support, including new members, for the Call to Action (CtA) on Protection from Gender-Based Violence is needed. The CtA was created to address many of the structural problems to address GBV in emergencies. 

    Wih regard to IHL compliance and accountability, it is necessary to match political commitments with concrete and realistic actions, especially at field level.

    Keywords

    Gender, IHL compliance and accountability

  • 2E
    Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU commits to strongly support the establishment of a regular, voluntary, meeting of states to provide a forum for discussing thematic issues and reports of national implementation of IHL.










    • Advocacy
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The European Union (EU) has been a strong supporter of the intergovernmental process to strengthen respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), as coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Switzerland. EU representatives participated in the formal meetings, open-ended consultations and informal meetings. The EU, through its delegation in Geneva, has facilitated this intergovernmental process by organising informal meetings of the EU Member States.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • IHL and IHRL compliance and accountability
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The lack of consensus on the process represented the main challenge for the creation of a safe space for a dialogue on IHL among States.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Increase coordination among EU Member States and intensify cross-regional consultations, including with other like-minded States, to explore opportunities to improve IHL compliance.

    Keywords

    IHL compliance and accountability

  • 3A
    Reduce and address displacement

    Individual Commitments (12)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU commits to enhance coordination among all the instruments of EU external action to better contribute to stability and resilience as well as to tackle the root causes of humanitarian crises, irregular migration and displacement.
    • Partnership
    • Leave No One Behind

    • The EU commits to help host governments develop integrated approaches to providing services and developing social protection programmes for both the displaced and host communities.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will assist diaspora and civil society initiatives to increase the self-reliance of the forcibly displaced and their integration into host communities.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will engage with host governments to provide policy support for legally anchoring the protection and socioeconomic inclusion of forcibly displaced people in local and national development plans. Special regard will be paid to the needs of vulnerable people due to gender, age and disability.
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will ensure that joint analyses and preventive action address risks and consequences of forced displacement. The EU will apply the lessons learned from the resilience approach more consistently to situations of forced displacement. The lessons point to the need for joint analysis of risks and vulnerabilities, joint strategic programme design and humanitarian-development frameworks for addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will promote access to all forms of legal registration for all displaced populations, whilst ensuring protection of personal data in full respect of international standards. This includes registering births to ensure that displaced children are included in the civil registration system of the host country and to prevent the emergence of new stateless populations.
    • Advocacy
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will promote and support the extension of security and justice services to refugees and forcibly displaced people.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • The EU will provide budget support to public services as well as other service providers, including civil society organisations under pressure in order to complement host government actions and address shortcomings, whenever possible.


    • Financial
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will provide policy support and expertise to help host governments put in place legislation giving displaced people access to the formal labour market and decent work and protecting them from labour exploitation.


    • Operational
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

    • The EU will provide support to host countries to facilitate access to quality education, at all levels, to all internally displaced and refugee children and youth. The EU will support host countries in analysing educational levels and needs and ensuring a greater continuity between education in emergencies and non-formal education and/or the public education services. The EU will support financially and operationally the good functioning of public education services while promoting equal access to education for displaced children, particularly girls. The EU will facilitate access to universities, also by offering scholarships, and put in place higher education distance learning and certified higher education programmes which provide flexible accreditation.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will set out a proposal framing its policy on resettlement, providing a common approach to safe and legal arrival in the EU for persons in need of protection.
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind

    • The EU will systematically include forcibly displaced persons and their host communities in the programming, design and implementation of international cooperation and assistance interventions.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. Commit to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. Commit to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. Commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programs and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 percent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Acknowledge the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. Commit to providing communities with large numbers of displaced population or receiving large numbers of returnees with the necessary political, policy and financial, support to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact. To this end, commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments. Commit to foster host communities' self-reliance and resilience, as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach outlined in core commitment 1.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to collectively work towards a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees to safeguard the rights of refugees, while also effectively and predictably supporting States affected by such movements.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Commit to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol or the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala convention) or the Guiding Principles on internal displacement.
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Refugees

    In 2018, the EU contributed to the process leading towards the affirmation of the Global Compact on Refugees and supported the implementation of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework across all roll-out countries both in the Horn of Africa and Central America. EU humanitarian, development and political actors continued to reinforce their coordination through developing or rolling-out country-based response frameworks (e.g. Uganda, Nigeria and Sudan) and more closely engaged with key partners i.e. Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), International Organization for Migration, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Bank, thus enhancing the quality and impact of interventions. Actions launched in 2018 provided policy support and dialogue (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, IGAD region, Morocco and Niger), access to life saving assistance (Bangladesh, Chad, Central America, Libya and Uganda), integrated services (e.g. education in Djibouti, Sudan and Lebanon, health in Iran and Libya), facilitated income generation and entrepreneurship (Ethiopia Jobs compact, Iran, Kenya, Uganda), improved protection (Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Libya, Niger, Uganda) and resilience of refugees and hosts (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan). The EU supports resettlement to the EU and third countries.

    IDPs (due to conflict, violence, and disaster)

    EU humanitarian and development action provided targeted assistance to the internally displaced, their host communities and crisis-affected populations, while also addressing the underlying causes, including through political action. EU engagement ranges from support for monitoring and statistics (Afghanistan, Central Asia, Libya and Sahel region) to life-saving assistance (e.g. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen), access to services and income generation as well as capacity-building for local authorities (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Libya and Yemen), contingency planning (Ethiopia, Pacific Islands), facilitating voluntary return and integration (Afghanistan, Somalia) and addressing related housing, land and property issues (Afghanistan and Sri Lanka).

