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Self Report 2017

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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2D
Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Poland commits to promote compliance with the international humanitarian law and human rights norms as an effective tool for prevention of humanitarian crises, in particular those caused by international and non-international armed conflicts.
  • Advocacy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

Core Commitment

  • 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

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    Knowledge of international humanitarian law and human rights norms among participants of an armed conflict and its proper implementation is an important factor for prevention of humanitarian crises. Awareness raising activities in this regard are thus essential both on national and international level. To this aim Poland cooperates on a daily basis with ICRC and supports its projects and programs on promotion of IHL. At the national level, Poland's MFA cooperates with the Polish Red Cross Committee and hosts the national Commission on IHL that, among other tasks, promotes knowledge and compliance with IHL in Poland.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016 Poland's MFA organized two meetings of the Commission on IHL. Issues of better cooperation between ministries and institutions dealing with IHL were discussed. The crucial role of the Polish Red Cross Committee in the promotion of IHL was underlined. The MFA was one of the co-organizers of the Radziejowice School of IHL that took place in November 2016.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Assessment of the progress is the standing point of the national Commission’s agenda.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Lack of awareness of the importance of the IHL both among international and national actor poses the biggest challenge.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    Poland considers organization of an event that would aim for promotion of IHL in one of its missions covering the issue (New York or Geneva).

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability', what would it be

    Promotion of IHL compliance is crucial for conflict prevention.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Humanitarian principles

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

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Poland commits to support the establishment of a voluntary international mechanism for continuous reporting on the compliance with the international humanitarian law and human rights norms.


  • Policy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

Core Commitment

  • 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

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The international community faces an important problem that stems from the lack of execution of norms, not from a lack of IHL and human rights norms themselves. Humanitarian crises remain closely and inseparably linked with human rights, creating mass violations of political, civil, economic and social rights. This interrelation goes surely in both directions. This is the reason why Poland pledged to undertake actions, that will aim at promotion and reinforcement of strict observance of international humanitarian law. Voluntary international mechanism on reporting could serve as a good basis for strengthening countries’ commitments in this regard.

  • Achievements at a glance

    The mechanism has been subject of formal meetings in the intergovernmental process on strengthening respect for IHL in Geneva. In 2016 Poland consequently supported the process and stood for establishing a mechanism.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    In order to achieve progress, the continuation of meetings is needed. Poland will participate in the above-mentioned process.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Diverging views by different states.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In April 2017, the second meeting in the intergovernmental process on strengthening respect for IHL is scheduled.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Uphold the rules: a global campaign to affirm the norms that safeguard humanity', what would it be

    We all must stand united in the pursuit of the execution of IHL and human rights norms.

3A
Reduce and address displacement

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • Poland commits to dedicate at least 30% of its humanitarian bilateral assistance to support affected local communities that host refugees or IDPs, including in Syria's neighboring countries.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

  • Poland commits to link humanitarian activities in displacement situations with the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 16: "Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies' through activities aimed at social integration and delivering aid in the sectors of education and health".


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind

Core Commitment

  • 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
  • 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

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    Poland has been actively engaged in the delivery of humanitarian aid in response to the Middle East and Ukrainian crises via bilateral and multilateral channels. As the crises developed, situation assessments clearly indicated social protection systems overload and, in consequence, increase of tension between the newcomers and poorest local communities. In response to the new Agenda for Humanity, Poland sought the synergies between the new Agenda for Sustainable Development. Having that in mind, while designing humanitarian activities in the Middle East, Poland concentrated on the sectors of health, education and social integration (addressing aid to both refugees and local communities).

