The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid action plan : A mid-term review

In December 2007, the Presidents of the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the European Union on behalf of the 27 EU Member States signed a "European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid". In May 2008, an action plan was adopted in order to implement the Consensus. The mid-term review of the action plan was conducted by the EC in 2010, including consultations of civil society and other actors. On December, the European Commission published a Communication which presents overall progress on the Action Plan so far, updates the priorities and gives suggestions for areas where there is scope for further effort. The EC proposes a list of 7 recommendations for future implementation efforts. According to the outcomes of the mid-term review over the past three years, there has been good progress on the implementation of the Action Plan such as rapid responses to sudden crisis, EU coordination, EU's engagement with humanitarian partners, EU's voice and collective impact in the international arena. But for further implementation, there is a need for a share of responsibility for success, a regular monitoring of implementation of Consensus commitments, a proactive dialogue between EU donors and partners, a reinforced advocacy to promote the international humanitarian law and a partnership with a diverse range of actors to cover all aspects of humanitarian crisis.

European Commission - December 2010