Humanitarian Aid

Humanitarian aid and the Treaties of the European Union

Description of Humanitarian aid provided by the European Union Commission: The European Union as a whole (the Commission and the Member States) is currently one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid in the world. The humanitarian aid dimension of the European Union’s external action has become very important in recent years owing to the increase in the number of crises throughout the world and the Union’s willingness to take on a leading role in international humanitarian efforts. Therefore, in 1992, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) was established. ECHO’s mandate is to provide emergency assistance and relief (in the form of goods and services) to victims of natural or man-made disasters or conflicts outside the Union. This aid is based on the principles of non-discrimination, impartiality and humanity. It is distributed by ECHO’s partners, namely non-governmental organisations, humanitarian agencies of the United Nations and other international organisations. The Constitution, now being ratified, includes a section on humanitarian aid, which thereby acquires a specific legal basis. The issue’s importance is further underlined by the planned creation of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, which is aimed at providing a framework for joint contributions by young Europeans in this area.

Resources

Biography

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Olson, Mancur. 1971. The Logic of Collective Action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Riddell, Roger. 1996. Aid in the 21st Century. ODS Discussion Paper 6. New York: United Nations Development Programme, Office of Development Studies.
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Sandler, Todd. 1997. Global Challenges: An Approach to Environmental,Political, and Economic Problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sen, Amartya K. 1987. On Ethics and Economics. Oxford and New York: Basil Blackwell.
Stokke, Olav, ed. 1996. Foreign Aid Toward the Year 2000: Experiences and Challenges. London: Frank Cass.
United Nations. 1987. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. UN Treaty Series 26369. Montreal, Canada.
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). Various years. Human Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press.
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 1999. The Future of Aid: Regional Perspectives. ODS Discussion Paper 17. New York: UNDP, Office of Development Studies.
World Bank. 1998. Assessing Aid: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why . Policy Research Report. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hierarchical Display of Humanitarian aid

International Relations > Cooperation policy
International Organisations > Non-governmental organisations > Non-governmental organisation > Red Cross
European Union > EU institutions and European civil service > EU office or agency > ECHO
Business And Competition > Management > Management > Crisis management
International Relations > International security > International conflict > International humanitarian law