The EU's Humanitarian Aid – the context
Innovation in Humanitarian Response and Disaster Management
DG ECHO has been a strong promoter of 'scale-up' of innovative initiatives in humanitarian aid.
Below you can find some examples of specific DG ECHO actions to support Innovation
- A. Improving the evidence base: data, needs assessment and strategic prioritisation
i) Starting already a decade ago, with the Global Vulnerability and Crisis Assessment (previously known as the GNA) & Forgotten Crisis Assessment, ECHO has been a lead donor on methodologies, tools and data to support prioritisation of aid. http://echo-global-vulnerability-and-crisis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
ii) Index for Risk Management – InfoRM – has been developed as a joint initiative of the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the European Commission (developed by the JRC and supported by DG ECHO). InfoRM is a way to assess the risk of disasters and humanitarian crises and help better prevent, mitigate and prepare for them. http://www.inform-index.org/
iii) Kenya Initial Rapid Assessment (KIRA) is a coordinated rapid assessment mechanism for rapid onset crisis, designed in October 2012. ECHO funded a second training phase for the coordination of the KIRA assessment, carried out by RedR UK. http://www.acaps.org/en/news/kenya-initial-rapid-assessment-kira-intitiative/1
iv) ECHO is working with the JRC on an initiative to develop a knowledge centre for DRM: improving the knowledge and evidence base in DRM through a networked approach to promote the use and uptake of new research and innovation, identify gaps in existing research needs and support the development of science-based services and analysis.
v) Loss data recording – ECHO is supporting the JRC in developing a state of the art European approach for a standardised recording of loss data.
http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/111111111/29296/1/lbna26111enn.pdf
- B. Advocating and scaling up new approaches – using ECHO's weight as major donor
i) ECHO support to cash and vouchers
http://dgecho-partners-helpdesk.eu/actions_implementation/cash_and_vouchers/start
ii) ECHO introduced a Gender and Age Marker (developed by OECD-DAC) into the Commission's humanitarian aid programme to foster and track gender-sensitive humanitarian project funded from the EU budget.
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/sectoral/gender_thematic_policy_document_en.pdf
iii) The health sector has been a particular focus for funding by DG ECHO of innovative or previously untested approaches, methods or instruments and tools, which are aimed at advancing the evidence base and the quality of practice in the humanitarian health sector. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/sectoral/health_thematic_policy_document_en.pdf
- C. Promoting, trialing and scaling up new approaches to disaster risk management
i) DG ECHO's DIPECHO programme focused initially on piloting and replicating a community-based disaster management approach in the six most disaster-prone regions in the world: South East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, the Andean Community, Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/dipecho/presentations/programme_overview_11_07_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/prevention_preparedness/DRR_thematic_policy_doc.pdf
ii) Fostering partnerships for Disaster Risk Management and working with the insurance and re-insurance industries. The Commission published on 16 April 2013 a Green Paper on the Insurance of Natural and Man-made Disasters in order to launch a consultation with stakeholders on this topic, DG ECHO has been an active shaper of policy in this domain.
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/insurance/consumer/natural-catastrophes/index_en.htm
- D. Promoting the relevance of Humanitarian Aid in international cooperation on Research and Innovation
i) Following the Strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, DG ECHO is actively seeking synergies between humanitarian aid/disaster risk management and enhanced international cooperation in research and innovation. EU regional cooperation with Africa concentrates on health research, Global Earth Observation, as well as identified priorities for the future in food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture; in the case of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), EU regional cooperation will focus in the future on inter alia health, biodiversity and climate change. http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/policy/progress_report_sep-2014.pdf
ii) The EU multi-annual Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020) addresses research needs specific to humanitarian aid such as with calls focused on advancing theoretical and practical knowledge on EU response mechanisms and their effectiveness, the development of civilian humanitarian mission personnel tracking, and a rethinking the EU's crisis response mechanism in light of recent conflicts.