EU Presidency Statement - Humanitarian and disaster relief assistance

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and the other associated countries (Cyprus, Malta) align themselves with this statement.

It is essential to provide the victims of complex emergencies and natural disasters with the assistance and aid they need. The European Union welcomes the work carried out by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to increase the efficiency and interaction of operations carried out for their benefit. It also welcomes the latter's efforts to promote the transition between humanitarian aid and reconstruction. The European Union fully supports it in the accomplishment of its many tasks and assures it of its willingness to continue studying the various aspects of coordination of humanitarian aid.

As the topic we are discussing today is that of coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, allow me to remember at the same time those who have been victims of armed conflicts or natural disasters during the past year and the relief workers who gave them assistance and protection, often in very difficult circumstances and sometimes even in mortal danger. Humanitarian aid and the safety of relief workers are indissociable. Without sufficient security guarantees, vulnerable communities cannot be given the aid to which they are entitled.

The European Union shares the concern expressed by the Secretary-General and relief workers about the deterioration of their working conditions in many situations. It thanks the Secretary-General for his excellent report on the safety and security of personnel. It gives a precise table of security incidents, the existing system and measures, which could be taken to improve the security of personnel. It points out that in one year 21 United Nations officials have lost their lives and emphasizes that almost all of the crimes committed against those workers remain unpunished.

The European Union considers that this situation is intolerable. It welcomes the fact that the Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies as a crime attacks on staff employed in humanitarian missions. It urges all States to sign and ratify that instrument. It also calls on them to enshrine in their legislation the fundamental principles contained in the Statute and to take all necessary measures effectively to prevent such crimes from going unpunished. The European Union also calls on all States, which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. It is in favor of drafting a protocol to that Convention in order to extend it to all staff involved in humanitarian operations.

The European Union welcomes the efforts already made by the United Nations system and especially by the Security Coordinator, to find solutions to the problems raised. It notes with satisfaction that the agencies have developed effective cooperation on these matters, in particular by funding certain posts in the coordinator's office. It calls for that cooperation on the ground to be stepped up so that the teams responsible for security in hazardous situations form an integral part of the United Nations machinery, thereby increasing its efficiency. Security issues have been the subject of detailed discussions within the office for the coordination of humanitarian assistance and especially within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. The European Union hopes that the Committee will continue its work, devoting special attention to the requirements of all humanitarian workers in terms of security and stress management training. It welcomes the active participation of the United Nations' NGO partners in this work.

The European Union will examine with all the necessary attention the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report. It is particularly attentive to all the measures aimed at intensifying the training of staff, particularly those who are assigned for the first time to deal with a difficult situation, in order to enable them better to determine the risks and manage crisis situations. The European Union will also examine the financial aspects of the report. Security measures cost money and must be included in the regular budget so that an adequate and foreseeable increase is ensured.

During the past year, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee has engaged in a broad study of the situation of persons displaced within their country, who are the primary responsibility of the State concerned. Those people must be able to receive the protection and assistance to which they are entitled, which is not always the case at present. That is why the European Union welcomes the fact that this inter-agency study has resulted in an arrangement between the agencies, within their respective terms of reference, to make up for coordination shortcomings and increase the effectiveness of actions carried out for the benefit of internally displaced persons. It is confident that the generalized application of the "Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement" drawn up by the Special Representative, Mr. Deng, will be a decisive element in this context. It also welcomes Mr. McNamara's appointment as Special Coordinator for Internal Displacement and is pleased that he has been able to start his work in the field.

The third session of ECOSOC's humanitarian segment, which was held this year did not succeed in adopting, agreed conclusions despite lengthy negotiations. This experience must lead us to reflect on the objectives we would like to assign to that humanitarian segment, whose recent creation is linked to the reform initiated by the Secretary-General and on its methods of operation, in particular the procedure for adopting agreed conclusions.

The European Union considers that the fundamental purpose of the humanitarian segment is to enable States to have a better understanding of humanitarian problems, to show their common commitment to the observance of humanitarian principles and to express their support for the Secretary-General and his team with a view to an effective response and improved coordination in humanitarian crises.

That is why the European Union hopes that the humanitarian segment will be a forum for exchanges of opinions on the realities and difficulties of humanitarian coordination and will be based on willingness to engage in dialogue. It also considers that, to facilitate discussions, we should choose topics on which concrete and constructive progress would be possible.

The European Union urges the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to continue its tasks of raising awareness and providing information about humanitarian situations at the level of the main United Nations agencies, the Security Council, the General Assembly and ECOSOC in particular. It also calls on it to develop communication with all the Member States on all issues within its field of competence because all countries are concerned by the action carried out by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, whether as beneficiaries, donors or through direct participation in operations. The European Union also applauds the action taken by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to develop consultation with other sectors of the United Nations system, especially the study which it proposes to undertake with the peacekeeping operations department. It is indeed important to examine the possible impact on the coordination of humanitarian activities of the report of the working party chaired by Mr. Brahimi, which provides for the implementation of integrated strategies in the context of peacekeeping operations.

By Resolution No 54/219, the General Assembly has created an international disaster-reduction strategy under the authority of the Emergency Relief Coordinator. Unfortunately, the last few years have shown that much remains to be done in this field and that although all countries are concerned, irrespective of their stage of development, it is obvious that natural disasters increase the vulnerability of countries which are in addition experiencing economic difficulties. The fight to reduce disasters is a field in which international cooperation is really meaningful and it must be intensified to contribute even more effectively to sustainable development and the protection of natural resources, thereby preventing human suffering. That is why it is important to continue the action undertaken by the International Decade and to take advantage of the contacts made with experts from the various countries, maintaining close links with the bodies that have replaced the national committees for the decade.

The European Union considers it essential that the strategy be given a place within the United Nations system and ensure effective coordination between the various players concerned, firstly between the responsible United Nations agencies but also in liaison with the regional structures and qualified representatives of civil society. It notes that working parties on topics of primary importance have been set up in the course of 2000. It hopes now that the rapid appointment of a new director will enable the strategy to follow a resolutely action-oriented policy. The international strategy is in fact funded by voluntary contributions, and donors will mobilise themselves in favour of this new structure only on the basis of the facts.

The Consolidated Appeals Process is an essential tool for coordinating humanitarian operations and finding complementary strategies, both at the levels of the agencies and in the field. This process offers considerable advantages: it enables the agencies to define priorities and to ensure that their actions will form part of a coherent programme, in particular when the transition between emergency humanitarian aid, renovation and reconstruction must be ensured. It gives donors an overall view of the needs recorded and the responses planned, thereby enabling them to provide multilateral organizations with appropriate support. In this context, the decision to distinguish in these appeals between security imperatives and displaced persons' specific needs will provide donors with important background information. This process is also useful for enabling non-governmental organizations to avoid any duplication of efforts. The European Union welcomes the increasing importance attached to consolidated appeals and the opportunity this process provides for sparking off exchanges of views and a broad dialogue, in particular between beneficiary and donor countries. It will follow with interest the new initiatives to decentralize the operations for issuing consolidated appeals.

The coordination of activities and the capacity to respond, often immediately, presuppose stable, available and well-trained staff and adequate procedures. As the main contributor to the financing of humanitarian action, the European Union considers it unsatisfactory that most of the operating costs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are not covered by the regular budget of the United Nations. Too frequently, the lack of means and staff result in that Office being unable fully to assume its coordination, analysis and information tasks at the headquarters or in other countries when short or long-term missions have to be carried out in the field. We hope that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will be given a framework enabling it to carry out its difficult tasks to the best of its ability.

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