Development & Aid, Europe, Headlines, Human Rights

DEVELOPMENT: EU Humanitarian Aid Under Threat

Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, Apr 29 2004 (IPS) - The "humanitarian space" needed in EU aid is being threatened, says Poul Nielson, European commissioner for development and humanitarian aid.

The space in which warring parties respect humanitarian personnel assisting conflict victims "has increasingly been violated," Nielson said at the launch of ECHO 2003, the latest annual review of the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid Office. This "threatens the delivery of vital aid to people in distress," he said.

"We must insist on the clearest possible distinction between military and humanitarian personnel," he said. "If local populations understand this distinction, the groups that deliberately target relief operations can further be marginalised."

The attacks on the Baghdad headquarters of the United Nations and the Red Cross exemplified the "deeply disturbing" trend, he said.

"In Iraq, Afghanistan and other crisis zones, the space traditionally made available – indeed required under international law – for impartial aid workers to carry out their vocation is under siege," he said.

Nielson also highlighted the "tragic situation" in the Darfur region of western Sudan where a conflict has continued since early 2003.

"For too long humanitarian actors have had serious problems getting help to the people in need there, but this cannot be allowed to continue," he said.

The European Commission, the EU executive, estimates that thousands of people have died over the past 12 months as a direct or indirect consequence of the conflict, while some two million people have been badly affected.

Nielson called on warring parties there to secure "safe humanitarian access" so that the needs of the population can be addressed.

But Nielson warned against any hasty move to send an EU-led peacekeeping mission to the country. Such decisions should not be taken without "professional, well-analysed coordination," he said.

The same day the Commission also addressed another vital aspect of aid by adopting a proposal to untie aid. In tied aid procurement of goods and services financed by development assistance is limited to suppliers from the donor country.

The Commission says the proposed regulation should increase competitive bidding for the supply of goods and services financed by development aid.

It adds that untying "should furthermore promote regional integration by encouraging suppliers in developing countries to pursue contracts in neighbouring countries and strengthen local ownership by removing constraints on recipient governments’ procurement of aid financed goods and services."

Untying of aid is not a goal in itself, Nielson said, "but it is an important tool in our continued attempts to improve the effectiveness of our development aid. Providing more value for money will be to the obvious benefit of the poor we target and will meet the legitimate expectations of the European taxpayers."

In spite of operational difficulties last year, the 15 member states of the EU and the European Commission provided aid in more than 60 countries to help some 50 million people, at a budget of 709 million dollars (600 million euros). This upheld ECHO’s position as the largest donor in the world.

Funding for humanitarian projects rose more than 10 percent in 2003 compared to the year before. Additional resources were also released to meet increased needs in Iraq and southern Africa.

Nielson said ECHO would continue to intervene in Africa, in certain parts of Asia notably Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the Middle East during 2004.

He said a "specific emphasis" on forgotten crises and forgotten needs would be maintained in areas such as Haiti, the western Sahara, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Sudan and Somalia.

ECHO was set up in 1992 to finance aid operations and now works with more than 200 humanitarian partners.