    Cross-border, disaster and climate related displacement

    In addition to previously reported efforts, in 2018, the EU launched action to enhance knowledge and improve policy addressing disaster displacement and its impact in the Pacific Islands. Other new actions supported preparedness of local authorities and communities to slow-onset and sudden disaster (Ethiopia, Sudan).

    Other

    In line with its commitments, in  2018 the EU finalised its Social Protection Guidance Package in contexts of crisis and forced displacement across the Humanitarian-Development Nexus (SPaN) to inform future action and take stock of existing best practices, including drawing on country practices e.g. Mali, Malawi, Kenya and Somalia.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Data and analysis
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    While there is arguably a rapid increase in available data, it often lacks a temporal dimension. Shared analysis and prioritisation of useful knowledge remain challenges. Engagement with local and regional actors is often difficult due to internal procedural constraints or lack of capacity of local systems.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    In 2019, the further application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and consultations within the framework of the Global Refugee Compact should retain focus on demonstrating progress in the roll-out of a more integrated approach to forced displacement as well as international responsibility-sharing. Lessons learned from the past years of innovative actions need to be used and disseminated.

    Keywords

    Community resilience, Displacement, Humanitarian-development nexus, Protection

  • 3B
    Address the vulnerabilities of migrants and provide more regular and lawful opportunities for migration

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will propose an action plan on integration of third country nationals that will consist of concrete actions to be undertaken at EU level to support Member States in their integration efforts.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    - The number of persons resettled in EU Member States tripled between 2015 and 2018. Between July 2015 and December 2018, EU resettlement programmes helped around 44,000 of the most vulnerable refugees to find shelter via this expanding legal avenue. 

    - EU Member States are currently implementing the European Commission's call to resettle at least 50,000 persons in need of international protection by the end of October 2019. This is the largest collective commitment of the EU and its Member States on resettlement to date supported with €500 million from the EU budget.

    -  In May 2017, The European Commission launched the initiative "Employers together for integration" to give visibility to employers active in the area of integration in Europe, and encourage others to follow the example. 

    - In December 2017, the Commission signed a European Partnership for Integration with EU-wide employers' organizations and other social and economic partners to work more closely together to promote the integration of refugees into the labour market. In 2018 the partnership was implemented in the EU Member States.

    - A call for proposals under the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) was launched in December 2017 to support transnational projects in the field of integration with a €27.5 million budget. Thirty projects were selected under this call, of which 12 transnational projects were in the field of labour market integration, 7 projects related to raising awareness on the benefits of integration, 8 projects addressed 'community building' and 3 projects focused on integration of resettled people. A new call for proposals to support transnational projects in the field of integration under the AMIF was launched in the second half of 2018.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Through regular reporting (such as the European Commission’s progress reports on the implementation of the European Agenda on Migration) and discussions with EU Member States, including multi-stakeholder fora in co-operation with UNHCR, such as the EU Resettlement and Relocation Forum, UNHCR's Core Group on resettlement or the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    - Adopt the Union Resettlement Framework Regulation to frame the EU's policy on resettlement.

    - Coordination of pilot projects with third countries, and provision of financial support whereby EU Member States would engage themselves in receiving certain numbers of migrants coming through legal channels, in particular for economic purposes.

    - Continue to support financially efficient, multi-stakeholder co-ordination and engagement with the aim of strengthening national/local resettlement and integration capacities.

    Keywords

    Displacement, Private sector

  • 3D
    Empower and protect women and girls

    Individual Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU commits to adapt its humanitarian assistance to the specific needs of women, girls, boys and men in emergencies through the use of the gender and age marker.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU commits to contribute in a measurable manner an increase in girls' and women's action, voice and participation in social, economic, political and civil life, in particular in crisis situations.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • The EU reconfirms its commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and its follow-up resolutions, and to fully implement the EU's second Gender Action Plan for the period 2016-2020, which provides a results-oriented framework to advance the agenda for gender equality and women's empowerment in all EU external relations.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • The EU will contribute to reduce under-nutrition and stunting among children, particularly under the age of 2 years, and for pregnant and lactating women. The overall budget planned for this purpose is EUR 3.5 billion in the period 2014-20.


    • Financial Contribution ()
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (4)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
    • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Sexual and reproductive health

    In 2018, it is estimated that the EU allocated more than €24 million to reproductive health from its humanitarian health programming. Under its health programming in 2018, nearly €16 million was allocated to medical response to gender-based violence (GBV). In addition, with support from the European Parliament, at the end of 2018, the EU awarded nearly €445,000 to the Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands/Save the Children Netherlands to study access and barriers for survivors of sexual violence to medical and psychosocial support, with case studies in Haiti, Nigeria, Yemen.

    Gender equality programming

    During the implementation of the European Union Gender Action Plan II (2016-2020), progress has been made towards the aim of transforming the lives of girls and women by ensuring their physical and psychological integrity, promoting their economic and social rights and strengthening girls' and women's voice and participation. At the end of 2018, the EU also adopted a new approach to Women, Peace and Security, which includes specific aspects on gender and humanitarian aid.

    Empowerment of women and girls

    On 10 December 2018, the Foreign Affairs Council adopted Conclusions on women, peace and security reaffirming the EU's and its Member States' commitment to the full implementation of the women, peace and security agenda and adopted a new EU Strategic Approach to Women, Peace and Security (15086/18). In 2014, the EU introduced a humanitarian Gender-Age Marker to assess how well gender and age are integrated in EU-funded humanitarian actions. This tool measures the extent to which EU-funded humanitarian actions integrate gender and age considerations. A first report on the Gender-Age Marker was published in October 2018. Preliminary data suggests that in 2017, 89.1% of all projects integrated gender and age to some extent. The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls worldwide continued. It was enlarged to include actions in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Five contracts were financed in forgotten crises regions to support local women's organisations' capacity to provide actions aiming to ending violence against women and girls.The EU also funded projects on gender equality and women empowerment. The prevalence of stunting in the 40 nutrition focus countries of the European Commission has been reduced by 2% in 4 years.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Lack of reliable data, difficulty to include vulnerable actors and institutional constraints hinder measuring results but also carrying out effective actions.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Dedicated leadership, management and sufficient resources (including gender experts) to support implementation, deliver and track progress.

    Keywords

    Gender, Quality and accountability standards

  • 3E
    Eliminate gaps in education for children, adolescents and young people

    Individual Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will allocate 4% of its humanitarian aid budget to Education in Emergencies.
    • Financial Contribution ()
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will continue its support to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will continue to support access to quality education in crisis environments for host communities and internally displaced and refugee children and young people.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The EU will focus on supporting teaching and learning in fragile and protracted crisis situations. This commitment includes support to the start-up/setting-up phase of the new platform 'Education Cannot Wait'.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    • The EU will provide support to host countries to facilitate access to quality education, at all levels, to all internally displaced and refugee children and youth. The EU will support host countries in analysing educational levels and needs and ensuring a greater continuity between education in emergencies and non-formal education and/or the public education services. The EU will support financially and operationally the good functioning of public education services while promoting equal access to education for displaced children, particularly girls. The EU will facilitate access to universities, also by offering scholarships, and put in place higher education distance learning and certified higher education programmes which provide flexible accreditation.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    In May 2018, the European Commission issued the Communication on education in emergencies and protracted crises. EU Member States endorsed the policy framework in Council Conclusions adopted in November 2018. The EU increased its contribution by €100 million to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in 2018. This contribution will advance its strong results framework that addresses the education needs of children and youth in fragile partner countries. The EU contribution to Education Cannot Wait allowed the organisation to reach more than 650,000 children in 14 crisis-affected countries during its first year of operation (2017-2018).

    Sixty per cent of the EU's bilateral support is in fragile and crisis-affected countries. In 2018, the EU humanitarian aid department continued to scale up its budget for education in emergencies actions, to 8 per cent from the humanitarian budget. Through this funding, the EU provided support to education in emergencies actions in over 30 countries. At the G7 Charlevoix Summit, the EU pledged to invest €72 million over three years to promote equal access to quality education and learning opportunities.

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Education Cannot Wait
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The lack of more and better data hinders the assessment of education needs and makes it difficult to report progress, for example, on learning outcomes. Coordination at all levels and across stakeholders needs to be strengthened to improve effectiveness.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Need to mobilise more financial resources for education, including domestic resource mobilization and external financing. Multilateral initiatives like th Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait need to be fully financed and bilateral efforts need to become increasingly more coordinated.

    Keywords

    Education, Youth

  • 3G
    Address other groups or minorities in crisis settings

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU endorses the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.
    • Policy
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    In 2018, the EU took a step forward in ensuring disability inclusion in EU-funded humanitarian aid. In addition to continuing funding actions which specifically target persons with disabilities in humanitarian settings, the EU strengthened the promotion of disability mainstreaming in EU-funded operations across all sectors. On the one hand, it did so by encouraging EU partners to integrate measures ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their proposed actions. On the other hand, in order to assist partners in mainstreaming disability in their programmes, the EU developed an operational guidance note on disability inclusion that will be released in 2019. The development of this guidance was carried out in consultation with EU partners and disabled people's organisations. Overall, one quarter of the humanitarian aid projects funded by the EU in 2018 included persons with disabilities as targeted beneficiaries.

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Data and analysis
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    The lack of data hinders the assessment of the needs of persons with disabilities in the field. In addition, some of the organisations which are not used to working on disability are concerned that mainstreaming disability implies higher costs and/or in-house expertise.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Further encouraging partners to engage with disabled persons organizations which can be a great resource to both identify the persons with disabilities and their needs, and to design inclusive projects.

    Keywords

    Disability

  • 4A
    Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

    Individual Commitments (8)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • The EU commits to scaling up cash-based assistance.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    • The EU will boost its engagement with local host authorities to increase their capacity in areas such as urban planning, local area-based economic development and service delivery, including through decentralised cooperation (e.g. city to city cooperation).


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will facilitate cooperation between the private sector and host governments and local authorities in order to boost complementary actions.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will increase social protection programmes and strengthen national and local systems in order to build resilience in fragile contexts.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will provide budget support to public services as well as other service providers, including civil society organisations under pressure in order to complement host government actions and address shortcomings, whenever possible.


    • Financial
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will provide international support and coordination with clear assessments of how to complement local and national leadership in order to avoid building parallel international response mechanisms.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will support greater collaboration between regional organisations, including through the ROHAN network.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Through the EU Aid Volunteers programme, the EU commits to contribute to the strengthening of local capacity and resilience building of disaster-affected communities outside of the EU, by supporting capacity building, including on DRR, of at least 100 humanitarian organisations and local communities working in disaster-affected countries, and by training and deploying approximately 4000 volunteers to strengthen humanitarian aid operations globally by 2020.
    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (6)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase investment in building community resilience as a critical first line of response, with the full and effective participation of women.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to ensure regional and global humanitarian assistance for natural disasters complements national and local efforts.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Strengthening national/local leadership and systems

    A Call for Proposals (€53 million) was launched in October 2018 to support local authorities’ initiatives to contribute to sustainable urban development. The European External Investment Plan (EIP, launched end 2017) includes one window focused on Sustainable Cities. In 2018, work progressed on contracting 3 programmes targeting sustainable cities and paving the way to facilitate the mobilisation of additional finance for sustainable urban development. Under the EIP, the Sustainable Business for Africa platform aims to enable structured dialogue with the private sector to foster private sector engagement and support decent job creation, especially for young people and women. Public-private dialogues were established in Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. An EU guarantee (NASIRA Risk-Sharing Facility), the first of its kind under the EIP, will use €75 million to leverage up to €750 million investments for entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa and the EU's southern neighbourhood. This is expected to create 800,000 jobs and benefit those who usually struggle to access affordable loans, such as small- and medium-sized enterprises, internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees, women and young people. The new instrument is also intended as a powerful risk mitigation mechanism to leverage private sector financing whilst avoiding market distortions.

    Building community resilience

    The EU Aid Volunteers initiative continued strengthening the capacity of non-EU based organisations to prepare and respond to humanitarian crises and to improve their volunteer management. In 2018, 242 organisations were involved in the implementation of 22 capacity-building projects worldwide and 66 organisations in 11 technical assistance projects to strengthen their management and operational systems. 381 volunteers were deployed to third countries to support the capacity-building of local communities and organisations.

    Other

    In January 2018, the EU issued a report entitled The Urban Amplifier: Adapting to Urban Specificities – Report on humanitarian action in urban crises. This report outlines the EU's humanitarian approach to urban crises, centred around the following lines: a) context specificity; b) amplifying the impact; c) using 'urban' as proxy for integrated and collaborative response; and d) mainstreaming urban crises dimensions across the humanitarian-development nexus. The report also identifies examples of good practice related to urban response. The EU’s International Urban Cooperation Programme (total budget: €20,200,000 for 3 years 2015-2018) aims to strengthen EU climate and urban diplomacy and leadership in the context of the implementation of the new Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement. In 2018, a top-up of additional €10 million was adopted and the programme was extended until end 2020. The EU also continued to support approaches and tools that help adapt humanitarian response to increasing urbanisation. 

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Global Alliance for Urban Crises
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Capacity-building of local partners remains in many situations a medium- to long-term challenge, often compounded by de-centralisation and empowerment issues. Challenges also impact an effective structured dialogue and promotion of investment climate in fragile countries.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Continue investing in and supporting local authorities, in line with the EU Consensus on Development. Local authorities need to be taken into account (mainstreamed) where relevant for development. Support civil society in their oversight role. Ensure that international community focuses on its commitment to reinforce and empower local authorities. Continue mobilisation of private sector funding.

    Keywords

    Climate Change, Community resilience, Local action, Private sector, Strengthening local systems, Urban

  • 4B
    Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

    Individual Commitments (19)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU commits to improve the planning of disaster response operations under the Union Mechanism, including through scenario-building for disaster response, asset mapping and the development of plans for the deployment of response capacities.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By the end of 2017, through support from the EU and other INFORM partners, INFORM partners will work with local stakeholders to develop INFORM subnational models in at least 8 priority countries and 3 regions; implement a training programme for staff of INFORM partner organisations, regional organisations and governments to help them use and develop INFORM subnational; improve and increase tools, guidance and capacity to support the rollout of INFORM subnational worldwide. INFORM partners will continue to publish the INFORM global risk index for humanitarian crises and disasters on an annual basis; provide technical support to regional and national actors, including governments, wishing to develop an INFORM subnational model.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to contribute to the development and better integration of transnational detection and early warning and alert systems in order to enable a rapid response, including through the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), and to continue providing disaster managers with timely and accurate geo-spatial information, such as satellite-based maps for preparedness, emergency response and recovery monitoring of major disasters through the Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to develop and implement an action plan on the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction, translating the Sendai Framework priorities across EU policies, and supporting a disaster risk-informed approach of all EU policies.















    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to enhance preparedness and response capacities for disasters with health consequences, and cooperation between health authorities and other relevant stakeholders, through the Implementation of the European Medical Corps (EMC), aimed at mobilising medical and public health experts and teams for preparedness or response operations.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to facilitate the sharing of good practices and improvements in disaster risk management policy and operations through mutual learning and expert review, including through voluntary peer reviews implemented in 6 EU neighbouring countries between 2016 and 2018.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to further support the global and subnational development and use of the Index for Risk Management (INFORM) to enable open and shared analysis for better risk-based decision-making.
    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to promote synergies and enhance coherence between risk management and climate change adaptation in its work to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and in particular in its efforts to contribute to the global goal for adaptation to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change and to support the work of the UNFCCC "Warsaw International Mechanism to address loss and damage due to climate change".
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to strengthen coherence between climate change adaptation strategies and risk management plans at national level in third countries, including through the support provided by the 'Global Climate Change Alliance+' ('GCCA+') programme.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to strengthen national and local capacity to prevent and respond to crises and to support the development of local and national disaster risk reduction strategies, with the active engagement of civil society, through EU development assistance in vulnerable countries, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), by 2020.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to support global risk analysis through its online knowledge hub Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC) that allows for a strengthened engagement with the research community to better 1) address disaster risk management knowledge and technology gaps, 2) encourage stronger science-policy interface in decision-making and 3) contribute to reducing the information gap in the immediate aftermath of a disaster by providing timely and reliable scientific information for early actions.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to support improved regional coordination efforts aimed at reducing disaster risks and improving preparedness, including through projects aimed at strengthening the disaster risk management capacities of regional inter-governmental organisations.
    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to support the collection and sharing of disaggregated baseline data on disaster loss and damage through EU development assistance in at least 20 countries (in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific) at the local and national level by 2020.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to support the development of local and national disaster risk reduction strategies, with active engagement of the civil society, through the EU development assistance in at least 20 most vulnerable countries, mainly Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) until 2020.
    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to support through EU development assistance by 2020 at least 20 cities in third countries, including crisis-prone cities, to strengthen their capacities in addressing disaster risks at the local level and in developing and implementing national disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • The EU commits, through the support system of the online knowledge hub Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC), further engagement with the research community to better address disaster risk management knowledge and technology gaps and to encourage stronger science-policy interface in decision-making.
    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will establish and strengthen regular policy and operational exchanges as well as strategic dialogue and sharing of best practices with a view to identifying synergies between humanitarian aid, development cooperation, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will perform joint, multi-hazard risk analysis and multi-year planning, with national, regional and local coordination in order to achieve collective outcomes. Risk will be shared between humanitarian, development, stabilisation and peace-building communities.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will prioritise prevention, mitigation and preparedness for early action to anticipate and reduce humanitarian need. Prioritisation will need to be the focus not only of aid organisations and donors but also of national governments at all levels, civil society, and the private sector.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Disaster risk data collection/analysis

    The EU continued to engage in mutual learning on disaster risk management (DRM) through the second programme of voluntary Peer Reviews, conducted in three countries in 2018. The Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC) platform continued to provide a networked approach to the science-policy interface in DRM globally. The EU contributed to the work of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, in particular the work related to minimizing and addressing displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change. The Index for Risk Management (INFORM) strengthened its role as a multi-stakeholder network of 28 organisations from the UN, donors, civil society, technical community and private sector for developing shared analysis. INFORM published its fifth annual report and continued to help partners develop INFORM sub-national risk indices. In 2018, the evaluation of the EU Adaptation Strategy was completed. Under the EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific region programme, Building Disaster Resilience to natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities, activities continued in 2018, notably capacity-building (including training, technical support and historical research) to improve the management of disaster loss databases at national level for 20 countries in Africa. Multi-hazard risk profiles were developed for nine countries to inform sector-specific policies and projects.

    Disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management (including resilience)

    The EU continued to implement the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and to promote disaster resilience as an integral element of the strategies to implement the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in the EU and in partner countries. The EU co-organised and actively participated in the European Forum for DRR in Rome. Four programmes implemented under the 10th European Development Fund Intra-African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region envelope (€180 million in total) continued in 2018. They include over 100 ongoing projects in ACP supporting a wide range of activities e.g. disaster forecasting and early warning, risk mapping and assessment of the impact of disasters on the economy, assets and social vulnerability; disaster risk management integration in development and recovery planning. One of these four, the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) Program - implemented by the World Bank-led Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) - achieved noticeable results in 2018 with 40 active projects supporting disaster resilience in 28 countries, bringing the total programme portfolio to 100+ projects supporting over 50 countries. Projects implemented within the ACP-EU NDRR Program have resulted in significant additional investments in disaster risk management. Since 2011, the Program has leveraged nearly $2 billion through co-financing, enabling and informing additional investments.

    Other

    2018 marked the tenth year of the European Union's continued effort to support developing countries through the Global Climate Change Alliance initiative (GCCA), which includes, among its 3 priorities, increasing resilience to climate-related stresses and shocks. While disaster risk reduction (DRR) was not maintained as a priority area under the GCCA Phase 2 (GCCA+ 2015-2020), DRR has been integrated in many projects in the context of enhancing climate change resilience and adaptation. Covered by 46 of the 55 ongoing projects (84 per cent), adaptation and/or enhancing resilience are the most-covered thematic areas by GCCA-funded projects. These projects support climate change adaptation strategies and risk management plans at national level. All GCCA projects include activities and efforts aiming at building capacity and strengthening institutions in partner countries. One example is the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL 2013-2018), which aims to promote climate-resilient communities and local authorities by increasing investment in climate change adaptation and resilience planning at the local level, including a performance-based grant mechanism. In 2018, an evaluation of the LoCAL programme was carried out with positive results and a new phase II was approved.

    Preparedness

    In December 2018, political agreement was reached on new EU Civil Protection Mechanism legislation, aimed at strengthening EU civil protection response to disasters. This will enable the creation of a reserve at European level of civil protection capabilities, such as aerial forest fighting planes, special water pumps, urban search and rescue, field hospitals and emergency medical teams. These will complement national assets and will be managed by the European Commission in order to support countries hit by disasters such as floods, forest fires, earthquakes and epidemics. Progress was also made on the European response plan to mass burn casualty disasters: a workshop was organised in October  2018 to discuss key issues of the plan with civil protection and health stakeholders.