  • Achievements at a glance

    Since June 2016 Poland has introduced requirements in humanitarian calls for proposals for Polish NGOs with the aim as follows: "implementation of humanitarian activities aimed at refugees and / or IDPs, and to at least 30% of local population (as the final beneficiaries)".
    As a result, in August.2016, 7 projects were selected in education, shelter, health and social protection for the total amount of ca. EUR 1.7 million in 2016, 30% of which (EUR 510,000) was directed to the local hosting communities. Polish assistance in the Middle East aimed at social integration and delivering health and education assistance, expressing Polish engagement in promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies which clearly correlates with the SDG 16. In August.2016, 5 two-year humanitarian projects were selected in the above-mentioned areas. In June 2016 Poland joined the German program of restoring schools in Lebanon, prepared and implemented in a close cooperation with Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Lebanon.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Polish NGOs implementing the projects - Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH), Polish Medical Mission (PMM), Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM), Caritas Poland - provided regularly reports on the amounts of the aid delivered with quantitative distinction between the refugees/IDPs and the poorest local communities. The projects were also monitored on the ground by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Polish missions and Development Cooperation Department personnel) including field visits to beneficiaries, both refugees and local communities, in Jordan, Lebanon, Ukraine.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Project monitoring showed that needs of refugees/IDPs and local communities in the same country are in certain cases different (e.g. in the Middle East the local communities do not need shelter assistance as the majority of the refugees). Therefore lessons should be drawn to introduce different priority sectors for refugees and local communities. Security concerns are the main potential threat to the project implementation in the Middle East, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan. The unpredictable nature of conflicts can change the direction of the priority sectors, e.g. by putting the accent on shelter.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In 2017 there will be a continuation of 2-year projects under the 2016 call for proposals, where the rule of at least 30% of aid for local communities still applies. The total amount of the projects continued in 2017 will be 200% of the project budgets for 2016, which is ca. EUR 3.4 million (30% of which is EUR 1.02 million). Moreover, according to this WHS commitment, every potential Polish humanitarian call for proposal conducted in the future will include this requirement. The Polish-German educational program that started in 2016 in Lebanon is foreseen for 3 years. The Polish contribution for that initiative is EUR 1 million per each year.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Reduce and address displacement', what would it be

    Creating conditions for better integration of the displaced people with the local communities. Providing educational services and creating new jobs will give a chance to strengthen the potential of the new generation of the displaced.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Accountability to affected people ☑ Cash ☑ IDPs ☑ Refugees ☑ Social protection

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3E - Eliminate gaps in education for children, adolescents and young people ☑ 4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

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

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • Poland commits to support the development of institutional capacity of the countries directly or indirectly affected by humanitarian crises (e.g. caused by large migration flows), so that they can better deal with crises by increasing their self-reliance, efficiency and resilience (linking humanitarian and development aid).


  • Capacity
  • Leave No One Behind

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The nature and specific context of each of the humanitarian crises is different and should be addressed in an individual way. In some of the crises the needs to be fulfilled are basic, like access to water, shelter or food assistance. Other crises, especially those with high internal displacement rate, require more sophisticated approaches taking into account the humanitarian-development nexus. The crisis in the Ukraine, lasting from 2013, is an example where an integrated assistance approach is needed. The main aim of such an approach is strengthening the capacity of the affected population.

  • Achievements at a glance

    Poland, in order to respond to the crisis in Eastern Ukraine in the most adequate way, decided to implement both humanitarian and development activities in the region. Such attitude aims at reinforcing the effects of assistance and strengthening the resilience and self-reliance of the beneficiaries. In order to have a mandate to act with the development and humanitarian activities in a complementary way, Poland included such approach in its 2016 Development Cooperation Plan stating: "In 2016, development assistance in Ukraine will cover sustainable and long-term activities targeting internally displaced persons. Such measures will complement and reinforce the existing and future Polish humanitarian aid for IDPs and people affected by hostilities resulting from the conflict between Ukraine and Russia." Therefore, Polish humanitarian projects in the Ukraine are implemented in the sectors of health and social care, while development projects are based on these priorities: human capital, good governance, and entrepreneurship and private sector.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regularly assesses the results of both humanitarian and development projects by monitoring missions in the field and regular reports from the Polish NGOs that implement the activities. During the evaluation we concentrate on the aspect of fulfilling the actual needs of the beneficiaries with certain kinds of activities. The results are positive and confirmed by the current needs assessment which recommend the continuation of such an approach in the Ukraine in near future.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    As the needs of the affected population in Ukraine are evolving together with the changing nature of the crisis, the constant monitoring of the effects of humanitarian assistance is crucial. We should regularly follow needs assessments in order to decide at what moment the development activities should prevail, and then, potentially, fully replace the humanitarian ones.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In 2017 there will be a continuation of the 2-year projects for Ukraine selected under the 2016 ‘Humaniatarian Aid in the Middle East and Ukraine’ call for proposals, as well as the 2-year projects for Ukraine selected under the 2016 ‘Polish Development Aid’ call for proposal. Moreover, Poland is now in the process of selecting annual and multi-annual development projects for Ukraine under the 2017 call for proposals, which also take into account the development-humanitarian joint approach to Ukraine.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Address the vulnerabilities of migrants and provide more regular and lawful opportunities for migration', what would it be

    Creating conditions for better integration of displaced people with the local communities. Providing educational services and creating new jobs will give a chance to strengthen the potential of the new generation of the displaced.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Accountability to affected people ☑ IDPs

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑Commitment to Action: Transcending the humanitarian - development divide

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3A - Reduce and address displacement ☑ 4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems ☑ 4C - Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides