EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 26.11.2015 SWD(2015) 267 final

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

General Guidelines on Operational Priorities for Humanitarian Aid in 2016

EN EN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...... 3

1. Outlook for 2016...... 4

2. General Context...... 7

2.1 Improving Aid Effectiveness and quality of operations ...... 7

2.2 Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)...... 10

3. Operational priorities...... 11

3.1 Priorities reflected in the budget allocation ...... 11

3.1.1 General methodology...... 11

3.1.2 Index for Risk Management – INFORM and Crisis Assessment...... 11

3.1.3 Forgotten Crisis Assessment...... 12

3.1.4 Integrated Analysis Framework...... 13

3.1.5 Other considerations ...... 13

3.1.6. Operational objectives and budget planning...... 14

3.2 Middle East and North Africa...... 16

3.2.1 Middle East ...... 16

3.2.2 North Africa...... 19

3.3 Africa ...... 20

3.3.1 Sudan, South Sudan ...... 20

3.3.2 Central Africa...... 21

3.3.3 Great Lakes Region...... 23

3.3.4 Horn of Africa...... 24

3.3.5 Southern Africa and Indian Ocean...... 26

3.3.6 West Africa ...... 26

3.3.7 EU Trust Fund...... 28

3.4 European Neighbourhood...... 28

3.5 Asia and the Pacific ...... 30

3.5.1 South West Asia...... 30

3.5.2 South Asia...... 31

3.5.3 South East Asia and the Pacific ...... 32

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3.6.1 Central and South America...... 33

3.6.2 Caribbean ...... 34

3.7 Worldwide intervention...... 35

3.7.1 The EU Children of Peace ...... 35

3.7.2 Small Scale response to disasters...... 36

3.7.3 Support to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF)...... 36

3.7.4 Epidemics...... 36

3.7.5 ECHO Flight ...... 37

3.8 Complementary and thematic activities...... 37

3.8.1 Enhanced Response Capacity (ERC)...... 37

3.8.2 Visibility, information and communication...... 38

3.8.3 Training initiative NOHA...... 39

4. Delivery, coordination and control of Humanitarian Aid...... 39

4.1 Ways and means of delivering aid...... 39

4.2 Coordination and exchange of information ...... 40

4.3 Monitoring of use of funds ...... 40

Annexes

Annex I: Indicative budgetary allocations for 2016 (subject to the adoption of the 2016 Worldwide Decision)

Annex II: Index for Risk Management – INFORM & Crisis Assessment (September 2015)

Annex III: Crisis Assessment Index Rank 2015

Annex IV: Summary of Forgotten Crisis Assessment 2015-2016

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INTRODUCTION

The Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) of the European Commission manages humanitarian aid to the victims of conflicts or disasters, both natural and man-made, in non-EU countries. The mandate of ECHO in this area is to save and preserve life, to reduce or prevent suffering and to safeguard the integrity and dignity of people affected by humanitarian crises by providing relief and protection. ECHO also helps to facilitate coordination on humanitarian assistance with, and among, EU Member States humanitarian departments and agencies. The overall priority is to ensure that the aid is managed in the most effective and efficient way possible so that the help Europe delivers to people in need has the maximum effect, whilst respecting the principles of international law and the principles of impartiality, neutrality, humanity, non-discrimination and independence.

ECHO is also responsible for the management of the civil protection instrument which covers interventions in Member States, as well as in non-EU countries. The two instruments, humanitarian aid and civil protection, are linked and under the responsibility of the same Commissioner.

The present document is drawn up under Article 16(1) of the Council Regulation No 1257/961 and therefore covers the humanitarian aid operations for the year ahead. Like every year, the document does not cover ECHO's activities in the field of civil protection, which are instead described in the annual work programme for civil protection actions, built upon the civil protection legislation adopted on 17 December 20132. Equally, the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative (EUAV) activities for 2016 will be detailed, as in the past, in the specific EU Aid Volunteers annual work programme as laid down in article 21(3) of Regulation 375/20143 and will cover, in particular, capacity building and technical assistance of hosting and sending organisations, the second call for deployment of volunteers and the continuation of support measures such as awareness raising and networking of volunteers.

1 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid 2 Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 924). 3 Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (OJ L 122, 24.4.2014, p. 1–17)

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1. OUTLOOK FOR 2016

Humanitarian crises have increased in number, complexity and severity over the last 25 years. Today, an estimated 250 million people are affected by humanitarian crises worldwide.

In 2014, there were more than 400 politically-driven conflicts that affected the lives of 50 million people. Over 40 of these conflicts involved conventional warfare or terrorism. Movements of people have continued to rise annually for the past four years. At the end of 2014, 59.5 million people were displaced – more than ever before. In addition most displacements are becoming protracted due to frozen, regional conflicts. Children in particular are amongst the most vulnerable victims of conflict. Over 230 million children live in conflict-affected areas and 34 million children affected by conflict are out of school.

The world has to deal with four L3 disasters, the highest UN categorisation of crises: Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen. The conflict in eastern Ukraine has also taken a dramatic toll on civilians.

The EU is facing an unparalleled refugee crisis, unseen since World War II which is largely due to the conflict in Syria, and its spillover effects in the region. It has caused a humanitarian crisis of an unprecedented scale, which continues to generate massive needs. The estimated number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and the larger region has reached millions. Over half of all Syrians have now been forced to flee their areas of origin, with one in every six persons fleeing across the borders and a further 7.6 million persons displaced within the country.4

Against this background, the access of humanitarians to victims and the protection of the most vulnerable are increasingly challenged due to spreading non-compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and non-respect of the humanitarian principles, which in combination give rise to asymmetric warfare involving non-state actors, dramatically increase the rate of civilian victims and put the security of humanitarian personnel at stake.

Humanitarian needs are further exacerbated by the effect of climate change and the damages inflicted by extreme weather, especially in disaster hot spots exposed to repeated climatic shocks and where human settlements are fragile. In 2014, more than 19.3 million people were forced to flee their homes due to disasters.

Overall, in August 2015, the UN's inter-agency strategic response plans are amounting to USD 19.7 billion to help 82.5 million people (and this will increase further until the end of the year). This compares to USD 16.4 billion at the end of 2014 and USD 11.3 billion in 2010.5 Half-way through 2015, the global humanitarian appeal remains just 26% funded.

While needs are continuing to explode, funding is not. It is therefore primordial to identify and focus on main priorities and guiding principles on the basis of which budgetary allocations are determined. In 2016, EU Humanitarian Aid will continue to focus its funding

4 OCHA August 2015, UNHCR, June 2015 5 OCHA, Global Humanitarian Overview, August 2015

4 allocation on supporting those most in need following sudden onset, protracted and forgotten crises6.

ECHO will continue to support the urgent needs of the populations affected by the Syrian crisis. Following-up on the Communication adopted by the European Commission on 23 September 20157, and notably the measures to respond to the refugee and migration crisis, the initial European Commission proposal of the 2016 draft budget is proposed to be reinforced by € 300 million. This amount will be used for the Syria/Iraq crisis – also covering the neighbouring countries (Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt) and the Western Balkans.

In Africa, man-made crises, for example, in South Sudan, DRC, CAR and the increasing violence by Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria, with its spill-over effects in the entire Lake Chad region, have created an extremely volatile and rapidly evolving dynamic. This has entailed significant humanitarian consequences, including large population displacements. In addition, climate change, aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon, is increasing the impact of the recurrent food and nutrition crises and further reducing the resilience of the most vulnerable. Severe food shortages have started to affect Somalia and South Sudan. The Sahel population is expected to remain the largest one affected by food and nutrition insecurity in the world, with 20-25 million food insecure people every year. In Ethiopia, the figure of food insecure people stands at over 8 million as of October 2015. It is expected to rise to 15 million in the coming months.

Education in emergencies will also be at the forefront of ECHO's actions. Commissioner Christos Stylianides announced during the Oslo Summit on Education for Development (July 2015) his intention to scale-up related EC's support, dedicating to education 4% of the 2016 humanitarian aid budget. Additional funding for education will thus be channeled through the EU Children of Peace initiative and the mainstreaming of education in the humanitarian aid interventions.

While an effective response will always be crucial, there has to be more focus on prevention and preparedness. Each €1 invested in resilience saves €4-7 in response. ECHO will further promote the resilience of populations to better withstand the effects of shocks and stress. Resilience is therefore mainstreamed in all humanitarian interventions and further funding will be ensured through initiatives in the Horn of Africa and Sahel or through contribution to the new EU Trust Fund in Africa. Furthermore, planned increased targeted and enhanced Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) actions will ensure the fulfilment of the European Commission's commitment during the Sendai Conference on DRR which took place in March 2015.

ECHO will put even more emphasis on the assurance of effective and accountable implementation, with a strong focus on the results to be achieved. The action of our partners will be instrumental for this. One step will be a thorough assessment of needs in the different crises. The consolidated and improved network of ECHO field offices will continue to play an important role in this regard. Yet, the integration of the INFORM in the decision-making processes will also continue to help understand and measure the risk and underlying drivers of humanitarian crises, so as to make evidence based decisions. Another step will be to increase burden-sharing with other donors and partners. In budgetary terms, it will be essential that payment appropriations are maintained at an adequate level, reflecting

6 The methodology used to that end is governed by the ECHO Integrated Analysis Framework (IAF), the Index for Risk Management – INFORM and the Forgotten Crisis Assessment (FCA). 7 COM (2015) 490

5 the exceptional nature of humanitarian assistance, notably the short project cycle and the need to pay upfront a significant part of the amount, immediately after contracts are signed.

ECHO will continue to address weaknesses and gaps in the international response system. ECHO will be intensively engaged in the preparation of the World Humanitarian Summit (Istanbul, May 2016) and is actively working on making it an opportunity to confirm the core values and principles that guide humanitarian assistance, while also triggering a process to render global humanitarian action more effective and efficient, and thus better fit for purpose in a fast-changing world. Following the adoption of the European Commission's Communication "Towards the World Humanitarian Summit: A global partnership for principled and effective humanitarian action" on 2 September 20158, ECHO will in particular advocate for a global partnership on principled and effective humanitarian action. ECHO will also engage with the diverse actors who contribute to humanitarian efforts to ensure a successful Summit. Strengthening of the overall international humanitarian system through a systematic roll out of the transformative agenda will need to continue. Advocacy in favour of principled humanitarian aid and respect for IHL remains a core political tool.

Overall, while the scale of the needs worldwide is such that no single donor can address them all, ECHO intends to continue to have a global policy reach and support relief and resilience work, covering both, major and forgotten humanitarian crises.

8 COM (2015) 419

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2. GENERAL CONTEXT

The unparalleled level of crises and humanitarian disasters experienced in 2015 is not likely to go down in the next years. Against this background, it is ever more relevant to increase humanitarian aid effectiveness by underpinning actions on the ground and strategic funding decisions with evidence and to ensure coherence and complementarity of the different tools. Acting in the context of the policy frameworks set out in the EU Consensus on Humanitarian Aid9, the EU strategy for supporting Disaster Risk Reduction in developing countries10 and the EU approach to resilience: learning from food security crises11, in 2016 ECHO will particularly focus on cross-cutting issues related to aid effectiveness and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

2.1 Improving Aid Effectiveness and quality of operations

In 2016, ECHO will maintain its increased focus on aid effectiveness and result oriented actions. The aim is to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable crisis-affected populations are addressed efficiently and effectively. The targeted dissemination and further development of existing guidance on thematic and cross-cutting issues such as food and nutrition, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), health, gender and age, and DRR will contribute to this end, aiming to achieve best value for money. Systematic monitoring of operational guidance implementation via feedback loops, using key results indicators and specific markers will be ensured. The development of operational guidance and best practices will continue to be based on operational experience so that operations effectively address the needs of affected people. In 2016, ECHO will expand its thematic guidance in the following areas that became highly relevant in the current humanitarian context:

Enhancing Protection

The sharp increase in the number of complex, man-made crises, not least in Middle Income Countries, and the increase of deliberate breaches of IHL by targeting civilians, and in particular women and children, has made protection the number one challenge in today's humanitarian contexts. The international humanitarian system has tried to respond by the establishment of a dedicated protection cluster and repeated calls for "centrality of protection", but with mixed results. The foreseen revision of the 2009 ECHO protection guidelines in 2016 will aim at strengthening protection knowledge, systems, tools, and insights on protection, in order to improve the current practices for an effective integration and mainstreaming of protection into the project cycle management and ensure quality humanitarian actions. Linked to the protection challenge, advocacy for compliance with IHL is increasingly becoming central to the EU's message in international conflicts. It will be supported by clearly defined advocacy strategies.

Supporting Education in Emergencies

Children affected by conflict are a particularly vulnerable group. An estimated 230 million children live in conflict-affected areas and over half of the world's refugees are below 18 years old. It is estimated that around 34 million children affected by conflict are currently

9 Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission (OJ C 25, 30.1.2008, p. 1). 10 COM(2009) 84 final of 23.2.2009. 11 COM(2012) 586 final of 3.10.2012.

7 out of school. The impact of conflicts on these children is often long lasting and can lead, in the context of protracted crises, to situations where the lack of proper education is conducive to perpetuating violence, as these children replicate as adults the violent patterns that they experienced in their childhood. Therefore, ECHO will provide support for children affected by conflict notably through education in emergencies. Humanitarian assistance can reduce the vulnerability of children in conflict areas. For these children, education can be lifesaving, as it can give them a sense of normalcy, safety, teach them important life skills and restore the hope for a better life. Education is vital for economic growth, peace and the stability of countries. It is also often identified as a primary priority by affected communities themselves. Investing in education is an investment for the future and the reconciliation of war-torn societies, preventing children, especially in protracted conflict-contexts, to become a lost generation. ECHO intends to scale-up its support towards education in emergencies dedicating up to 4% of the humanitarian aid budget to education in emergencies in 2016.

Shelter and settlement

Shelter is a basic human need and a critical determinant for survival in most disasters. Beyond survival, shelter is necessary to provide security, personal safety and protection from the climate and to promote resistance to ill health and disease. Innovative, needs-based and cost-effective delivery of humanitarian Shelter & Settlement services will be promoted together with solutions that respect local cultures, resources and custom, pose no harm to the environment and encourage responsible innovation such as more support devoted to early self-repair and reconstruction effort in urban settings.

Urban settings

Urbanisation is changing the nature and scale of risk at an unprecedented rate. In order to meet the complexity of needs in urban settings, ECHO will promote a multi-sectoral approach to assessments and programming in urban settings. The scale of humanitarian response to urban crises also requires multi-level understanding and intervention at household, neighbourhood and city scale.

Multi-purpose cash-based assistance

It is increasingly recognised that cash-based assistance is often the most appropriate response in terms of speed, flexibility, and choice and dignity of beneficiaries. Hence, greater use of unconditional cash as a key tool is being promoted through the Food Assistance Convention, and in other fora such as the WFP Executive Board meetings. Multipurpose cash transfers will increasingly be used in ECHO's humanitarian operations.

Resilience

Resilience remains a cross-cutting priority, and its objectives (EU Action Plan on Resilience) will continue to be integrated into Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIP) and mainstreamed in all humanitarian interventions. For example, engagement and support from Members States is sought behind nationally led resilience strategies, e.g. the AGIR (Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative) and SHARE (Supporting the Horn of Africa's Resilience) initiatives, and particularly in fragile and vulnerable countries. Furthermore, ECHO's participation in newly established EU Trust Funds will be used as leverage for increasing resilience of the most vulnerable.

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Evaluation

Evaluation is a key tool for improving effectiveness and efficiency of EU initiatives. ECHO’s evaluation programme (2015–2019) contains 30 evaluations and provides full evaluation coverage of ECHO’s activities (humanitarian aid and civil protection) over the programme period. In 2015, the following six evaluations were completed, and the reports are made available on ECHO’s evaluation webpage on Europa12: Communication approach under the HIP; Coastal West Africa; Transfer Modalities; Syria, Pakistan, and the Sahel strategy. The following four evaluations were launched late 2015 and continue in 2016: Education in Emergencies; South Sudan and Sudan; Cost-effectiveness of ECHO's actions; and, Resilience in the LAC (Latin America and Caribbean) Region. Furthermore, a comprehensive evaluation of Humanitarian Aid will be launched early-2016.

Effectiveness through implementing the Consensus on Humanitarian Aid

The findings of the independent evaluation on the implementation of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid concluded in 201413 confirmed the centrality and validity of the Consensus as a guiding framework for EU humanitarian action. Following in-depth discussions with Member States and consultation with stakeholders, the implementation of the commitments set out in the Consensus should be reinvigorated in 2016 through a new implementation plan. The implementation vehicle aims to reaffirm and strengthen principled and effective EU humanitarian action and enhance its coordination through collective efforts by ECHO and Member State donors in the context of jointly identified priority areas, as well as showcase implementation in practice and gather collective learning opportunities through country cases studies.

Effectiveness at global level

In the context of the World Humanitarian Summit, tasked with making far reaching proposals for improving the international humanitarian system, aid effectiveness is one of the main pillars of the discussions. The different strands of work, such as accountability, reduction of transaction costs, aid flow transparency and better linkage between humanitarian and development funding will have to be followed closely, particularly in the context of the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing. In addition, ECHO will continue to support the consolidation of the UN-led efforts to strengthen the multi-lateral humanitarian architecture through the 'IASC Transformative Agenda' (ITA). The ITA normative framework for improved collective action in humanitarian emergencies is increasingly applied in various humanitarian crises and emergencies. ITA’s main focus will now be on the effective delivery to affected populations, especially in the most difficult contexts (access problems, logistic constraints, etc.).

Communication

Enhanced funding for communication actions via the Humanitarian Implementation Plans will aim to strengthen targeted communication actions towards the EU audiences in support

12 http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding-evaluations/evaluations_en 13 Joint Statement by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission (OJ C 25, 30.1.2008, p. 1).

9 of political priorities. These do not substitute the basic field visibility at project level, which is a legal obligation on the part of EU funded organisations. Communication actions funded via HIPs will be an integral part of ECHO's overall annual communication strategy.

2.2 Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

ECHO, in consultation with Member States and key stakeholders, intends to develop an action plan on the implementation of the new international framework, the Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, endorsed in March 2015. The action plan should in particular assess the series of actions proposed, the targets and their implications for EU policies and translate these into relevant EU policies, including those under ECHO's responsibility. ECHO will also play an active role in the open-ended intergovernmental expert working group established to develop global indicators to measure global progress in implementation of the Sendai framework.

ECHO will also continue to promote resilience and disaster risk management in international fora, following the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (July 2015) and the Sustainable Development Goals (September 2015).

Increasing vulnerability and exposure of people and assets, frequency and severity of hazards, combined with the related increased complexity of managing emergencies and risks, are pressing for innovative ways to enable, enhance and exploit the use of science and technology to their full potential. The European Commission is promoting the contribution of research and innovation to disaster risk management (from prevention, preparedness to response). To this end, the European Commission has just launched a Disaster Management Knowledge Centre which addresses (1) the need to both capitalise and improve scientific and operational knowledge on disasters, (2) the priority of making better use of existing knowledge at all stages of the disaster cycle in policy-making and operations and (3) the recognition that sharing knowledge is key to enhancing the science/knowledge-policy interface.

A new integrated operational approach to DRR and resilience will be implemented in 2016. The intention is to build on ECHO's experience with the successful DIPECHO programme initiated in 1996, but to optimize ECHO's overall DRR effectiveness by ensuring added value, flexibility and linkages with longer term resilience strategies. This includes taking into account and promoting complementary Disaster Risk Management and Disaster Risk Reduction measures addressed via the European Union Aid Volunteers initiative (EUAV) and relevant activities under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) so as to ensure a holistic approach. The DRR section added to the Integrated Analysis Framework (IAF) exercise) – see below section 3.1.1 – to analyse DRR needs and opportunities will be used as a basis for the 2016 exercise and allocations for DRR targeted projects will be increased.

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3. OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES

3.1 Priorities reflected in the budget allocation

3.1.1 General methodology

In line with the Treaty, the Humanitarian Aid Regulation14 and the European Consensus on humanitarian aid, and acting on the basis of the relevant financing decision (Commission Implementing Decision financing humanitarian aid operational priorities from the general budget of the European Union, also known as 'Worldwide Decision' by reason of its geographic scope) to be adopted by the Commission, ECHO is committed to providing relief and protection to populations affected by natural or man-made disasters solely on the basis of need. The methodology used for the allocation of funding is governed by the Index for Risk Management – INFORM, the Crisis Assessment, the Forgotten Crisis Assessment (FCA) and the Integrated Analysis Framework (IAF).

Following the completion of the third annual Integrated Analysis Framework (IAF) exercise, on the basis of which rests the funding allocation to be reflected in the Worldwide Decision (WWD) for the following year; the same analytical preparatory work serves also as the foundation for the Humanitarian Implementation Plans (HIPs) prepared by ECHO.. In 2015, a total of 68 IAF country analyses were conducted by the ECHO field experts in coordination with the respective operational units. This analysis provides a first-hand account of crisis areas and gives an insight into the nature and the severity of needs.

ECHO also carries out at central level a global evaluation, which has the following dimensions: (i) the Index for Risk Management – INFORM15, which categorises countries on the basis of their risk to humanitarian crisis and disasters, the Crisis Assessment, which in 2015 builds on three INFORM indicators: conflict intensity score, uprooted people and number of people affected by natural disasters, and (ii) the Forgotten Crisis Assessment, which identifies crises that have been overlooked or neglected by the international humanitarian community and/or the global media and which need special attention.

ECHO constantly re-appraises humanitarian crises as they evolve. If the need for humanitarian assistance diminishes, often due to the start of rehabilitation and development activities, ECHO winds down its humanitarian work. A high priority is given to linking humanitarian aid and development activities. The exit strategy for all areas of humanitarian intervention is reviewed twice a year; first, when funds are initially allocated, secondly, during a mid-term review. The latter is an opportunity to review priorities for remaining funds in accordance with evolving needs.

3.1.2 Index for Risk Management – INFORM and Crisis Assessment

INFORM identifies countries at risk from crises and disasters that could overwhelm national response capacity. It analyses 3 dimensions of risk at country level: (i) Hazard & Exposure; (ii) Vulnerability; and (iii) Lack of Coping capacity; grouping 191 countries

14 Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid (OJ L 163, 2.7.1996, p. 1). 15 2015 is the first year where INFORM is incorporated into the IAF exercise (replacing the old ECHO Global Vulnerability and Conflict Assessment). More information on INFORM: www.inform-index.org

11 based on a four-level risk assessment approach: very high, high, medium and low risk countries16.

Using the INFORM methodology, of 48 countries most at risk from humanitarian emergencies and disasters identified in September 2015, 34 countries are at very high risk of Hazard & Exposure, 34 have very high Vulnerability and 28 countries experience very high Lack of Coping capacity. 16 countries identified with very high risks in all 3 risk dimensions were: Somalia, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Myanmar, Congo DR, Mali, Uganda, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique.

The September 2015 crisis assessment identified 39 countries currently suffering from a natural disaster and/or a violent conflict and/or that are experiencing a large number of uprooted people – reflected by a crisis index of 3. Specifically, of the 39 countries identified, 25 countries suffered from a violent national or subnational conflict, 9 countries suffered from a natural disaster in 2015, while 20 countries experienced a large number of uprooted people (as compared to their total population), all represented by a crisis assessment indicator of 3.

3.1.3 Forgotten Crisis Assessment

The Forgotten Crisis assessment (FCA) attempts to identify crises characterised by very low media coverage, a lack of donor interest (as measured through aid per capita) and a weak political commitment to solve the crisis, resulting in an insufficient presence of humanitarian actors. The FCA 2015-2016 exercise identified the existence of 13 forgotten crisis situations among which 10 were already identified as forgotten in 2014-1517:

1. The Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh 2. Armed conflict in Colombia 3. Conflict affected population in India 4. Myanmar: Northern Rakhine State and Kachin and Shan State conflict 5. Conflict in Mindanao in Philippines 6. Sahrawi refugee crisis in Algeria 7. Conflict in Libya 8. Sudan: Darfur, Refugees, Transitional Areas, East Sudan 9. Food insecurity and malnutrition crisis in Cameroon 10. Darfur Refugees in Eastern Chad 11. Pakistan: country-wide conflict affected populations, natural disaster affected populations and Afghan refugees

16 For an in-depth analysis of all 191 countries, please refer to INFORM countries' risk profiles on: http://www.inform-index.org/ 17 The three newly identified proposed Forgotten Crisis in 2015 are: Conflict in Libya, Refugee crisis in Egypt and Conflict in Mindanao in Philippines.

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12. Refugee crisis in Egypt 13. Yemen: country-wide crisis (including conflict affected population, uprooted people and general acute malnutrition)

An amount corresponding to 17,2% of the planned geographical humanitarian aid budget allocation is being earmarked for the final forgotten crises list. As of 2016, the confirmed list of forgotten crises will be accompanied by advocacy plans in order to shed more light on the identified crisis situations globally and to, as appropriate, facilitate the development of exit- strategies in lasting politically intractable situations.

The INFORM countries, data on crisis assessment, forgotten crisis assessment and a visual representation of these results are to be found in the Annexes to this document.

3.1.4 Integrated Analysis Framework

As part of ECHO's annual assessment exercise, INFORM and other indices are accompanied by an in-depth (sub)country level assessment through the Integrated Analysis Framework (IAF) process18.

The IAF exercise draws on ECHO's field presence and humanitarian expertise adding qualitative judgements based on individual crises within a country. An assessment of needs per crisis specifically analyses a crisis' overall humanitarian needs, population affected, vulnerability of population affected and foreseen trends.

Specifically, the IAF template includes a country / context analysis (national and sub- national levels), field level needs assessment, response analyses (covering for example information on the presence of other donors, LRRD options, humanitarian coordination or partners' implementation capacity), specific food and nutrition analysis, a forgotten crisis recommendation where appropriate and, as of 2015, a newly added disaster risk reduction (DRR) assessment.

3.1.5 Other considerations

ECHO aims to ensure availability of funding for as many crisis situations as possible and that there is a swift, efficient, comprehensive response. Whilst funding allocations are based on needs assessment and co-ordination with other donors, certain factors that are outside our control may reduce the volume of aid that can effectively be delivered to the beneficiaries. Two factors, in particular, should be mentioned. These are the extent to which implementing organisations are present and have the capacity to handle needs in a given crisis zone ("absorption capacity"), and the linked problem of access restrictions caused either by insecurity or administrative impediments.

ECHO also aims to ensure that proper needs assessment and monitoring take place and only accepts "remote management" in limited circumstances, where justified by humanitarian imperatives. In these cases, partners are obliged nonetheless to take advantage of any available local capacity to assess and monitor as reliably and comprehensively as possible.

18 The IAF exercise in particular responds to the historical and geographical constraints in global data update (data lag or lack), where certain quantitative indicators for some countries, particularly those with a strong recent deterioration due to crisis, e.g. Syria, might not represent the on the ground assessment of the current state of vulnerability or coping capacity values.

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Restrictions faced by partners are most prevalent in areas of conflict, a marked absence in the rule of law or due to political and administrative impediments (e.g. Syria, Central African Republic or Sudan/South Sudan). They can also be affected by political resistance from governments.

3.1.6. Operational objectives and budget planning

The general EU budget earmarked on the budget lines for humanitarian aid/food assistance and disaster preparedness (DIPECHO) is EUR 1.074 billion. This amount is to be used to finance humanitarian aid operations aiming essentially to:

(a) Provide humanitarian and food assistance, relief and protection to vulnerable people affected by man-made crises, possibly aggravated by natural disasters, including new crises and existing crises where the scale and complexity of the humanitarian crisis is such that it seems likely to continue.

(b) Provide humanitarian and food assistance, relief and protection to vulnerable people affected by natural disasters that have entailed major loss of life, physical and psychological or social suffering or material damage.

(c) Provide humanitarian assistance for response and disaster preparedness to populations affected by disasters where a small scale response is adequate and to populations affected by epidemic outbreaks.

(d) Support strategies and complement existing strategies that enable local communities and institutions to better prepare for, mitigate and respond adequately to natural disasters by enhancing their capacities to cope and respond, thereby increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability.

(e) Improve the delivery of aid through complementary and thematic activities aiming at increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, quality, timeliness and visibility of humanitarian actions and transport.

The graph below shows the percentage of the planned budget for each region. This amount does not take into account the funds received – as assigned revenues – from other donors, notably the EU Member States.

As in previous years, and with a respective budget of EUR 383,6 million and EUR 327,3 million, Africa and the Middle East will be the regions in which the bulk of the budget is to be planned given the consequences of complex emergencies in the region.

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Figure 1 — Budget planned in 2016 by region * Complementary operations include the technical assistance, the enhanced response capacity, NOHA and communication projects

The chart below shows the response planned for complex emergencies and natural disasters based on budget per region:

Figure 2 — Budget planning: response to complex emergencies and natural disasters

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ECHO will maintain its broadened regional approach implemented in 2015 with regional responses in certain HIPs published in the context of the Worldwide Decision (WWD). A regional approach presents the substantial advantage of lending added speed and flexibility to EU humanitarian assistance, as well as simplification/streamlining among HIPs. The following sections provide details on how ECHO will support humanitarian and food assistance to vulnerable people affected by man-made crisis and/or natural disasters, and on DIPECHO operations.

3.2 Middle East and North Africa

3.2.1 Middle East

Syrian Crisis

The Syrian conflict is having a devastating and lasting impact on Syria and across the region. With unrelenting violence across the Syrian Arab Republic, conflict-related deaths and injuries of civilians and massive internal population displacement continue unabated. Blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law by all parties to the conflict is widespread and pervasive. The humanitarian crisis in Syria has generated intolerable levels of hardship and deprivation, made worse by the virtual collapse of the economy, and with parties to the conflict actively denying access to safer areas, humanitarian assistance and basic services. Access to people in need has not improved in spite of a series of UN SC Presidential Statements, UN SC Resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014).

With the conflict entering its fifth year, the needs of the affected populations, including 12.2 million people inside the country and over 4 million refugees, as well as overstretched host communities in neighbouring countries, are of an unprecedented scale. It is now estimated that 4.8 million people reside in areas that are hard to reach, including about 400 000 people who continue to live in areas that are besieged by either government or opposition forces. The number of conflict-related deaths has surpassed 240 000 individuals and an estimated 1.25 million have been war-wounded. The situation in Syria is expected to deteriorate further as there are no immediate prospects for a military or political solution to the conflict. The growing involvement of extremist and foreign non-state actors in the fighting in Syria poses a threat to stability in the region and beyond.

The Syria crisis morphed from a humanitarian emergency to a multidimensional acute and protracted crisis directly affecting several countries in the region, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt - whose social, economic and structural capacity to deal with the ever growing influx of refugees has been stretched to the limits. Major social, economic and developmental effects, coupled with the prevailing security imperative, are directly affecting the lives of Syrian asylum seekers and refugees. The living conditions of most asylum seekers and refugees can be expected to deteriorate further as the protection space in host countries shrinks, household savings and resources become exhausted, and as needs continue to outweigh available aid budgets. Social tensions between refugees and host communities will increase as a result of the competition for services and resources. Neighbouring countries will require a step-up in support from the international community that goes beyond humanitarian aid to manage what has become an immense protracted refugee crisis. This will require a steadfast commitment to joint programming by humanitarian and development actors.

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ECHO will continue to adapt its humanitarian intervention to the ever-changing situation in Syria and the affected neighbouring countries. The response for Syria and its neighbouring countries will maintain a clear focus on the following elements: 1) Protection – particularly the application of International Humanitarian, Human Rights and Refugee Law and systematic access negotiation, including evidence-based advocacy, awareness and communication; 2) Emergency response and preparedness, including contingency planning and first line multi-sectorial emergency response capacity; 3) Health with a focus on improving access to quality services and assistance to war wounded; 4) Addressing gaps in assistance provision including underserved or otherwise neglected communities; and 5) Support to common, integrated and targeted approaches to address basic needs and services, and to the extent possible, the identification of transition strategies.

Iraq Crisis

After decades of violence, Iraq continues to suffer another political and security crisis. In 2016, the country will enter the third year of its latest armed conflict, with large-scale humanitarian consequences. By the end of 2015, 10 million people are expected to need humanitarian assistance in a country of 34 million. Over 8 million people require urgent support already now – four times more than in 2014 – this includes 3.8 million children, 3.2 million people forcefully internally displaced and 2.3 million civilians, living in areas outside governmental control (out of the 4 million estimated in these locations).

In June 2015, the United Nations (UN) extended the Level 3 Emergency status until the end of 2015, due to growing humanitarian needs. All indicators point to a dramatically worsening of the humanitarian situation in the near future, with the intensification of the military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Armed Opposition Groups (AoG). This will further increase displacement and result in limited provision of basic services to the most vulnerable populations affected by the conflict. Ongoing fighting is expected to involve prolonged sieges, strangling access to lifesaving assistance for civilians in ISIL/AoG controlled territory.

Iraqis who will be displaced in 2016, will, undoubtedly, face more difficulties in reaching safety and will be disadvantaged by the fact that host communities are already overstretched, public services overloaded and social tensions on the rise. As of 20 September 2015, the funding rate of the Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan stands at 33%. This leaves an enormous gap on the coverage of the emergency and lifesaving needs of the most vulnerable Iraqis. Although progress has been made, the international humanitarian response is still unbalanced between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the central governorates, characterised by the highest needs and the lowest received assistance. Greater, sustained efforts are required to assist populations suffering from the conflict on a daily basis in the central belt of Iraq. Efforts should be strengthened to negotiate access and provide direct and adapted support to newly displaced persons and civilians affected by the crisis in the area.

ECHO will continue advocating for the protection and humanitarian access to all populations in need, for enhancing an "all of Iraq" response. ECHO will continue to support lifesaving programmes in the food, health, shelter, core relief items and WASH sectors. Transversal integration of protection and multi-sectorial, needs-based assistance will be encouraged to mitigate the consequences of this conflict and the rupture of Iraq’s social fabric.

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Iraq is not only facing the consequences of the internal conflict, but also those created by the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Syria. Today Iraq hosts approximately 250 000 registered Syrian refugees and ECHO will continue to assist them according to needs and vulnerabilities.

Humanitarian funding is far from matching the growing needs and is only equipped for emergency life-saving assistance. ECHO's actions in 2016 will continue to support the most cost effective aid modalities (e.g. cash) and coordinate with other funding instruments for a comprehensive response to this crisis with a greater impact. If sufficient and adequate support is not provided to the people in need in the country, in safe locations, the crisis in Iraq will become the main issue for the EU in terms of migration in the near future.

Yemen

Since the start of the Saudi-led military intervention of a Coalition of Arab States on 26 March 2015, conflict has spread to 21 out of 22 governorates with airstrikes targeting Houthi/pro-Saleh forces. As a consequence of the war there has been a gradual expansion of Islamist forces, including AQAP (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and ISIL.

The previously already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen has continued to deteriorate, reaching alarming proportions. WFP is warning of a likely famine. On 1 July the IASC (Inter-Agency Standing Committee) raised the humanitarian situation in Yemen to the highest level, L3. Line ministries and public institutions are no longer able to deliver basic services, such as healthcare and nutrition, water and electricity and social safety nets. The de facto air and sea blockade imposed by the Coalition and the bombing of Hodeidah sea port (entry point for 60% of the commercial imports into Yemen) has resulted in major reductions in imports of fuel, food, medicine and other basic commodities. Lack of fuel represents a major concern given its knock-on effect on water availability, the functioning of health facilities, cold chains, basic sanitation and food supplies. Large-scale internal displacement is taking place due to widespread destruction of residences and civilian infrastructure. Sa’ada, Hajjah, Aden and Taiz. Hajjah and Amran in the north, Ibb, Taiz and ad-Dhale in the center, and Aden, Abyan and Lahj in the south host the highest number of IDPs. An estimated 900 000 refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa are trapped in the war-torn country, also in need of assistance.

In 2016, ECHO's response will focus on emergency life-saving activities and assistance to the most vulnerable. Interventions will have a multi-sectorial rationale integrating health and nutrition, food assistance, food security and livelihood support, water, sanitation, hygiene promotion, shelter, non-food items and protection. As the conflict is no longer limited to specific locations and frontlines are constantly shifting, the response will need to be geographically flexible. Beneficiaries are the most vulnerable of the conflict affected population, including internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants trapped in Yemen, and those affected by the pre-existing nutrition and food crisis, whose situation has deteriorated due to the conflict.

Palestine19

Palestinian refugees and local populations within Gaza and the West Bank continue to suffer from the occupation policy. Demolitions and forced evictions, movement restrictions affecting access to land and to basic services, and violence against Palestinians continue to

19 This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

18 create humanitarian needs. The closure of the Gaza strip imposed by the Government of Israel continues for the ninth year in a row. In addition, the Gaza Strip has suffered three wars in seven years. Periodic shocks – whether internal or external – spark off humanitarian crises, as witnessed during Israel’s ‘Protective Edge’ operation in July and August 2014 that had a massive and unprecedented humanitarian impact. One hundred thousand people remain displaced and are living with host families, in rented apartments, prefabricated units, tents and makeshift shelters, or in the rubble of their previous homes.

The closure regime translates into a situation of continuous economic de-development with consequent increase of vulnerabilities. Unless normal movement of people and goods is allowed to resume there will be no fundamental change in the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under International Law, has contributed to an increase in demolitions of private Palestinian property, deterioration of access to basic services, increase in settler violence, and restrictions on movement and access, which all lead to forcible displacement.

A traditional sectorial approach of relief assistance alone is insufficient to protect communities from IHL violations. Therefore in 2016 humanitarian assistance in Palestine will continue to focus on the humanitarian mandate through increasing emphasis on protection and emergency concerns, namely emergency preparedness and response, humanitarian advocacy and support to humanitarian coordination. Close coordination within European Commission services and with the European External Action Service (EEAS) will continue to ensure programmatic complementarity between relief and long-term operations.

3.2.2 North Africa

In 2016, Libya and the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria will benefit from the initial funding under the North Africa HIP.

Sahrawi refugees The Sahrawi refugees' crisis derives from a 40 year old political conflict resulting in a protracted refugee situation in south-western Algeria (Tindouf), where 90 000 Sahrawi refugees are almost entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance, with little prospects for return, integration or resettlement. Dry and fresh food, water in adequate quality, sanitation, essential medicines, logistic support to deliver aid and coordination remain the basic needs in the Sahrawi refugee camps. Protection services are also needed. Considering the limited employment opportunities in the Sahara desert, it is unlikely that basic humanitarian needs (food, water, medicines) of the Sahrawi refugees will decrease. Humanitarian funding has however decreased by 20% in the last 5 years with EU humanitarian funding now representing around 40% of the overall assistance. There is a need to maximise the impact of the assistance provided and also look at other funding instruments to complement humanitarian aid. Livelihood and self-reliance initiatives would give some employment perspectives to the youth in particular who feels increasingly frustrated by their dependency and lack of employment opportunities. Funding in 2016 will focus on food and livelihood support, water and sanitation, health, logistics, protection activities and security. Coordination, advocacy and visibility remain important.

Libya

Libya has been severely affected by the migration crisis in 2015. Since the fall of Qaddafi’s regime in 2011, the competition for political power and control of the country's strategic and economic resources continues between different factions. Despite progress at the political

19 level with a possible political settlement, the conflict shows limited signs of abating in Sirte, Derna and Benghazi. As a result, the country's economy has been severely affected. The conflict has significantly impacted the lives of civilians with shortages in medical, food and fuel supplies, multiple displacements, disruption of basic services and communication, and disregard for IHL. The UN estimates that 435 800 people have been internally displaced, while 2.4 million are in need of assistance, including 1.1 million women and children. The growing presence of the Islamic State for Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is also a threat against humanitarian access. Since Libya has traditionally been both a final destination for migrants and a transit country for those attempting to reach Europe, many migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are caught up in the Libya conflict in a situation of high vulnerability and in need of protection.

ECHO will mainly focus its activities in 2016 on addressing the humanitarian and protection needs of the most vulnerable groups, including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. ECHO will continue to support actions advocating for the respect of IHL and initiatives aiming at strengthening local partners’ capacities to implement humanitarian programmes.

The situation in the region is likely to remain volatile in 2016 as the influx of refugees and migrants continue. As a spill-over from the conflict in Libya into Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt or Morocco, these countries could face an increased influx of refugees and migrants seeking their way to Europe or third country nationals escaping the war.

North Africa is also prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and droughts. In case of a deepening migration crisis or new natural disasters, a potential response to other countries in the region could be envisaged if significant humanitarian gaps are identified.

The above humanitarian aid operations implemented in the Middle East and North Africa will be funded by ECHO as contributions to furthering the objectives set out in the WWD.

3.3 Africa

3.3.1 Sudan, South Sudan

In South Sudan the conflict that erupted on 15 December 2013 led to a major humanitarian crisis which almost two years later remains classified by the UN as "Level-3 emergency". There are more than 2 million people displaced due to the fighting, of which more than 600 000 have fled to neighbouring countries whilst 200 000 have sought physical protection in UNMISS bases named Protection of Civilian's sites. South Sudan remained on the brink of famine in 2015. Without a radical improvement in food availability, and access to food, we can expect similar levels of needs in 2016. The fighting is also associated with grave allegations of atrocities. Increased international pressure pushed the parties to sign a peace agreement in August 2015. The agreement came after months of negotiations and several failed ceasefires. In Sudan, the political and security environment has deteriorated in 2015 with ongoing conflicts. Initiatives for conflict settlement have stalled. The general elections of April 2015 were boycotted by the main opposition party and a long awaited national dialogue did not take off. Sudan is considered by ECHO a forgotten crisis for the second year in a row. Roughly 13% of Sudan's population (5.4 million people) are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance and there are major protection concerns. The most acute needs result from conflict-related violence in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile; a steady influx of South Sudanese refugees as well as chronic under-development and wide-spread poverty with high malnutrition rates in eastern Sudan.

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The outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan (e.g. border demarcation, the status of the disputed area of Abyei, implementation of the 2012 cooperation agreement) remain unresolved and both countries continue to trade accusations of supporting proxy rebel groups. Insecurity and multiple conflicts prevail in both countries. Humanitarian operations in both countries face several challenges due to access limitations, insecurity, logistical and administrative impediments and poor local capacity. In Sudan, government restrictions have a severe impact on the operational capacity of aid actors. Advocacy for opening up humanitarian space and respect of humanitarian principles will therefore continue to play a key role. In 2016, funding for South Sudan will focus on: a) the response to conflict-induced needs largely associated with displacement, b) address the basic needs of refugees in South Sudan (most of whom come from Sudan), c) support to protection (through programming and advocacy on respect of IHL and access), and d) support to communities exposed to high rates of morbidity, mortality, food insecurity or malnutrition. In Sudan, humanitarian assistance will focus, if access allows, on emergency response and preparedness for displaced people, refugees, returnees, host communities and nomads. In the context of conflict areas, emergency lifesaving activities will be the main response. Protection analysis will inform the decision on the provision of humanitarian assistance across the country. Multi-sectorial responses to build resilience of vulnerable communities to future shocks will also be promoted.

3.3.2 Central Africa

Central African Republic (CAR) The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic escalated dramatically at the end of 2013, extending to the whole territory and pushing thousands of people to flee internally or into neighbouring countries (mainly into Chad and Cameroon). In 2015, the entire population of 4.6 million people is considered affected by the continuing effects of the crisis; of them 2.7 million are extremely vulnerable and in need of immediate assistance. More than 368 000 people remain displaced internally, with numerous communities living in enclaves deprived of means of subsistence, freedom of movements and other rights. The number of CAR refugees in the regions is significant (more than 470 000), and new influxes into DRC and Cameroon were recorded in 2015. Humanitarian needs remain very high, due to continuing protection threats, protracted as well as new displacements, collapse of basic services and livelihoods, widespread destruction, and persisting weakness of institutions. Recovery and rehabilitation needs are huge and insecurity is widespread throughout the country. The uncertainty that surrounds the political transition process is affecting the return prospects of displaced populations.

ECHO will keep providing humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable populations in CAR in 2016 to meet their needs in an integrated manner. Hence, support will be provided in terms of protection, emergency food assistance and short-term livelihood support, emergency health and nutrition interventions, WASH, shelter and non-food items, logistics and humanitarian coordination. In responding to the most pressing needs, humanitarian assistance will simultaneously look at restoring the resilience of affected populations. This will be done complementary to the LRRD process to which the European Commission committed through the creation of the first EU Trust Fund for CAR ("Békou" in July 2014) and which has borne first results. At the same time, advocacy efforts will continue to help ensure that the CAR crisis remains high on the international agenda and receives an adequately funded international response.

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Chad

In 2015, Chad was at the junction of four major crises (Central African Republic, Nigeria, Sudan and Libya), which has intensified its exposure to population movements. Regional dynamics, such as the CAR crisis and growing violence linked to Boko Haram activities in Nigeria and neighbouring countries have generated significant new humanitarian needs. These are linked to the displacement of populations and households' reduced livelihood opportunities due to the negative consequences of the mentioned crises on local economies. As a result of these dynamics, Chad currently hosts more than 460 000 refugees and some 120 000 IDPs.

The Sahel belt of Chad remains highly food insecure because of harsh environmental conditions and eroded livelihoods and very low resilience of the most vulnerable, exacerbated by endemic poverty and chronic underdevelopment. Food insecurity is projected to continue in 2016, affecting more than 2.4 million people. The nutritional situation remains of great concern, with the emergency threshold for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) exceeded in six regions and an increasing number of children under five (154 400) estimated in need of SAM treatment. Furthermore, Chad is exposed to natural disasters and epidemics, with cholera being a persistent and growing threat due to population movements. The combination of high vulnerability with low response capacities and limited donor engagement qualifies the refugee situation in the east of the country as a forgotten crisis.

Against this background, humanitarian action in 2016 will focus on the following axes: 1) provide essential life-saving support for vulnerable refugees, returnees and host populations, encouraging self-sufficiency as much as possible; 2) achieve sustainable reduction in malnutrition-related mortality among children under five and their mothers in a strong LRRD framework, through emergency operations combined with resilience building measures, factoring in AGIR; 3) support preparedness and response measures to new sudden or slow-onset emergencies. In total, it is planned that at least 1.5 million people affected by different crises across the country receive multi-sectorial assistance in 2016.

Cameroon In 2015, Cameroon had to face the protracted consequences of the CAR refugee crisis in the east and react to the consequences of escalating Boko Haram attacks in border areas of Nigeria and in the North and Far North of Cameroon. This has entailed significant population movements to and within Cameroon. Over the period 2014-2015, at least 135 000 refugees from CAR arrived in a country unprepared to face a humanitarian crisis, while the influx of refugees from Nigeria reached at least 55 000 people. Furthermore, over 81 000 people were internally displaced fleeing Boko Haram attacks. Setting up an adequate emergency response is challenging because of limited presence by aid organisations and donors, challenging security conditions and access. In the destitute Sahelian regions of Cameroon - already facing high chronic malnutrition - an increase in acute malnutrition has been observed after the new waves of population displacement in the Far North. The impact of the Boko Haram crisis on the livelihoods and food security of local populations appears to be on the rise, warranting this to be considered a forgotten crisis.

In response to this complex situation, ECHO will focus its humanitarian assistance in 2016 on the provision of immediate multi-sectorial assistance responding to basic needs of refugees and IDPs in camps and with host communities, while ensuring emergency food

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and nutrition assistance to affected populations in the Far North.

3.3.3 Great Lakes Region

The number of Great lakes refugees has seen a sharp increase over the last months due to the eruption of the Burundi political crisis and the ongoing security crisis in DRC and CAR. The political tensions in Burundi related to the July 2015 presidential elections have provoked a major flow of refugees towards neighbouring countries. Over 200,000 refugees from Burundi have sought asylum in DRC, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda in less than four months. There are great concerns among the international community on how the Burundian situation could rapidly deteriorate and lead to a regional chaos with possible ethnic dimensions. The 2013 crisis in CAR resulted in a wave of refugee arrivals in the northern part of DRC (mainly Equateur province) and the Republic of Congo. Over 125,000 refugees have been registered in both countries. With the recent deterioration of the security situation in Bangui, additional influx has been reported to DRC. Approximately 431 000 Congolese refugees live in neighbouring countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Republic of Congo), as a result of the continued violence in Eastern DRC. The large majority of these refugees are being hosted in camps, depending exclusively on humanitarian aid for the provision of basic services and protection and with little prospects of return in the short term due to persistent volatile situations. In 2016, ECHO will focus its support on the provision of immediate multi-sectorial assistance and protection responding to the basic needs of the Great lakes refugees.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

DRC continues to suffer from a complex and protracted humanitarian crisis. Congolese civilians face widespread violence (including sexual) and insecurity originating both from armed groups and Congolese armed forces. Access is extremely challenging for physical and security reasons, and there is insufficient funding to cover previous and new needs in such a volatile context. The window of opportunity for stabilisation in the east identified after the defeat of the M23 armed group did not materialise. Many other armed groups (ranging from local defence groups to well-armed foreign groups with a political agenda) continue to operate in eastern Congo and to commit gross human rights abuses mainly in North Kivu, South Kivu, Orientale and Katanga provinces. As a result of widespread insecurity and violence, 2.9 million Congolese are being displaced in country. Livelihoods are jeopardised by population displacement, insecurity prevents access to land, and vulnerable populations do not have adequate access to water, sanitation and medical care. In areas not affected by conflict, malnutrition rates are often above emergency thresholds as a result of economic difficulties and instability. The whole country is regularly subject to epidemics due to the poor health and sanitation conditions. In 2016, in DRC, ECHO will address urgent needs arising from population displacements in conflict zones and life-threatening situations in non-conflict areas. A particular attention will be given to the protection of civilians affected by conflict. ECHO will support emergency preparedness to ensure swift response capacity in such a volatile context. Other regions affected by epidemics (measles, cholera, malaria) and acute malnutrition will also be assisted strictly respecting emergency thresholds and taking into account local capacities. Activities will be closely coordinated with development cooperation instruments, whenever possible. Advocacy for the defence of humanitarian space and respect of humanitarian

23 principles and IHL will be maintained, along with support for humanitarian coordination and logistics, and the provision of the ECHO Flight service to access remote areas.

3.3.4 Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa has experienced in 2015 an overall deteriorating food security as well as a substantial increase of newly arrived refugees, mainly as a consequence of the on-going conflict in South Sudan and the spill-over of the Yemen crisis. Over 13 million people are currently in immediate need of humanitarian assistance in the region. The refugee crisis in the region is both acute and protracted with about 1.7 million refugees, originating mainly from Somalia. In addition, about 2 million people are internally displaced in the region. The overall security situation has deteriorated, not only in Somalia, but also in the neighbouring countries, particularly in Kenya, reducing further the access to people in need, putting them and humanitarian workers at risk. In 2016, ECHO will sustain its activities to avoid people sliding back into crisis, whilst continuing to address new urgent needs. The assistance will put special emphasis on lifesaving activities and response to the displacement crises while ensuring that resilience of communities are not put at risk. The use of emergency preparedness and response mechanisms to provide flexibility in the response to new emergencies will continue to further strengthen cost-efficiency. ECHO will closely follow the discussions at regional level on potential return strategies and will strongly advocate for its voluntary character. Moreover, ECHO will continue to be actively involved in the search for self-reliance solutions for protracted refugees in coordination with development partners especially when conditions for return are not present.

Somalia

Somalia still represents one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. Around 800 000 people are expected to remain acutely food insecure until the end of the year and 2.3 million people are still at risk of sliding back into crisis in the absence of adequate assistance. Drought, food insecurity and conflict still have the effect of aggravating the humanitarian situation, leading, among other things, to further displacement and the exhaustion of coping mechanisms. Around 1.1 million people are internally displaced in Somalia while more than 1 million have taken refuge in the neighbouring countries. Restricted access and high insecurity are major challenges for aid agencies. ECHO will continue to focus on emergency response through life-saving activities in the south-central regions of Somalia and support the return process of IDPs, returnees from Yemen and potential other neighbouring countries as well as assisting the Yemeni refugees whenever relevant. Protection and support to livelihoods as well as the mainstreaming of DRR initiatives will be encouraged. This will contribute to strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable communities.

Ethiopia

The consequences in Ethiopia of the El Nino weather phenomenon affecting the Great Lakes region are the most serious on record. Already as of October 2015, more than 8 million people are directly affected. This has not only immediate consequences on the people, but also medium-term effects on the agricultural sector – due to the death of livestock – and on the economy as a whole. The crisis – and therefore, the total number of people affected – is expected to reach its peak at the end of 2015/beginning of 2016, when 15 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance.

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The consequences of El Nino compound the consequences of other humanitarian crises the country is confronted with: in particular, a significant increase of refugees from South Sudan, adding on to a large refugee population from Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan and Sudan already in the country for many years. According to UNHCR, Ethiopia is now the largest refugee-hosting nation of the continent with over 700 000 refugees in need for assistance. Approximately 440 000 are internally displaced, the majority of them being protracted cases mainly caused by inter-clan/cross-border conflicts, flooding and fire, but also new cases caused by the current food security crisis. Partners on the ground are prepared to increase capacities and temporarily re-orient resilience activities towards emergency assistance. A so-called "rapid response capacity mechanism" for Ethiopia, consisting of partners with high flexibility and full coverage of the most affected regions, will continue to be reinforced in order to improve the coverage and the timeliness of support to affected populations in emergency situations. The refugee caseloads will continue to receive life-saving assistance including potential opening of new camps, relocation of refugees to other sites and assistance to host community if the situation requires.

Kenya

In 2015, recurrent food and nutrition crises continue to cause high levels of vulnerability of the population. Some 1.1 million people are food insecure with the majority (70%) being the populations in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. Internal displacements linked to insecurity and consequent limited access to basic services were experienced in these same areas thus reinforcing peoples' vulnerabilities. In the arid lands, in 2016, ECHO will support emergency response, nutrition and resilience building and will encourage proper information sharing among INGOs on areas under tight security constraints. In the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps, more than 575 000 people, mainly from Somalia and South Sudan, live in extremely precarious conditions. The influx of refugees from South Sudan to Kakuma Camp since December 2013 has put more pressure on the level of assistance to the refugees and the host communities. ECHO will continue in 2016 to address the most pressing needs of the refugees and the host communities, including protection while looking at durable solutions in the case of protracted refugee situations. A close attention will be given to the response to the influx of South Sudanese to Kenya and the opening of a new camp in Kakuma and to the approach of the Kenyan Authorities on the question of Somali refugees and their possible repatriation to Somalia.

Djibouti

In 2016, ECHO will focus its support on the situation of the Somali Refugees in the Ali Addeh and Hol Hol camps through food assistance and WASH activities while ensuring basic care and maintenance for the newly arrived refugees from Yemen in 2015.

Uganda

ECHO will continue in 2016 to focus its support to the 420 000 refugees present in Uganda, in particular the newly arrived from DRC and South Sudan and if need be the recent influx of Burundians.

Eritrea

ECHO is currently not supporting any humanitarian assistance in Eritrea. Due to limited access and humanitarian space in Eritrea, providing direct humanitarian assistance remains a

25 challenge in this country. ECHO will continue to monitor the situation and be prepared to fund operations if needed provided there are possibilities for independent needs assessments and monitoring of humanitarian projects and additional funding is available.

3.3.5 Southern Africa and Indian Ocean

The Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region is extremely vulnerable to recurrent weather hazards, namely tropical cyclones, floods and droughts. In 2016, ECHO will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation, in particular the grim food security prospects in many countries of the region, and intervene whenever necessary using emergency funding.

ECHO will launch in 2016 a new phase of a Disaster Risk Reduction programme (DIPECHO), focusing on Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique. DIPECHO funding will support community-based approaches aiming to enhance the resilience of the hazards- exposed communities. To the extent possible, the Disaster Risk Reduction / Disaster Risk Management interventions will be implemented in close collaboration and with the involvement of national counterparts and local authorities, seeking durable solutions and benefits for vulnerable populations and in order to further strengthen national and local capacities for resilience.

3.3.6 West Africa

The recurrent food and nutrition crises in recent years have seriously reduced the resilience of the most vulnerable populations in the Sahel and, hence, their capacity to absorb shocks. The number of malnourished children and food insecure people remains at a permanently high level. With 1.5 million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition, the Sahel still has the highest malnutrition caseload in the world. On top of protracted food insecurity, undernutrition and epidemics, the conflicts in the Lake Chad Basin (linked to Boko Haram) and in Northern Mali have forcibly displaced more than 2.8 million people and severely impacted on households' livelihoods by disrupting local economies.

A possible El Niño phenomenon increases the risk of food and nutrition insecurity of already particularly vulnerable populations. Political instability and epidemics are aggravating factors, with the Mali, Nigeria and Ebola crises disrupting availability of both staple goods and casual work opportunities throughout the region. In 2016, it is unlikely that the caseload of undernourished children decreases significantly as sustainable prevention interventions are only implemented on a small-scale basis. With resilience programmes still having to be fully implemented in the region, humanitarian actors will need to remain mobilised in 2016.

ECHO will continue to focus on three priority areas of intervention: sustainable reduction and prevention of undernutrition-related mortality; protection of and basic services to populations affected by conflicts, in particular in high displacement areas; Disaster Risk Reduction and preparedness; and emergency response to epidemics (including the Ebola virus) and natural disasters. The two-pronged approach of treatment and prevention of undernutrition will be maintained so as to contribute to reducing the mortality of children under five as well as building resilience to food and nutrition crises. Apart from direct action to help those most in need, ECHO will continue to encourage high-level attention on the urgent need to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable populations in the Sahel, through the AGIR Sahel initiative launched by the EU in 2012.

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Interventions in the Sahel region will cover Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger and Nigeria, as well as the Sahelian belt of Chad and Cameroon as described above. However, there is also potential for interventions in response to new disasters in other coastal West African countries20, particularly in view of their persistent needs related to preparedness for epidemics and natural disasters.

Ivory Coast

In Ivory Coast, 2016 will be the last year of implementation of the LRRD initiative which started after the post-electoral crisis in 2011 and has continued since 2014 mainly through External Assigned Revenues provided by Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The overall objective is to ensure a proper transition from humanitarian aid to public funding of the health sector.

Mali

An Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation was signed by the parties to the conflict in June 2015, which was an important step forward in the process of rebuilding mutual trust and confidence. However, the implementation of the Agreement is slow and - until now - has not brought lasting peace and stability in Northern Mali. A number of security incidents in the Northern regions continue to have a negative impact on the presence of government services, MINUSMA and humanitarian access. Due to the resulting great difficulties, access to basic services in these regions cannot be restored. Therefore, almost 2 million people, including 136 000 refugees who cannot return to Mali and 79 000 IDPs, are entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance. At the same time, food and nutrition insecurity seriously affects populations across the country. Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates remain above the emergency threshold of 10%. An estimated 715 000 children under five face acute malnutrition in 2015.

In 2016, humanitarian assistance will continue to focus on reducing acute malnutrition rates, strengthening food and nutrition security and building the resilience of most of vulnerable populations, ensuring LRRD where possible. At the same time, it will continue to support the provision of food assistance and basic services to the local and displaced population in Northern Mali. In addition, ECHO plans to strengthen humanitarian access to the Northern regions, notably through the development of ECHO Flight, and to address the needs of refugees in neighbouring countries.

Nigeria

While a relatively rich country, Nigeria is facing considerable humanitarian challenges. A large part of the population has no access to essential goods or services. Twenty-five million people are affected by conflict and 6.2 million people require rapid multi-sectorial assistance in terms of food assistance, nutrition, health and protection. The country has the highest number of malnourished children in Africa - 1.7 million children suffering from acute malnutrition - mostly in the 11 most Northern states. An estimated 756 000 children under five die every year from undernutrition and related causes.

The country is regularly affected by epidemics linked to poor health care coverage and lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Furthermore, populations living in the Benue and Niger River basins are regularly affected by floods.

20 Benin, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea Sierra Leone and Togo

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In 2015, there was a massive increase in the number of internally displaced persons in the North-Eastern parts, due to the continued Boko Haram insurgency. The latest Displacement Tracking Matrix exercise confirmed that 2.1 million people are internally displaced and over 170 000 have sought refuge in neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

In 2016, the main focus of the humanitarian action will be on providing assistance to the internally displaced people through food assistance, shelter, water and sanitation, basic health and protection support. In addition, focus will be on improving the management of acute malnutrition and associated diseases in order to reduce mortality of vulnerable children under five. Furthermore, ECHO's actions will reinforce DRR and emergency response to prevent high mortality rates in case of floods or epidemics while building the most vulnerable populations' resilience where possible.

3.3.7 EU Trust Fund

On 9 September 2015, President Juncker announced the European Commission's proposal to create an EU Trust Fund (EUTF) to contribute to tackle the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement in Africa, with a financial allocation of at least EUR 1.8 billion to support the countries of origin and transit of today's irregular migrants, displaced persons and refugees. The Fund will in particular focus on the crises in the Sahel and the Lake Chad area, the Horn of Africa and North Africa.

ECHO has agreed to support the resilience-related activities of the EUTF. Complementarity and coordination between humanitarian and longer-term interventions financed by the EUTF will be sought, in particular related to joint resilience and LRRD (Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development) initiatives in West Africa (including AGIR) and the Horn of Africa (SHARE).

The above humanitarian aid operations implemented in Africa will be funded by ECHO as contributions to furthering the objectives set out in the WWD.

3.4 European Neighbourhood

Western Balkans, Eastern Neighbourhood and Central Asia,

The Western Balkans, and in particular Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, are confronted with an unprecedented massive influx of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants mainly fleeing from conflict in the Middle East, in particular from Syria and Iraq. The refugees are transiting mainly through Greece and onwards to Hungary or Croatia, with more than 120 000 registered asylum seekers in Serbia in 2015. The local capacities in both Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to cope with the crisis are overstretched and no longer capable of meeting the basic needs. Unless those local capacities are promptly reinforced, urgent humanitarian needs, including protection needs, will remain unaddressed, leading to intolerable suffering and possible loss of life.

In 2016, ECHO will provide the most vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants transiting through the Western Balkans with multi sector short-term humanitarian support. The humanitarian needs identified are linked to the protection concerns most of the beneficiaries are facing and their poor living conditions while transiting through the region. ECHO will also respond to the main needs in terms of primary health care services and non- food items to improve the hygiene and sanitary conditions with particular attention to the needs of women and children. Assistance will also be provided in the areas of water, food, shelter, psycho-social support and restoring family links.

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Ukraine

The conflict in Ukraine has had significant humanitarian consequences and led to substantial displacement both within Ukraine and to neighbouring countries. Over 5.2 million people are affected by the conflict. The number of IDPs, which has more than doubled since January 2015, amounts to over 1.4 million while the number of refugees increased significantly to 1.1 million from 600 000 in January 2015. Out of the 5.2 million people living in the conflict area, around 3.2 million are considered to be in need of humanitarian assistance.

The security situation in eastern Ukraine remains unstable. Ceasefire violations have continued since the Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements was signed on 12 February 2015. They lead to further displacement from conflict-affected areas be it to other parts of the country or to neighbouring countries. Due to the upcoming winter, winterized shelter and access to basic needs and services are of urgent concern for IDPs from eastern Ukraine and also for vulnerable populations living in conflict-affected areas on both sides of the contact line.

Furthermore, the supply of basic services (water, power, energy supply etc.) to the population in conflict-affected areas is often disrupted. Given the fluidity of the conflict, it is expected that the humanitarian situation will remain unchanged or even further deteriorate.

Access to people in need in non-government controlled areas in eastern Ukraine is limited or often excluded. ECHO will continue to advocate for improved humanitarian access to the crisis affected populations and will focus its intervention on helping the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. As a matter of priority, focus will be on the populations in disputed areas (‘buffer zone’), both under Government and Separatists’ control, directly affected by the fighting, and the additional resident populations in areas under the control of separatists (outside of the ‘buffer zone’).

ECHO will continue to provide funding in the sectors of protection, food, shelter, health/psycho-social services and WASH. In Ukraine, ECHO promotes the use of multi- purpose cash assistance considered as one of the most effective mean bearing in mind that most commodities are still available on the local markets and that this approach would stimulate the local market.

Both Central Asia and South Caucasus (CASC) are highly exposed to natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, floods, mudflows, droughts, avalanches and extreme temperatures. Natural hazards, combined with the high vulnerability of the population and inadequate local capacities render DRR an important component of ECHO's intervention in the region. In some cases, ECHO remains the only donor supporting DRR activities.

Under the 2016 action plan, DRR interventions will be mainly concentrated in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, considering factors as vulnerability in terms of risks of natural disasters measured, existing response capacity and the impact and added value of DRR interventions. Meanwhile, a gradual phasing-out is foreseen for ECHO funded DRR interventions in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The 2016 action plan seeks to consolidate the results achieved through DIPECHO's previous cycles in order to reduce the vulnerability and contribute to resilience building and a culture of safety of the communities and institutions. The activities will focus on interventions in the area of DRR and on increasing the awareness, preparedness and response capacities and general resilience to natural disasters, at community, national and regional levels.

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The above humanitarian aid operations implemented in the European Neighbourhood will be funded by ECHO as contributions to furthering the objectives set out in the WWD.

3.5 Asia and the Pacific

3.5.1 South West Asia

Afghanistan Over three decades of conflict has caused widespread destruction to the social and economic fabric of the country, eroding the resilience of the population and has resulted in a protracted IDP and refugee crisis which is compounded by recurrent natural disasters. The protracted and fragmented nature of the conflict, the blurring of lines between humanitarian aid and military actors, insecurity, weak and corrupt government agencies, the remoteness of vulnerable communities and poor accessibility all combine to pose significant challenges to the provision of principled humanitarian aid. In order to support humanitarian actors overcome these challenges, ECHO supports coordination, safety and security and air services as a pre-requisite for humanitarian aid delivery. As the conflict steadily expands, the number of IDPs has increased to over 950 000 and civilian casualties are rising each year. The number of civilian casualties in 2015 is on target to surpass 2014 and become the highest on record since 2002. ECHO supports life-saving multi-sector interventions to conflict-affected populations, as well as healthcare provision in areas not otherwise covered. The protracted conflict has also resulted in 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan. It is estimated that there is an equal number of undocumented refugees without refugee status and associated protection. At the same time, the increasing intensity of conflict in Pakistan has resulted in over 200 000 Pakistani refugees entering Afghanistan. ECHO supports multi-sector assistance to these populations. Following the departure of the majority of the international military presence at the end of 2014, intensive ground combat has become increasingly prevalent with a significant impact for the local civilian population. The increase in the number of people affected and/or displaced by the conflict, a reduction in access to life-saving services, and a reduction in resources to tackle these issues have resulted in a very high increase in humanitarian needs. Afghanistan is also regularly affected by natural disasters, predominantly floods and drought, affecting on average over 400 000 people each year. It is important to maintain life- saving multi-sector support to these populations, while engaging in disaster preparedness. ECHO, notably through the office in Kabul, will continue to play a leading role within the humanitarian community. Close coordination with EU Member States and other donors to support durable solutions to this protracted crisis will also be pursued.

Pakistan

The combined effects of man-made and natural disasters (floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides) in Pakistan as well as economic and political fragility have led to the depletion of the resilience of millions of people over the last decade. Humanitarian assistance for disaster and conflict affected communities continues to be needed. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 15.1% in Pakistan is classified as critical according to the WHO emergency threshold and represents one of the highest world-wide. Nutritional vulnerabilities remain critical in Sindh and the conflict affected regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Baluchistan. ECHO is working with nutrition partners in the disaster-prone province of

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Sindh where alarmingly high nutritional and food insecurity trends persist. In rural Sindh, GAM rates of over 18.3% are common, with spikes to over 22.7% in districts systematically affected by floods and drought, and with high concentrations of marginalised and disadvantaged communities. Vaccine preventable illnesses continue to cause significant impact with cases of polio and measles still prevalent. Pakistan is one of the three countries in the world where the polio virus is endemic. Since 2008, Pakistan’s north-western areas of KP and FATA have experienced major population displacements as a result of insecurity, insurgency and military operations against armed non-state actors. Over 1.5 million people are displaced due to conflict and insecurity. Up to 98% of the IDPs seek refuge in host communities, with only 2% opting to live in camps. The protracted nature of displacement has not only put significant strain on scarce resources within the host communities but has likewise adversely impacted the resilience of displaced populations. Pakistan continues to host over 1.6 million registered and an estimated 1.2 million unregistered Afghan refugees who also continue to require international assistance and protection. Pakistan has not acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and the Proof of Registration cards – the only guarantee of Afghan citizens’ legal right to stay in Pakistan - will expire at the end of 2015. The precarious status of Afghan refugees is a key concern. ECHO will continue providing humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable. Ensuring neutral, impartial and independent action, in line with humanitarian principles, continues to be an important priority. In addition, a sustained, holistic, and multi-sectoral approach to address the issue of food insecurity and undernutrition continues to be required in certain parts of the country.

3.5.2 South Asia

South Asia is among the most disaster-affected regions in the world in terms of scale, recurrence and severity of disasters. In 2016, apart from ECHO's continued response to natural and man-made disasters in Bangladesh and Nepal, a potential response may be required to new disasters in Sri Lanka in view of the high exposure and vulnerability to disasters of the country. ECHO provided DRR support in 2015 and will continue this support in 2016 in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. ECHO's interventions in South Asia aim to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable communities in disaster-prone areas and build the capacity of institutions involved in DRR, while promoting the replication of DRR models which have proved to be effective and sustainable. South Asian countries are increasingly taking concrete action to improve preparedness and reduce risks, developing legal frameworks that address DRR and setting up national DRR Platforms, in accordance with their commitments to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015 and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Bangladesh

ECHO will continue to deliver basic life-saving humanitarian aid to the unregistered Rohingya population. This crisis has been included in ECHO's list of forgotten crisis for several years. This encompasses the treatment of acute malnutrition and the provision of basic health and water services in and around the informal camps and includes the most vulnerable populations living in the surrounding area, to the extent that access is granted. There is a clear need to also address shelter rehabilitation and protection activities, despite important access challenges. In parallel, discussions will continue with key stakeholders to promote a durable political solution to this protracted crisis.

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With Bangladesh being an EU resilience flagship country, European Commission services (ECHO and DEVCO) are working closely together to establish a roadmap towards resilience in Bangladesh. This roadmap will reinforce the linkage between relief, rehabilitation and development in two regions (south-west water-logged areas and Chittagong Hills Tracts) and focus on food and nutrition security, using the Joint Humanitarian Development Framework. In this vein, ECHO will continue to provide food assistance and livelihood diversification support to one of the most food insecure groups in the country, i.e. the ethnic minorities living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts which is also considered a forgotten crisis. The region is still hit by sporadic political violence. Continued support is also foreseen for the rehabilitation and recovery of the victims of water-logging in Khulna division. When there are important unmet emergency needs, ECHO will also continue to support the humanitarian response to recurrent natural disasters. This will be particularly relevant in disasters that attract little international attention, in remote and most vulnerable locations and in case of disasters with a geographically limited impact. Nepal Less than a year after the twin destructive earthquakes killing more than 9 000 people and leaving over 600 000 families homeless, the affected population in the central region of Nepal is hardly recovering. Transition from emergency to reconstruction is lengthy due to the scale of devastation and the Government of Nepal delays in starting the reconstruction process. The prolonged transition period coupled with the remaining emergency needs for displaced population and population in remote, hard to reach areas will require continuous humanitarian support. Therefore ECHO will continue to address the needs of the most vulnerable people within the most affected areas. Focus will be on strengthening resilience through a strict application of Build Back Better principles. Provision of basic humanitarian assistance will be ensured in all displacement sites until permanent resettlement is secured. Remaining gaps in humanitarian response and new arising humanitarian issues due to landslides and adverse weather conditions will be identified and immediately addressed. Based on lessons learnt, the local authorities, partners and communities will be supported in enhancing their emergency response capacity as well as their disaster preparedness.

3.5.3 South East Asia and the Pacific

With regards to the response to natural and man-made disasters, the focus in 2016 will be on Myanmar/Burma and Thailand. However, there is also potential for interventions in response to new disasters in Cambodia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Vanuatu and Vietnam. These countries are included because of their high exposure and vulnerability to disasters.

In terms of Disaster Risk Reduction and resilience, the focus will be on specific actions in Cambodia, DPRK, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, as well as regional initiatives in South East Asia. Priority will be on consolidating achievements made during previous DIPECHO programmes and supporting regional actions with a thematic focus (e.g. urban risk reduction, international DRR campaigns), benefitting vulnerable populations. Initiatives may also be supported aiming to enhance the capacity of regional organisations to provide practical, technical and other support to countries on how to best integrate DRR.

Myanmar/Burma, Thailand Renewed fighting in several ethnic states has dampened hopes that a nationwide ceasefire agreement could be signed before the 8 November 2015 election. In Rakhine State, the

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Government has organised limited returns and/or resettlement of some 10 000 people, while 130 000 remain displaced after inter-communal violence between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslims (mostly Rohingya) in 2012. The humanitarian consequences of continued human rights violations for the more than 800 000 stateless Rohingya in the northern townships keep worsening. The 2015 citizenship verification exercise has led to the exclusion of the Rohingya from the 8 November election and caused further abuse, pushing many onto risky migration routes via the Andaman Sea, as revealed by the "boat people" crisis of May-June 2015. In Kachin State, the conflict has displaced 100 000 people. Acute needs remain unaddressed, notably for the 53 000 IDPs in areas outside government control. Restricted access to the civilian population is still a major challenge for the relief response. The 2015 monsoon season was particularly severe in July and August, with exceptional floods devastating large parts of the country, leading to the displacement of 1.7 million people and destroying agricultural land, houses and infrastructure.

In 2016, ECHO will continue to address the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by violence and conflict in a holistic manner. The impact of the floods, in particular on food security and nutrition, will also be considered. Focus will be on Rakhine and Kachin States and on the worst flood affected regions. Information management and coordination may also be considered, while protection, DRR, attention to specific vulnerabilities and gender/age issues will be mainstreamed. Support for the repatriation of refugees from camps in Thailand and resettlement of IDPs within Myanmar/Burma will be envisaged, in coordination with development actors, if the situation is conducive for safe and voluntary return. In the meantime, assistance to the refugee camps in Thailand will continue, although at a reduced level as the camp population is decreasing.

3.6.1 Central and South America

Central and South America and the Caribbean is one of the world's most disaster prone areas. It is also a region where there is a long-standing internal conflict (Colombia), although peace negotiations are ongoing, as well as organized criminal violence that causes forced displacement. Moreover, the region continues to have the highest rates of inequality and violence worldwide, with macro-economic indicators masking the real socio-economic situation and vulnerability of the majority of the population. Rapid urbanization is also increasing vulnerability.

South America

Based on the achievements of previous interventions, ECHO's disaster preparedness and DRR activities in 2016 aim at further strengthening replication of the best practices developed at community level for ownership and institutionalization by the authorities. To this end, close coordination with national and local institutions will be maintained. The focus will be on country-specific initiatives. Furthermore, targeted actions will be ensured to increase preparedness of the most vulnerable to less recurrent disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods) as well as imminent threats such as the El Niño phenomenon, coordinating closely with institutions and development actors. Given the high exposure and vulnerability to natural disasters in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, a response is under evaluation to uncovered humanitarian needs in case of new disasters in these countries.

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Colombia

Despite ongoing peace negotiations with the main guerrilla group (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC), the long-lasting armed conflict continues to cause a major humanitarian crisis. More than 6 million people have been displaced and each year up to 150 000 people are forced to leave their homes, with many fleeing to Ecuador and Venezuela. In this forgotten crisis, humanitarian assistance remains vital in areas most affected by the conflict, especially where access is limited. ECHO's emergency assistance, including protection activities, will focus mainly on the unmet needs of most vulnerable affected populations. Support will be provided to recently displaced populations and rural communities facing restrictions on movement and/or access to basic goods and services. Particular attention will be paid to most vulnerable groups, i.e. female-headed households, children, the elderly, indigenous and Afro-Colombians. In Ecuador and Venezuela, ECHO will provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Colombians in need of international protection and to recognized refugees, by supporting access to Refugee Status Determination procedures as well as access to health and education. ECHO will also aim to link humanitarian initiatives with peace-building programmes in conflict affected areas.

Central America ECHO will support preparedness actions and contribute to building the resilience of populations most affected by successive shocks and vulnerable to external threats. Successive events over the last years including droughts and coffee rust have seriously deteriorated the food security of small-scale producers, day labourers and their families. By August 2015, the lack of rains during the main agricultural season further deteriorated the situation, with 1.6 million people estimated to be food insecure (moderate and severe). The impact of El Niño is likely to be felt at least until the first quarter of 2016, which would compromise the agricultural season for the whole year. Phasing out of existing responses could further aggravate the situation. The impact of local armed groups in Central America and Mexico means that national authorities are unable to provide security, or regulate access to basic services. Severe humanitarian needs resulting from extreme violence have been documented.

3.6.2 Caribbean

ECHO will continue its support to Disaster Risk Reduction and preparedness, and the strengthening of resilience, building on the achievements of previous interventions. Cooperation will continue with disaster management institutions at local, national and regional level to further promote institutionalization and sharing of best practices. Apart from country-specific and regional thematic initiatives, targeted support for DRR and resilience is envisaged in Haiti. Furthermore, in the case of new disasters in Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in view of the vulnerability and exposure of these countries, a potential response may be envisaged if significant humanitarian gaps are identified.

Haiti Six years after the 2010 earthquake and over five years after the beginning of the cholera outbreak, significant progress has been made to address the acute humanitarian needs. However, the 60 000 people remaining in camps are living in dire conditions and extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, diseases and violence, in particular forced evictions. Drought is impacting the food security and nutrition of the most vulnerable. An estimated 300 000 to 560 000 people are currently in food crisis in 38 municipalities across the country. Prospects

34 for the coming months are worrying, partly due to potential El Niño impact; Fewsnet estimates that the number of food insecure people could reach between 1 and 2.49 million by January 2016 if food assistance is not provided. Cholera continues to affect the country with nearly 21 000 suspected cases between January and July 2015. Rapid response to outbreak remains a high priority. Deportation of people of Haitian descent, born and living in Dominican Republic, could result in urgent humanitarian needs that would need to be addressed.

ECHO will support efforts to find adequate and durable solutions for the remaining displaced population, fight cholera through adequate health and water and sanitation services, and strengthen the livelihoods of the most vulnerable and food insecure households, integrating a protection-sensitive approach. Humanitarian assistance to victims of natural disasters may also be provided when there are significant unmet emergency needs.

In line with the EU approach to resilience, and in view of the high vulnerability of the population to shocks, ECHO will continue to reinforce the link between relief, rehabilitation and development as well as strategic coordination among humanitarian and development actors. Humanitarian interventions integrating a resilience approach will target pockets of high vulnerability in close synergy with longer-term development programmes. To that effect, a Joint Humanitarian Development Framework (JHDF) exercise is being rolled out.

The above humanitarian aid operations implemented in Asia and the Pacific will be funded by ECHO as contributions to furthering the objectives set out in the WWD.

3.7 Worldwide intervention

Humanitarian aid operations to be financed by ECHO under the worldwide intervention aims to provide humanitarian assistance for education in emergencies, response and disaster preparedness to populations affected by disasters, where a small scale response is adequate, including through the IFRC DREF, and to populations affected by epidemic outbreaks. Worldwide intervention also refers to transport activities through the ECHO Flight service

3.7.1 The EU Children of Peace

As stipulated in the WWD, in 2016, ECHO aims to reinforce its support to children affected by conflict, specifically through education in emergencies.

Children affected by conflict are a particularly vulnerable group. An estimated 230 million children live in conflict-affected areas and over half of the world's refugees are below 18 years old. It is estimated that around 34 million children affected by conflict are currently out of school. The impact of conflicts on these children is often long lasting and can lead, in the context of protracted crises, to situations where the lack of proper education is conducive to perpetuating violence, as these children replicate as adults the violent patterns that they experienced in their childhood. Therefore, ECHO will provide support for children affected by conflict in particular through i) the EU Children of Peace Initiative, which was launched after awarding the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the EU ii) the mainstreaming of education in humanitarian aid interventions. Humanitarian assistance can reduce the vulnerability of children in conflict areas. For these children, education can be lifesaving, as it can give them a sense of normalcy, safety, teach them important life skills and restore the hope for a better life. Education is vital for economic growth, peace and the stability of countries. It is also often identified as a primary priority by affected communities themselves. Investing in education is an investment for the future and the reconciliation of war-torn societies,

35 preventing children, especially in protracted conflict-contexts, to become a lost generation. ECHO intends to scale-up its support towards education in emergencies dedicating up to 4% of the humanitarian aid budget to education in emergencies in 2016.

3.7.2 Small Scale response to disasters

While relatively limited numbers of people may be involved, small-scale disasters still have a serious negative impact on the lives and livelihoods of those affected. They often occur in remote or isolated areas and rarely attract international attention. In addition, in the context of larger disasters, even in countries with relatively developed disaster management capacity, there are sometimes gaps in the national response, i.e. needs that are not covered due to social inequality, physical isolation, and under-reporting of events or inadequate local capacity. The objective of the Small Scale Response tool is to provide rapid relief assistance to victims of natural or man-made disasters where a small-scale response is sufficient to cover unmet needs and enhance preparedness. Where appropriate, actions funded also aim at enhancing the most vulnerable populations' resilience and strengthening the capacity of local communities and authorities to respond to disasters.

3.7.3 Support to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF)

Most small-scale emergencies are responded to at local or national level. Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies, supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC), are often best placed to provide an immediate response, being rooted in the local community and mobilising community members as volunteers. ECHO will continue to support the IFRC's DREF through earmarked contributions. Funding is provided for relief activities as well as preparedness for imminent disasters, in the context of small-scale emergencies for which an appeal is unlikely to be launched.

3.7.4 Epidemics

Epidemics pose great risks to the health, lives and livelihoods of vulnerable people in developing countries. Communicable diseases that have appeared or reappeared in recent years have demonstrated their epidemic potential and their capacity to significantly exceed national resources and boundaries, causing major - even regional – emergencies. The burden of endemic and epidemic-prone diseases tends to increase in view of more complex emergencies related to natural disasters, climate change, and conflict. Such crises result in increased vulnerability to infectious diseases alongside reduced capacity of countries to respond to public health risks, especially if existing health systems were already poorly resourced. Vaccination coverage in developing countries is generally low and, thus, the risk of transmitting infection is increased. To reduce morbidity and mortality in disease outbreaks, early and effective action is required. Preparedness and response capacity are intimately linked as an effective response is only possible with an appropriate degree of preparedness.

The implementation of the above three worldwide interventions will contribute to the fulfilment of the objective stipulated in the WWD of providing humanitarian assistance for response and disaster preparedness to populations affected by disasters where a small scale response is adequate and to populations affected by epidemic outbreaks.

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3.7.5 ECHO Flight

As stipulated in the WWD, in 2016, ECHO aims to improve the conditions for delivering humanitarian aid by supporting transport services to ensure that aid is accessible to beneficiaries.

ECHO Flight is a vital service for most humanitarian partner organisations operating in some regions of Africa, as it would simply not be possible to implement many humanitarian projects without this service. ECHO Flight aims to open up humanitarian access by providing a dedicated, efficient, safe and cost-effective humanitarian air transport services to remote locations that would otherwise be cut off from the rest of the world. ECHO Flight facilitates partners' humanitarian response and improves the quality of humanitarian operations by allowing more frequent monitoring and evaluation missions. Field staff productivity is increased because rotations can be organised to enable staff to rest and recuperate on a regular basis. Moreover, the capacity to carry out emergency evacuations by air is for many organisations a prerequisite for the continued implementation of their projects. ECHO Flight directly supports between 300 and 350 projects in the DRC, Kenya and Mali. In addition, ECHO Flight Kenya travels close to the Somali and Ethiopian border, which allows humanitarian aid workers to access these two countries. ECHO Flight transports close to 2 000 passengers and 30 tonnes of cargo per month

3.8 Complementary and thematic activities

Additional humanitarian aid operations, to be financed by ECHO, designed to improve the delivery of aid through complementary and thematic activities, aim at increasing effectiveness, efficiency, quality, timeliness and visibility of humanitarian actions and transport. The activities to be financed under the other sub-objectives can be more specifically set out as follows:

3.8.1 Enhanced Response Capacity (ERC)

As stipulated in the WWD, in 2016, ECHO aims to strengthen the global humanitarian preparedness and response capacity of humanitarian partners by increasing the effectiveness and reinforcing the capacity of international humanitarian organisations and non- governmental organisations to assess, analyse, prepare and respond to humanitarian crises.

The capacity of humanitarian actors to respond to the ever growing needs has been stretched to the limit. This is not just a question of resources, but also tools, coordination and preparedness. This became obvious in particular during the Ebola crisis. All options to increase humanitarian capacity to deliver efficient and effective aid to people in need have to be explored. With the ERC, ECHO has a unique tool to support global, and system relevant, capacity building initiatives which ultimately will benefit geographical operations. ERC will support inclusive capacity building initiatives presented by humanitarian actors or group of humanitarian actors (International Organisations or FPA partners as far as possible in consortia or coordination agreement) to ensure the broadest coverage of a given sector or subject.

Some progress has been made, namely in terms of coordination within sectors through the cluster approach which has in the past been strongly supported by ECHO. Now it is for the Cluster Lead Agencies to scale up the capacity of the global cluster core function and to ensure normal surge capacity. More needs to be done to ensure better coordination on country level is effective immediately in sudden onset crisis as well as throughout protracted

37 crisis. For ECHO, it is vital to include non-traditional actors in humanitarian action and strengthen the capacity of local humanitarian organizations that are often best placed to respond swiftly in a context sensitive and sustainable manner. Given the growing disregard of IHL and the shrinking protective space, ECHO will also look into related capacity gaps for instance in ensuring the security of humanitarian workers for them to deliver.

In addition, ECHO seeks to promote innovative ways of working and new approaches that will enable a more efficient humanitarian response to counter the evolving nature and increasing scale of humanitarian needs. While some innovative approaches in humanitarian aid have been identified and developed by a number of traditional and non-traditional actors, more needs to be done to carefully and ethically test these approaches in practice, disseminate and generate evidence and, if proven effective, roll-out and mainstream in the humanitarian community's work.

For 2016-17, capacity building will thus focus on the humanitarian system, governance and coordination, as well as innovative approaches in a number of priority areas such as education in emergencies, gender based violence, disaster risk management, and urban settings.

3.8.2 Visibility, information and communication

As stipulated in the WWD, in 2016, ECHO aims to increase awareness, understanding and support on the part of Union citizens for humanitarian aid issues and the role which the European Union plays in the field, by organising high impact communication actions designed to enhance awareness, knowledge, understanding and support for humanitarian issues and to highlight the partnership between the Commission and its partners in delivering relief assistance to people affected by humanitarian crises. Communication actions in 2016 will also contribute, where appropriate, to the corporate communication of the Commission, and in particular to the corporate theme dealing with the EU's role in the world (currently "EU as a global actor").

The European Union is one of the world's leading humanitarian aid donors and plays an important role in shaping the global humanitarian landscape. Providing transparent and accountable information about the impact of EU humanitarian aid and disaster response and the underlying values to stakeholders in the wider sense is crucial to underpinning and mobilising continued support and relief assistance. Joint communication actions with the European Commission's humanitarian partners are integral to this approach. Operational activities funded by the European Commission will thus fully integrate this imperative.

Communicating about the EU's response to major ongoing and sudden onset crises remains at the core of the communication plan together with awareness-raising about IHL, humanitarian principles, protection of humanitarian space and forgotten crises. Particular emphasis will be put on the themes of education in emergencies and modernisation of humanitarian aid – and regarding the following groups of beneficiaries: children, women within the context of gender-based violence, and specific types of displaced persons. Moreover, considerable communication support will be required by a number of large-scale international events, most prominently the World Humanitarian Summit 2016. The measures relate to public information and awareness actions in accordance with the Humanitarian Aid Regulation and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.

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3.8.3 Training initiative NOHA

As stipulated in the WWD, in 2016, ECHO will continue to provide high quality European education and professional qualifications on humanitarian action that impact on humanitarian aid policy and practice.

The Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA) is the first network of 12 universities at European level which provides education (teaching and research) and training in humanitarian action. It has maintained a strong relationship with ECHO since its inception in 1993. NOHA produces 175 Masters Graduates each year and is planning to increase this number further by expanding its geographical coverage eastward.

Over the years, ECHO has increasingly shifted the focus of the network to the provision of other educational products which add value to the humanitarian aid environment. In a parallel development, the EU has established a vision of its humanitarian agenda and priorities which came into focus in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.

Member States and the partners of ECHO agreed that the promotion of training activities should be part of an overall approach to reinforce global aid. Moreover, the Action Plan of the Consensus commits the European Union to the reinforcement of EU training provision for humanitarian professionals and other actors linked to the humanitarian response […], to contribute to an improved […] response to humanitarian crises and to achieve improved accountability to aid recipients. ECHO is committed to the implementation of those principles which underpin the vision of the European Union.

ECHO's relationship with NOHA was modified to reflect this evolution of the EU humanitarian agenda. Where NOHA was once viewed as a source of postgraduate students, the Network is increasingly functioning as an educational platform which feeds the humanitarian debate and policy formulation in the European Union, in particular in ECHO. In 2016, NOHA will, amongst other things, consolidate its global strategy in particular in South East-Asia and Latin America and will focus on issues of protection and linking relief, rehabilitation and development.

4. DELIVERY, COORDINATION AND CONTROL OF HUMANITARIAN AID

4.1 Ways and means of delivering aid

Experts in the field

ECHO manages the European Commission's humanitarian activities from its headquarters in Brussels via a network of more than 40 field offices all over the world. Following the post- tsunami action plan of 2005, the network has been consolidated with multi-sectoral rapid response teams, which enable field experts to be dispatched rapidly in response to new crises to carry out needs assessments and to help coordinate activities in the field. The network has been reinforced in response to the recent increase in the number of large-scale disasters, and cooperation with teams deployed via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been further enhanced to maximise complementarities.

Relations with partners

ECHO implements its humanitarian aid mandate by funding projects proposed by around 200 partners. They include European non-governmental organisations, United Nations

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Agencies, other international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Organisation for Migration, and specialised agencies from Member States.

Having a diverse range of partners is important, as it allows comprehensive coverage of an ever-growing list of needs in different parts of the world and in increasingly complex situations. Grants and contributions are decided on the basis of the best proposals covering the needs of those most vulnerable. Partner organisations make a commitment to highlight the origin of EU aid.

ECHO is also committed to improving the overall quality and coordination of the humanitarian system's response. ECHO supports capacity-building for its partners, whether international organisations or NGOs, to enable them to respond quickly and efficiently to emergencies.

4.2 Coordination and exchange of information

Various mechanisms are in place to ensure coordination and exchange of information on crisis response and humanitarian aid activities in general, including: − Exchange of information on overall strategies and on responses to specific crisis situations features regularly in the agendas of Council Working Group on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA), attended notably by Member States; − Crisis reports are shared with Member States. They contribute to the development of shared assessment and understanding on the situation on the ground and thus contribute to the overall coordination of the EU response; − Exchanges with partners both at headquarters and at the field take place regularly; − EDRIS (European Disaster Response Information System) collects data on ECHO and Member States' humanitarian aid activities; − At international level, ECHO continues to participate in well-established fora such as the Good Humanitarian Donorship and the ICRC Donor Support Groups; − Regular exchanges of views on the EU's response to crises take place in the European Parliament (in particular in the DEVE Committee); − Ad hoc crisis coordination meetings of the EU services, as is done for instance for the Ebola crisis, and broader inter-service meetings aimed at exchanging information (e.g. ARGUS meetings, Crisis Platform meetings organised by the EEAS).

4.3 Monitoring of use of funds

Correct implementation of EU-funded operations is ensured by several layers of checks and monitoring, at internal level and by external actors.

Controls performed by ECHO

The main aspects of the control environment developed by ECHO include supervision and monitoring procedures and ex-ante/ex-post controls.

− Strict selection and quality control mechanisms of partners under the Framework Partnership Agreement that the European Commission/ECHO, on behalf of the EU,

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signs with NGOs and international organisations21 defining the requirements for financial credentials and expertise of partners;

− Appraisal of project proposals and on the spot project monitoring through a network of ECHO field experts (technical assistants) worldwide;

− Regular field visits to projects by geographical desks, technical experts, external auditors ECHO managers;

− Obligation for partners to produce reports after the end of each operation to justify their expenses. A thorough analysis of these reports, with checks on eligible expenditure, are carried out by operational and financial desk officers at ECHO;

− Regular evaluations are undertaken, focusing on major country operations, partners and thematic issues. The results of these are posted on ECHO’s website;

− EU-funded humanitarian aid activities implemented by external parties (partners and contractors) are subject to financial and systems audits;

The monitoring mechanisms listed above should not be seen in isolation. Each one contributes to providing reasonable assurance on the legality of transactions and their general compliance with relevant rules and obligations.

Furthermore, within the European Commission, controls are carried out by the Internal Audit Service, whose mission is to give recommendations, opinions and advice with respect to internal control systems of European Commission's departments and EU autonomous bodies.

Additional controls

ECHO's operations and financial management are also subject to external controls. In this respect, they are further audited by the European Court of Auditors. The European Court of Auditors audits EU finances and, increasingly, the performance of its activities. Its observations and recommendations are published in the Courts' annual and special reports, which are transmitted to the European Parliament and the Council22.

Furthermore, specialised committees of the Budget Authority (European Parliament and Council) exercise control over financial management in European Commission services: in this context, the Budgetary Control Committee of the EP organises annual hearings with a number of Commissioners in the framework of the procedure for the discharge of European Commission's annual accounts.

21 Mainly IFRC, ICRC and IOM 22 The annual report is published on http://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/AuditReportsOpinions.aspx

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Annex I: Indicative budgetary allocations for 2016, in euros (subject to the adoption of the Worldwide Decision)

23 23.0201 Countries with proposed 23.0202 Countries with Humanitarian aid humanitarian aid Countries without REGIONS/COUNTRIES Disaster proposed DIPECHO and food interventions at the initial allocation Preparedness interventions assistance outset NORTH AFRICA, EUROPEAN NEIGHBOUROOD, 334 100 000 5 200 000 CENTRAL ASIA & MIDDLE EAST Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria crisis24 200 000 000 Egypt Turkey, Iraq crisis 50 000 000 Iraq Yemen 30 000 000 Yemen Palestine25 25 000 000 Palestine North Africa 12 000 000 Algeria, Libya Morocco, Tunisia Balkans 2 100 000 5 200 000 Ukraine 15 000 000 Ukraine SUDAN & SOUTH SUDAN, HORN of AFRICA, GREAT 208 300 000 7 200 000 LAKES, SOUTHERN AFRICA, INDIAN OCEAN Sudan and South Sudan 85 000 000 Sudan, South Sudan Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa 74 200 000 Eritrea 2 800 000 Kenya, Uganda

23 Actions financed under this budget article may include a DRR and/or education component 24 The Commission also intends to request an additional amount of EUR 150 000 000 in the course of 2016 from the Emergency Aid Reserve which will be distributed towards the HIPs of Syria, Irak and Balkans, so as to reach an overall package of EUR 400 000 000 in 2016. This is in line with its Communication on Managing the refugee crisis: immediate operational, budgetary and legal measures under the European Agenda on Migration (COM(2015) 490 final of 23.9.2015. 25 This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue

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23 23.0201 Countries with proposed 23.0202 Countries with Humanitarian aid humanitarian aid Countries without REGIONS/COUNTRIES Disaster proposed DIPECHO and food interventions at the initial allocation Preparedness interventions assistance outset Democratic Republic of Democratic Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea, 48 500 000 Congo, Republic of Congo, and Great Lakes region Gabon, Sao Tomé Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania Regional Malawi, Madagascar Malawi, Madagascar and Malawi, Madagascar 600 000 4 400 000 and Mozambique Mozambique and Mozambique WEST AND CENTRAL 200 912 848 AFRICA Chad, Cameroon and Central Chad, Cameroon, Central 26 61 800 000 African Republic African Republic Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, 27 Other coastal West West Africa 139 112 848 Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Africa countries Niger, Nigeria EU TRUST FUND 10 000 000 Sahel Region and the Lake Chad area: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal; Sahel and the Lake Chad, the for the Horn of Africa: Horn of Africa, and the North 10 000 000 Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, of Africa Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda; and for the North of Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and, Egypt

26 Including a contribution from DFID as external assigned revenue (EUR 10 300 000) 27 Including a contribution from DFID as external assigned revenue (EUR 57 957 848)

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SOUTH ASIA & PACIFIC 67 000 000 11 700 000 Afghanistan and South West Asia 45 000 000 Afghanistan / Iran, Pakistan Pakistan India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Asia 8 700 000 Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan 6 100 000 Maldives Nepal Cambodia, DPRK, Thailand, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, South East Asia and the DPRK, Lao PDR, Mongolia, 13 300 000 Papua New Guinea, 5 600 000 Myanmar, Pacific Myanmar, Philippines, Vanuatu Philippines, Vietnam Vietnam and regional, and regional CENTRAL & SOUTH 17 150 000 13 800 000 AMERICA, CARIBBEAN Cuba, Dominican Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Other Caribbean Republic, Haiti, Central America and Republic El Salvador, countries, Mexico, El Salvador, 9 700 000 10 100 000 Caribbean Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Costa Guatemala, Nicaragua and regional Rica Honduras, Nicaragua and regional Bolivia, Colombia, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, South America 7 450 000 Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela 3 700 000 Chile, Uruguay Peru, Venezuela and and regional regional WORLDWIDE 35 935 000 Worldwide: Disaster Relief Emergency Fund – DREF,

Emergency toolbox 7 500 000 Epidemics and Small Scale Response

ECHO Flight 13 435 000

The EU Children of Peace 15 000 000 COMPLEMENTARY 19 700 000 OPERATIONS Enhanced Response Capacity 15 000 000

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Public awareness, Information 4 000 000 and Communication

NOHA 700 000

TOTAL 893 097 848 37 900 000 GRAND TOTAL 930 997 848

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Annex II: Index for Risk Management – INFORM & Crisis Assessment (September 2015)

Human Human Natural Natural CAPACITY CAPACITY Institutional Institutional Vulnerability Infrastructure Infrastructure INFORM RISK RISK INFORM Socio-Economic Socio-Economic VULNERABILITY VULNERABILITY LACKCOPING OF Vulnerable Groups 28 COUNTRY ISO3 HAZARD & EXPOSURE (a-z) (a-z) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) (0-10) Somalia SOM 5.6 10.0 8.6 7.1 8.8 8.1 9.3 9.2 9.2 8.6 Central African Republic CAF 1.1 10.0 7.8 8.0 8.2 8.1 8.1 9.1 8.7 8.2 South Sudan SSD 2.9 9.0 7.0 7.6 8.6 8.1 8.2 9.4 8.9 8.0 Afghanistan AFG 5.9 10.0 8.7 6.7 7.4 7.1 7.3 8.6 8.1 7.9 Yemen YEM 2.1 10.0 7.9 4.8 7.8 6.6 8.1 7.6 7.9 7.4 Sudan SDN 4.2 9.0 7.3 5.4 8.2 7.1 6.7 7.9 7.3 7.2 Iraq IRQ 3.5 10.0 8.2 3.0 8.0 6.1 8.1 6.1 7.2 7.1 Myanmar MMR 9.1 7.0 8.2 5.5 6.0 5.8 7.5 6.3 7.0 6.9 Congo DR COD 3.2 7.0 5.4 6.9 8.1 7.5 7.7 8.3 8.0 6.9 Syria SYR 4.4 10.0 8.4 3.7 7.7 6.1 6.2 5.8 6.0 6.8 Chad TCD 3.0 5.4 4.3 6.8 8.0 7.4 7.9 9.7 9.0 6.6 Mali MLI 2.8 8.0 6.0 7.3 5.6 6.5 5.8 7.7 6.9 6.5 Uganda UGA 3.2 8.0 6.2 5.6 6.4 6.0 6.8 7.5 7.1 6.4 Ethiopia ETH 4.2 6.7 5.6 6.3 6.6 6.5 4.6 8.9 7.3 6.4 Haiti HTI 6.1 5.9 6.0 6.8 3.5 5.4 7.4 8.7 8.1 6.4 Pakistan PAK 7.1 8.0 7.6 3.9 6.8 5.5 5.4 6.7 6.1 6.3 Nigeria NGA 2.4 9.0 6.8 4.0 6.8 5.6 5.0 7.8 6.6 6.3 Palestine PSE 2.4 9.0 6.8 4.2 8.4 6.8 6.2 4.2 5.2 6.2 Kenya KEN 4.2 7.0 5.8 5.1 7.0 6.1 5.3 7.6 6.6 6.1 Niger NER 3.1 5.2 4.2 7.3 5.9 6.7 5.9 9.2 7.9 6.1 Bangladesh BGD 9.1 6.2 8.0 3.9 5.6 4.8 5.1 6.5 5.8 6.1 Libya LBY 4.4 8.0 6.6 2.1 6.5 4.7 8.1 5.2 6.9 6.0 Mozambique MOZ 5.6 3.6 4.7 7.2 4.5 6.0 4.4 8.5 6.9 5.8 Nepal NPL 6.8 4.3 5.7 4.1 5.9 5.1 6.2 6.0 6.1 5.6 Ukraine UKR 3.0 9.0 7.0 1.6 6.4 4.4 6.9 4.2 5.7 5.6 Colombia COL 5.8 7.0 6.4 2.9 7.9 6.0 4.3 4.5 4.4 5.5 Guatemala GTM 6.7 3.9 5.5 4.4 5.6 5.0 6.1 6.2 6.1 5.5 India IND 8.2 6.9 7.6 3.8 5.3 4.6 3.8 5.6 4.8 5.5 Lebanon LBN 4.6 5.1 4.8 4.2 8.5 6.9 5.6 4.1 4.9 5.5 Burundi BDI 2.7 4.8 3.8 7.2 6.2 6.8 6.1 6.4 6.2 5.4 Philippines PHL 9.2 7.0 8.3 2.7 5.1 4.0 4.5 4.2 4.3 5.2

28 Including: ODA Recipients from the DAC List (http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/DAC%20List%20of%20ODA%20Recipients%202014%20fin al.pdf)

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Tanzania TZA 4.1 3.8 4.0 5.5 5.1 5.3 5.1 7.8 6.7 5.2 Mauritania MRT 3.9 3.2 3.6 5.9 5.1 5.5 5.9 8.0 7.1 5.2 Côte d'Ivoire CIV 1.4 4.5 3.1 5.8 5.9 5.8 7.4 7.7 7.6 5.2 Papua New Guinea PNG 3.7 2.7 3.2 6.4 3.6 5.2 6.8 9.0 8.1 5.1 Senegal SEN 2.8 5.2 4.1 5.7 4.6 5.2 5.3 7.1 6.3 5.1 Angola AGO 1.8 5.7 4.0 4.4 4.6 4.5 6.5 7.5 7.1 5.0 Mexico MEX 7.5 9.0 8.3 2.3 4.1 3.2 5.3 4.2 4.7 5.0 Iran IRN 7.0 4.4 5.8 2.8 5.6 4.3 5.6 4.2 4.9 5.0 Madagascar MDG 5.6 1.3 3.8 5.0 2.9 4.0 5.9 9.2 8.0 4.9 Solomon Islands SLB 4.6 0.0 2.6 8.0 3.5 6.3 6.7 7.4 7.0 4.9 Turkey TUR 6.7 6.4 6.5 2.8 6.4 4.9 3.5 3.7 3.6 4.9 Egypt EGY 5.7 7.0 6.4 2.8 4.0 3.4 5.4 4.6 5.0 4.8 Burkina Faso BFA 2.4 2.7 2.6 6.9 6.2 6.5 4.7 7.8 6.5 4.8 Algeria DZA 3.2 8.0 6.2 3.2 3.5 3.4 4.9 5.2 5.1 4.7 Zimbabwe ZWE 2.3 4.5 3.5 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.1 6.1 5.6 4.7 Peru PER 7.7 4.4 6.3 2.4 4.3 3.4 4.7 5.0 4.8 4.7 Eritrea ERI 2.8 1.8 2.3 6.2 4.9 5.6 8.1 7.5 7.8 4.7 Rwanda RWA 2.9 3.8 3.3 6.3 5.0 5.7 4.0 6.5 5.4 4.7 Guinea GIN 1.2 3.9 2.6 5.9 3.8 5.0 6.3 8.6 7.6 4.6 Indonesia IDN 7.4 6.3 6.9 2.5 3.0 2.8 4.7 5.6 5.2 4.6 Cambodia KHM 5.0 4.1 4.6 4.1 2.1 3.2 7.1 6.4 6.8 4.6 Sri Lanka LKA 6.4 5.2 5.8 2.7 5.1 4.0 4.7 3.5 4.2 4.6 Timor-Leste TLS 4.9 0.5 3.0 4.5 4.5 4.5 6.8 7.5 7.2 4.6 Cameroon CMR 2.6 3.0 2.8 4.8 6.2 5.5 4.8 7.1 6.1 4.5 Jordan JOR 3.0 3.4 3.2 3.6 7.8 6.1 5.6 3.8 4.8 4.5 Togo TGO 1.2 3.3 2.3 5.3 4.2 4.8 8.3 8.1 8.2 4.5 Djibouti DJI 4.6 0.4 2.8 5.0 4.4 4.7 6.2 7.3 6.8 4.5 Vanuatu VUT 5.3 0.0 3.1 5.5 3.2 4.5 5.4 7.2 6.4 4.4 Tajikistan TJK 5.5 5.1 5.3 3.1 2.9 3.0 6.0 4.9 5.5 4.4 Georgia GEO 4.2 4.9 4.6 3.0 5.7 4.5 4.5 3.9 4.2 4.4 China CHN 7.9 6.5 7.3 1.8 3.9 2.9 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.4 Benin BEN 3.8 1.5 2.7 6.0 2.1 4.3 5.8 8.3 7.2 4.4 Lao PDR LAO 4.7 2.2 3.5 4.2 3.2 3.7 6.5 6.4 6.5 4.4 Thailand THA 5.9 5.7 5.8 2.0 4.1 3.2 5.0 3.8 4.5 4.3 Ecuador ECU 6.9 0.6 4.5 3.3 4.4 3.9 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.3 South Africa ZAF 3.4 4.9 4.2 3.6 4.5 4.1 4.4 5.0 4.7 4.3 Malawi MWI 3.3 1.0 2.2 6.8 4.1 5.6 5.2 7.4 6.4 4.3 Korea DPR PRK 3.4 1.9 2.7 4.8 2.9 3.9 9.0 5.0 7.5 4.3 Lesotho LSO 2.0 2.5 2.2 6.4 4.0 5.3 6.9 6.3 6.6 4.3 Zambia ZMB 2.0 2.3 2.2 5.6 5.6 5.6 4.8 7.5 6.4 4.3 Serbia SRB 4.4 3.0 3.7 2.0 6.4 4.5 5.2 3.7 4.5 4.2 Honduras HND 5.3 3.3 4.3 4.3 1.9 3.2 6.0 4.9 5.5 4.2 Guinea-Bissau GNB 1.1 1.9 1.5 7.2 4.9 6.2 7.9 7.9 7.9 4.2 Nicaragua NIC 5.3 3.2 4.3 4.0 1.7 2.9 5.8 5.3 5.6 4.1 Azerbaijan AZE 3.9 1.8 2.9 1.8 6.5 4.5 6.5 3.6 5.2 4.1 Sierra Leone SLE 1.2 2.1 1.7 6.8 3.6 5.4 5.3 8.4 7.1 4.0 Brazil BRA 4.1 6.5 5.4 2.5 2.5 2.5 4.9 3.7 4.3 3.9 El Salvador SLV 5.9 2.3 4.3 3.7 1.3 2.6 5.4 4.6 5.0 3.8

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Liberia LBR 0.9 1.1 1.0 7.9 5.4 6.9 7.0 8.8 8.0 3.8 Dominican Republic DOM 7.1 1.4 4.9 2.8 1.5 2.2 5.5 4.9 5.2 3.8 Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH 3.5 0.5 2.1 2.5 6.4 4.7 6.0 3.8 5.0 3.7 Viet Nam VNM 7.7 2.5 5.7 2.8 1.0 1.9 5.2 4.0 4.7 3.7 Swaziland SWZ 1.7 2.4 2.1 4.7 3.3 4.0 5.1 6.4 5.8 3.6 Moldova Republic of MDA 3.8 4.4 4.1 2.9 1.4 2.2 6.2 4.4 5.4 3.6 Namibia NAM 2.7 0.9 1.9 4.7 4.5 4.6 4.6 6.4 5.5 3.6 Kyrgyzstan KGZ 5.3 3.2 4.4 3.4 1.0 2.3 5.3 4.4 4.8 3.6 Venezuela VEN 4.1 1.5 2.9 3.0 4.2 3.6 5.1 3.9 4.5 3.6 Bolivia BOL 3.8 2.0 2.9 3.5 2.1 2.8 5.9 5.2 5.6 3.6 Panama PAN 3.2 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 4.8 4.4 4.6 3.5 Bhutan BTN 4.7 0.1 2.7 4.9 1.2 3.3 4.2 5.7 5.0 3.5 Fiji FJI 6.8 0.0 4.2 3.6 0.9 2.4 3.5 5.1 4.4 3.5 Turkmenistan TKM 3.9 0.9 2.6 2.6 2.1 2.4 8.0 4.8 6.7 3.4 Malaysia MYS 3.4 3.8 3.6 2.4 4.2 3.3 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.4 Morocco MAR 2.9 2.7 2.8 4.3 0.8 2.7 5.6 4.8 5.2 3.4 Uzbekistan UZB 5.9 3.5 4.8 2.0 1.5 1.8 5.1 4.3 4.7 3.4 Comoros COM 1.8 0.1 1.0 7.6 2.4 5.6 7.7 6.4 7.1 3.4 Armenia ARM 4.0 0.1 2.3 2.3 3.6 3.0 6.5 4.0 5.4 3.3 Congo COG 1.2 0.6 0.9 4.1 5.8 5.0 7.6 7.3 7.5 3.3 Chile CHL 7.2 2.4 5.2 2.4 1.6 2.0 2.9 3.3 3.1 3.2 Jamaica JAM 5.1 1.2 3.4 3.3 1.2 2.3 4.5 3.8 4.1 3.2 Mongolia MNG 2.8 2.0 2.4 3.3 1.5 2.4 5.6 5.5 5.6 3.2 Tonga TON 2.8 0.0 1.5 5.9 1.0 3.9 5.6 4.7 5.2 3.1 Botswana BWA 2.5 0.4 1.5 4.3 3.5 3.9 4.8 5.0 4.9 3.1 Macedonia FYR MKD 2.8 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.9 2.7 4.6 3.6 4.1 3.0 Belize BLZ 4.3 0.0 2.4 3.3 0.9 2.2 5.4 4.8 5.1 3.0 Paraguay PRY 2.8 1.4 2.1 3.7 1.2 2.6 5.4 4.4 5.0 3.0 Kiribati KIR 1.5 0.0 0.8 6.8 2.8 5.1 6.7 6.8 6.7 3.0 Gambia GMB 1.5 0.1 0.9 6.6 3.8 5.4 4.9 6.1 5.5 2.9 Costa Rica CRI 4.8 0.1 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.0 2.9 Saint Lucia LCA 4.7 0.0 2.7 3.6 0.8 2.3 4.1 3.4 3.8 2.8 Argentina ARG 3.9 3.7 3.8 1.9 1.1 1.5 4.9 3.2 4.1 2.8 Ghana GHA 1.5 0.8 1.2 4.2 3.2 3.7 4.3 6.2 5.3 2.8 Micronesia FSM 1.4 0.0 0.7 6.6 2.3 4.8 6.1 6.1 6.1 2.8 Guyana GUY 2.6 0.1 1.4 4.2 1.0 2.7 6.2 4.9 5.6 2.8 Mauritius MUS 5.7 0.0 3.3 3.1 0.8 2.0 3.6 2.7 3.1 2.8 Samoa WSM 2.3 0.0 1.2 6.2 0.4 3.9 4.7 4.2 4.5 2.8 Palau PLW 2.2 0.0 1.2 5.1 0.8 3.3 6.0 4.0 5.1 2.7 Tunisia TUN 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.3 1.0 1.7 6.0 4.2 5.1 2.7 Antigua and Barbuda ATG 5.7 0.0 3.4 2.0 1.3 1.6 4.7 2.1 3.5 2.7 Cabo Verde CPV 2.0 0.0 1.1 6.0 1.1 4.0 4.0 5.0 4.5 2.7 Cuba CUB 4.9 1.7 3.5 2.2 0.2 1.3 4.1 3.6 3.8 2.6 Albania ALB 3.5 0.2 2.0 2.3 1.0 1.6 6.2 3.7 5.1 2.6 Gabon GAB 1.4 0.3 0.9 3.1 2.9 3.0 6.6 6.0 6.3 2.5 Seychelles SYC 3.0 0.0 1.6 3.9 1.2 2.6 4.4 3.0 3.7 2.5 Equatorial Guinea GNQ 1.0 0.2 0.6 4.1 2.3 3.3 8.1 6.8 7.5 2.4 Grenada GRD 3.4 0.0 1.8 2.8 1.3 2.1 4.6 2.8 3.7 2.4

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Nauru NRU 1.1 0.0 0.6 5.1 3.0 4.1 7.1 4.7 6.1 2.4 Montenegro MNE 2.4 0.0 1.3 2.2 2.8 2.5 4.6 3.4 4.0 2.4 Dominica DMA 2.2 0.0 1.2 4.5 0.9 2.9 3.9 3.4 3.6 2.3 Kazakhstan KAZ 3.6 1.7 2.7 1.5 0.5 1.0 5.2 3.5 4.4 2.3 Marshall Islands MHL 0.6 0.0 0.3 7.2 2.4 5.3 7.7 5.5 6.7 2.2 Trinidad and Tobago TTO 2.4 0.0 1.3 1.9 1.5 1.7 4.8 2.4 3.7 2.0 Belarus BLR 1.5 1.1 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.1 4.8 3.3 4.1 1.8 Suriname SUR 1.1 0.0 0.6 3.1 1.0 2.1 5.7 4.5 5.1 1.8 Saint Vincent and the 1.7 0.0 0.9 3.0 0.9 2.0 3.2 3.7 3.5 1.8 Grenadines VCT Uruguay URY 1.7 0.1 0.9 2.4 1.3 1.8 3.7 2.9 3.3 1.8 Tuvalu TUV 0.3 0.0 0.1 7.2 1.3 5.0 6.3 5.1 5.7 1.5 Sao Tome and Principe STP 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.5 1.4 3.7 6.1 5.6 5.9 0.4

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Annex III: Crisis Assessment Index Rank 201529

ISO3 Country* Uprooted people Index (CI) Natural Disaster Index (CI) Conflict Index (CI) INFORM Crisis Index AFG Afghanistan 3 0 3 3 DZA Algeria 0 0 3 3 AZE Azerbaijan 3 0 0 3 BOL Bolivia 0 3 0 3 CAF Central African Republic 3 0 3 3 TCD Chad 3 1 1 3 CHL Chile 0 3 0 3 CHN China (w/out Hong Kong) 0 2 3 3 COL Colombia 3 0 3 3 COD Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3 0 3 3 EGY Egypt 0 0 3 3 GEO Georgia 3 0 0 3 IND India 0 0 3 3 IRQ Iraq 3 0 3 3 JOR Jordan 3 0 0 3 KEN Kenya 2 2 3 3 LBN Lebanon 3 3 3 3 LBY Libya 3 0 3 3 MLI Mali 0 0 3 3 MEX Mexico 0 0 3 3 MMR Myanmar, Union of 2 0 3 3 NPL Nepal 0 3 0 3

29 The Crisis Assessment Index lists countries in alphabetical order. The final Crisis Index is shown, as well as the three dimensions. Each dimension has a value that is the result of combining indicators. Note that all values are the result of ranking countries. If countries are in the top quartile (25%), they score 3; in the bottom quartile, they score 1; in the middle 2 quartiles, they score 2.

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ISO3 Country* Uprooted people Index (CI) Natural Disaster Index (CI) Conflict Index (CI) INFORM Crisis Index NGA Nigeria 2 0 3 3 PAK Pakistan 2 2 3 3 PSE Palestine 3 0 3 3 PHL Philippines 0 2 3 3 SOM Somalia 3 2 3 3 SSD South Sudan 3 0 3 3 SDN Sudan 3 0 3 3 SYR Syrian Arab Republic 3 0 3 3 TUR Turkey 3 0 2 3 UKR Ukraine 3 0 3 3 YEM Yemen 3 0 3 3 MDG Madagascar 0 3 0 3 MWI Malawi 0 3 0 3 SLV El Salvador 0 3 0 3 MKD Macedonia 0 3 0 3 NRU Nauru 3 0 0 3 VUT Vanuatu 0 3 0 3 BGD Bangladesh 0 2 0 2 BIH Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 2 0 2 BFA Burkina Faso 0 2 0 2 GTM Guatemala 2 2 0 2 HTI Haiti 0 2 0 2 HND Honduras 0 2 0 2 IRN Iran, Islamic Republic of 2 0 0 2 MYS Malaysia 0 2 0 2 NIC Nicaragua 0 2 0 2 NER Niger 2 0 0 2 PRY Paraguay 0 2 0 2

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ISO3 Country* Uprooted people Index (CI) Natural Disaster Index (CI) Conflict Index (CI) INFORM Crisis Index SRB Serbia 2 2 0 2 LKA Sri Lanka 0 2 0 2 THA Thailand 0 2 1 2 BRA Brazil 0 2 2 2 BDI Burundi 2 0 0 2 CMR Cameroon 2 2 0 2 COG Congo, Rep. Of 2 0 0 2 ECU Ecuador 2 0 0 2 ETH Ethiopia 2 0 0 2 LBR Liberia 2 0 0 2 MRT Mauritania 2 0 0 2 RWA Rwanda 2 0 0 2 SEN Senegal 0 2 0 2 TUN Tunisia 0 0 2 2 UGA Uganda 2 0 2 2 VEN Venezuela 2 0 0 2 KHM Cambodia 0 2 0 2 CIV Cote d'Ivoire 2 0 0 2 PRK Korea Dem. People's Rep. 0 1 0 1 LAO Laos 0 1 0 1 NAM Namibia 0 1 0 1 TJK Tajikistan 0 0 1 1 JAM Jamaica 0 0 0 0 MOZ Mozambique 0 0 0 0 SLB Solomon Islands 0 0 0 0 ALB Albania 0 0 0 0 AGO Angola 0 0 0 0 CUB Cuba 0 0 0 0

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ISO3 Country* Uprooted people Index (CI) Natural Disaster Index (CI) Conflict Index (CI) INFORM Crisis Index GMB Gambia 0 0 0 0 LSO Lesotho 0 0 0 0 PNG Papua New Guinea 0 0 0 0 PER Peru 0 0 0 0 ZWE Zimbabwe 0 0 0 0 ATG Antigua and Barbuda 0 0 0 0 ARG Argentina 0 0 0 0 ARM Armenia 0 0 0 0 BHS Bahamas 0 0 0 0 BHR Bahrain 0 0 0 0 BRB Barbados 0 0 0 0 BLR Belarus 0 0 0 0 BLZ Belize 0 0 0 0 BEN Benin 0 0 0 0 BTN Bhutan 0 0 0 0 BWA Botswana 0 0 0 0 BRN Brunei 0 0 0 0 CPV Cape Verde 0 0 0 0 COM Comoros 0 0 0 0 CRI Costa Rica 0 0 0 0 DJI Djibouti 0 0 0 0 DMA Dominica 0 0 0 0 DOM Dominican Republic 0 0 0 0 TLS East Timor 0 0 0 0 GNQ Equatorial Guinea 0 0 0 0 ERI Eritrea 0 0 0 0 FJI Fiji 0 0 0 0 GAB Gabon 0 0 0 0

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ISO3 Country* Uprooted people Index (CI) Natural Disaster Index (CI) Conflict Index (CI) INFORM Crisis Index GHA Ghana 0 0 0 0 GRD Grenada 0 0 0 0 GIN Guinea 0 0 0 0 GNB Guinea Bissau 0 0 0 0 GUY Guyana 0 0 0 0 IDN Indonesia 0 0 0 0 KAZ Kazakhstan 0 0 0 0 KIR Kiribati 0 0 0 0 KGZ Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0 MDV Maldives 0 0 0 0 MHL Marshall Islands 0 0 0 0 MUS Mauritius 0 0 0 0 FSM Micronesia 0 0 0 0 MDA Moldova 0 0 0 0 MNG Mongolia 0 0 0 0 MNE Montenegro 0 0 0 0 MAR Morocco 0 0 0 0 PLW Palau 0 0 0 0 PAN Panama 0 0 0 0 LCA Saint Lucia 0 0 0 0 VCT Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 0 0 0 WSM Samoa 0 0 0 0 STP Sao Tome and Principe 0 0 0 0 SYC Seychelles 0 0 0 0 SLE Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0 SUR Suriname 0 0 0 0 SWZ Swaziland 0 0 0 0 TZA Tanzania 0 0 0 0

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ISO3 Country* Uprooted people Index (CI) Natural Disaster Index (CI) Conflict Index (CI) INFORM Crisis Index TGO Togo 0 0 0 0 TON Tonga 0 0 0 0 TTO Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 0 0 TKM Turkmenistan 0 0 0 0 TUV Tuvalu 0 0 0 0 URY Uruguay 0 0 0 0 UZB Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 VNM Vietnam 0 0 0 0 ZMB Zambia 0 0 0 0 * Including: ODA Recipients from the DAC List (http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/DAC%20List%20of%20ODA%20Recipients%202014%20final.pdf)

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Annex IV: Summary of Forgotten Crisis Assessment 2015-2016

Forgotten Crisis Assessment 2015 The FCA index corresponded to the sum of the following four indicators: (1) INFORM; (2) Media coverage; (3) Public aid per capita; (4) Qualitative assessment of DG ECHO geographical units and experts.

4 Dimensions capita Qualitative assessment Public aid per INFORM Index ISO3 Country (Crisis name) FCA Index Media coverage BGD Bangladesh (The Chittagong Hill Tracts) 11 3 3 2 3

COL Colombia (Armed conflict) 11 3 3 2 3 IND India (Conflict affected population) 11 3 2 3 3 Myanmar (Northern Rakhine State and MMR 11 3 3 2 3 Kachin and Shan State conflict) PHL Philippines (Conflict in Mindanao) 11 3 2 3 3 DZA Algeria (Sahrawi refugee crisis) 10 2 2 3 3 LBY Libya (Conflict) 10 3 2 2 3 Sudan (Darfur, Refugees, Transitional SDN 10 3 3 1 3 Areas, East Sudan) Cameroon (Food insecurity and CMR 9 2 2 2 3 malnutrition crisis) TCD Chad (Darfur Refugees in Eastern) 9 3 2 1 3 Pakistan (country-wide conflict affected PAK populations; natural disaster affected 9 3 1 2 3 populations, Afghan refugees) EGY Egypt (Refugee crisis) 8 2 1 2 3 Yemen (country-wide conflict affected YEM population; uprooted people; refugees 7 2 1 1 3 and migrants; acute malnutrition)

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