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Global Alliance for Urban Crises
    • Platform on Disaster Displacement
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Data and analysis
    • Funding amounts
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Lack of evidence-base and data can hamper action and buy-in. Lack of longer-term, multi-donor financial commitments could impact sustainability of specific initiatives, undermining achievements reached so far. Funding limitations can impede rapid transformation and scope of initiatives.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Ensure stronger coherence between various international processes. Collaborate around shared and agreed priorities. Capacity building requires engaging authorities and their political will as well as clear guidance to all relevant stakeholders, including donors and authorities. Improved coherence, targeting and coordination of financial support from development and humanitarian aid donors. Increased engagement of partners and information sharing to reap benefits of improved and inclusive risk governance.

    Keywords

    Climate Change, Community resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, Urban

  • 4C
    Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

    Individual Commitments (19)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • The EU will promote a global response through enhancing coordination and promoting synergies between humanitarian and development actions, including through financial contributions, such as a grant contribution of €539 million to support countries most affected by the current food security crisis caused by El Niño.


    • Financial Contribution ()
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to enhance preparedness and response capacities for disasters with health consequences, and cooperation between health authorities and other relevant stakeholders, through the Implementation of the European Medical Corps (EMC), aimed at mobilising medical and public health experts and teams for preparedness or response operations.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to further develop the availability and quality of emergency medical teams and other related rapid response teams for deployments in emergencies with serious health impacts.
    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by preparing a new European Consensus on Development, as an essential element to shape EU policies and cooperation with third countries, and by ensuring coherence between the internal and external EU actions needed to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.
    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to promote a global partnership for joint analysis of food crises through the "Global Network for Food Crisis Response", which focuses on the short and long-term impacts driven by natural disasters and climate change on people vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity.
    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to promote joint analysis of food and nutrition insecurity to enhance response synergy and coherence. This is achieved by involving relevant international partners, including regional organisations, into a global network in charge of analysing the global food insecurity situation, promoting a common understanding, facilitating joint planning and paving the way for joint response.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to promote quality and best practice in humanitarian health responses and improved global humanitarian and health governance for disease outbreak response.


    • Advocacy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU commits to the principles set out in the Urban Crisis Charter and to become a member of the Global Alliance for Urban Crises.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU commits to work across institutional divides and mandates and in multi-year frameworks to achieve clear outcomes and develop required policy, financial and operational tools by 2016 to that effect.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will contribute to reduce under-nutrition and stunting among children, particularly under the age of 2 years, and for pregnant and lactating women. The overall budget planned for this purpose is EUR 3.5 billion in the period 2014-20.


    • Financial Contribution ()
    • Leave No One Behind Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will engage strategically with non-DAC donors, regional organisations and the private sector with a view to enhancing the more effective involvement of a wider variety of actors active in humanitarian contexts.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • The EU will ensure early engagement and close coordination of political and development actors at the outset of any crisis, to complement and build on the humanitarian actors' emergency and early recovery interventions.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will establish and strengthen regular policy and operational exchanges as well as strategic dialogue and sharing of best practices with a view to identifying synergies between humanitarian aid, development cooperation, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will fully implement the Resilience Action Plan aiming at reducing future humanitarian needs by enhancing strategic complementarity between humanitarian and development action for reducing risks and vulnerabilities of people affected by crisis.



    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will launch the Global Assessment and Global Network for Food Insecurity, Risk Reduction and Food Crises Response to enhance impact, improve coordination and promote joint planning and joint response.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will reduce the vulnerability of affected people in situations of fragility and protracted crises and improve coordination at global and country levels between humanitarian and development programmes.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will strengthen existing coordination efforts to share analysis of needs and risks between the humanitarian and development sectors, to better align humanitarian and development planning tools and interventions while respecting the principles of both.
    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • The EU will support partner countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and other relevant global agreements through a new European Consensus on Development.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    • The EU will work on ways to attract and support innovative entrepreneurs.


    • Policy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Investing in disaster risk reduction

    As an example of inter-regional cooperation for effective disaster preparedness and response, the EU- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) support project for the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (SAHA project) continued during 2018 and this work was recognised by ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Member States at the 17th ARF Inter-sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief. SAHA has a €10 million budget, of which €2 million is allocated by the EU Humanitarian Aid Department. The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit Statement referenced, inter alia, further cooperation on disaster management and risk reduction. The EU-ASEAN Summit (November 2018) also included discussion on the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre and three ongoing projects on disaster risk reduction. The EU also continued to support the Global Alliance for Urban Crises. 

     

    Joined-up humanitarian-development analysis and planning towards collective outcomes

    The EU continued to promote the production of consensus-based and country-owned analyses of food crises scenarios. The annual Global Report on food crises was published on 22 March 2018 covering 51 countries and serving as the basis for evidence-based programming of humanitarian and development actors. The Global Network against food crises increased its membership and promoted strategic programming along the humanitarian-development nexus also encompassing peace elements. The clarification within the EU of the definition of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus further underlines the understanding that humanitarian, development and peacebuilding action should be done in a coordinated way, respecting each other’s roles and mandates. In 2018, the EU continued with the operationalisation of the nexus in the six pilot countries identified in 2017 (Chad, Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda). Political actors were involved in country workshops in all six countries. The workshops presented an opportunity to exchange information and share analysis on countries/regions among humanitarian, development and political actors and achieve better coordination.  

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action
    • Education Cannot Wait
    • Global Alliance for Urban Crises
    • NEAR - Network for Empowered Aid Response
    • Regional Organisations Humanitarian Action Network (ROHAN)
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Joined-up humanitarian-development analysis, planning, funding and/or response
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    New ways of working require initial investment in time and analyses. Different tools, funding modalities and programme cycles, access to comparable data and variety of stakeholders imply complex coordination to avoid duplication and better harness resources.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Continue efforts towards evidence-based decision-making processes, while reinforcing coordination between humanitarian and development actors. Early involvement of all stakeholders (diplomatic, humanitarian, development, EU Delegations and EU Member States) is key to ensure synergies, coordination and complementarities.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction, Humanitarian-development nexus, Urban

  • 5A
    Invest in local capacities

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will build and strengthen the institutional and operational preparedness and response capacities of local and national responders over longer periods of time by increasing and supporting investment, including through collaboration with development partners.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Addressing blockages/challenges to direct investments at the national/local level

    The EU has largely contributed to the emergence of a strong network of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through its localization initiatives and involvement in the work of the relevant Grand Bargain workstream. The Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR) project has allowed Southern NGOs to organize and avail themselves of a united advocacy voice, thus bringing a local perspective to the localization process. While access to funding, capacity development and partnership challenges have been emphasized, the advocacy components have allowed local organizations to influence the process at the national level as well, with some national governments changing or creating regulatory environments that are conducive to localization. The EU Humanitarian Aid department has also supported the identification of locally-driven approaches to capacity strengthening and context-specific funding strategies, which have led to the design of two pooled funds in Nepal and Somalia. The aim of these initiatives has been to reduce obstacles to investments in local capacities. Pooled funds in Nepal and Somalia were conceptualized and designed by local NGOs, taking into consideration the link between access to funding and long-term needs of their communities for better preparedness, response and resilience building. The momentum created around these pooled funds has gone beyond the boundaries of the two countries.

    Capacity building of national/local actors

    The EU has been instrumental in the establishment of the largest global network of Southern NGOs (the Network for Empowered Aid Response - NEAR) which has supported its members to improve their response capacity, improve their structures, internal policies and ability to access institutional donor funding. EU-funded projects have not only played a critical role in bringing localization to crisis settings and getting key local stakeholders at the national and regional level involved in the process; they have also helped local humanitarian NGOs identify structural gaps preventing them from partnering with donors and find solutions to address them. These efforts will gradually help increase trust and accelerate the systemic change that the localization agenda is trying to achieve.

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Grand Bargain
    • NEAR - Network for Empowered Aid Response
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Funding amounts
    • Information management/tools
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Funding modalities (through the UN and/or international non-governmental organizations) coupled with the lack of adequate tools have made it difficult to track the level of funds going to local actors.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Adapting internal measurement tools to integrate Grand Bargain requirements; improving  the formulation of localization indicators to make sure that collective initiatives can adequately meet the [Grand Bargain] core commitments relating to the 25 per cent target and investment in local capacity, as well as the unprioritised commitments; drawing on lessons and best practices from recent research to promote good partnership among all stakeholders.

    Keywords

    Country-based pooled funds, Local action, Strengthening local systems

  • 5B
    Invest according to risk

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU commits to support effective risk financing and insurance solutions for vulnerable people and critical public assets at risk, including through the ACP-EU DRR IntraACP programmes funded by the European Development Fund (EDF).
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    • The EU commits to support through EU development assistance by 2020 at least 20 cities in third countries, including crisis-prone cities, to strengthen their capacities in addressing disaster risks at the local level and in developing and implementing national disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies.


    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to invest in risk management, preparedness and crisis prevention capacity to build the resilience of vulnerable and affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The EU continued to support effective risk financing, risk transfer and insurance solutions including through the Resilience initiative and the African, Caribbean and Pacific region (ACP)-EU disaster risk reduction (DRR) programmes funded by the European Development Fund.

    Under the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, the Caribbean Disaster Risk Financing Technical Assistance project supported the development of disaster risk financing strategies (in Belize, Grenada, Jamaica and Saint-Lucia). Another project supports the government of Samoa to meet the requirements to access a contingency credit line providing immediate liquidity to countries in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

    In 2018, the Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRF) Initiative implemented activities in 20 sub-Saharan African countries. Engagement focused on: developing country-driven DRF strategies; exploring contingent financing options; establishing shock-responsive social safety nets which rapidly deliver emergency assistance to vulnerable households in the event of a disaster and agriculture insurance programs which unlock critical access to credit for low-income farmers. The ADRF Initiative also engaged with local government, civil society and private sector to develop the information necessary to meet disaster resilience challenges through Open Cities Africa (supporting projects in 11 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa). In 2018 the ADRF trained 893 people and produced 12 analytical products.

    The EU-World Bank/Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (EU-WB/GFDRR) Global Partnership for Disaster Risk Financing Analytics’ pilot country actions (Fiji, Pakistan and the Philippines) led to the development of three generic tools: an “emergency funding assessment tool” to estimate the emergency response needed following a disaster and to quantify fiscal funding gaps; a “risk financing evaluation and risk transfer optimization tool” to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of DRF instruments; a “financing crisis response tool” to estimate the potential coverage and cost of scalable social safety nets. In partnership with Cambridge University, the first of a five-day DRF executive education training program was organized in July 2018 in Cambridge, UK.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Because each country context and needs are different, it has taken time to generate engagement in developing risk financing strategies in Africa. Fostering the implementation of risk financing strategies requires the involvement of all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration across government entities and countries.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Include disaster risk reduction into the overall effort to increase sustainable financing. In the frame of the Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRF) Initiative, a flexible and entrepreneurial approach has been taken when responding to Governments’ needs in risk financing. This has led to a customized engagement for each country depending on demand. Furthermore, the dissemination of results of analytical work has proven to be a good way of bringing different government entities together and build a more coordinated way forward based on facts.

    Keywords

    Disaster Risk Reduction, Strengthening local systems

  • 5D
    Finance outcomes, not fragmentation: shift from funding to financing

    Individual Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • The EU will increase multi-year, collaborative, and flexible planning and multi-year funding.
    • Financial
    • Invest in Humanity

    • The EU will systematically include forcibly displaced persons and their host communities in the programming, design and implementation of international cooperation and assistance interventions.


    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to enable coherent financing that avoids fragmentation by supporting collective outcomes over multiple years, supporting those with demonstrated comparative advantage to deliver in context.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to broaden and adapt the global instruments and approaches to meet urgent needs, reduce risk and vulnerability and increase resilience, without adverse impact on humanitarian principles and overall action (as also proposed in Round Table on "Changing Lives").
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The EU Humanitarian Aid Department continued to enhance its multi-annual funding and to develop more strategic approaches to working with partners. A pilot project with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for multi-annual and flexible funding was successfully launched. Work is ongoing to further develop flexible funding mechanisms and a shift towards more strategic partnerships. For more details, see the EU annual Grand Bargain self-report.

    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Funding amounts
    • Information management/tools
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Aversion towards a perceived loss of control and enhanced exposure to fiduciary risk. Challenge: how to define objectives of programmes i.e. how to contractually define what one is trying to achieve when moving from an input towards an outcome control. Defining indicators and triggers for payment should help address this issue.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Sharing lessons learnt. Implementing partners need to demonstrate that increased funding flexibility results in enhanced funding reaching affected people through decreased management cost, increased efficiency and improved effectiveness. It is also important to ensure that donors are involved in strategic decisions, demonstrating that removing fiduciary control allows to focus on operational participation.

  • 5E
    Diversify the resource base and increase cost-efficiency

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • The EU commits to scaling up cash-based assistance.


    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • The EU will continue to report development and humanitarian support to the International Aid Transparency Index (IATI) Registry and will encourage others to also report to the IATI Registry.
    • Operational
    • Invest in Humanity

    • The EU will engage strategically with non-DAC donors, regional organisations and the private sector with a view to enhancing the more effective involvement of a wider variety of actors active in humanitarian contexts.


    • Partnership
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

    Core Commitments (2)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding toward greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action for affected people.
    • Invest in Humanity
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The EU reinforced its exchanges with non-traditional Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-Development Assistance Committe (OECD-DAC) donor authorities and organizations in order to exchange information on humanitarian practices and respective levels of contribution to different crises/sectors. The EU also pursued its engagement with the private sector. It participated in several events around humanitarian investing and practices including in the framework of the World Economic Forum. Following the launch of the European Innovation Council Horizon Prize on Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid, the EU organised and participated in a series of events gathering representatives of the humanitarian sector, industry, research and scientific communities.

    With regard to cash, the EU has committed to allocate 35 per cent of its assistance in the form of cash. In early 2018, the EU joined the Cash Learning Platform (CaLP), as co-lead of the Grand Bargain sub-work stream “Tracking Cash and Vouchers Assistance". In February 2018, the EU contracted a team of financial service experts to launch a preliminary market consultation in order to gain knowledge of the cash transfer/payments market. In autumn 2018, the EU convened a Strategic Dialogue on Cash with like-minded donors to discuss efficiency, effectiveness and coordination among donors.

    The EU continued to enhance the comprehensiveness and quality of data published to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Registry. In 2018, the publication was upgraded to standard version 2.02, data on EU Trust Funds was integrated, calls for proposals and tenders were included. The volume of data published to IATI has been aligned with the reporting to OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System (CRS). To encourage EU Member States' agencies to also report to the IATI standard, the Commission organised a one-day information seminar in June 2018 in collaboration with IATI and the Practitioners’ Network.

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • Grand Bargain
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Adherence to standards and/or humanitarian principles
    • Buy-in
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Coordinate actions, avoid duplication, use appropriate technologies. Support a single delivery mechanism. Adopt context-specific approaches integrating cash whenever possible. Further promote and support the use of IATI data to support development and humanitarian assistance. Convergence by all parties towards a common set of rules, principles, and management standards.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Encourage partner countries' use of aid management systems that import IATI data. IATI data replacing reporting requirements to donors. Thematic or geographic websites visualizing IATI data. Minimize superfluous administrative costs and transfer gains to final beneficiaries. Common work on processes, monitoring and evaluation, simplified reporting and transparent cooperation are key to maintaining progress (cf. strategic dialogue on cash).

    Keywords

    Cash, Private sector, Transparency / IATI

Attachments

  • EU self-report on AfH commitments - annex for 4B and 5B
    Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness, Strengthening local systems