Brussels, 16/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Who will be the beneficiaries of the €640 million the EU plans to spend to help the vulnerable around the world? On 16 December, the Commission revealed how it is proposed this money will be spent, based on the assessment of needs of the most vulnerable populations.
Of the total allocation to be shared among 36 countries or regions of the world, sub-Saharan Africa will be granted the lion's share, 52% of the budget being earmarked for this region. “The record refugee waves, the spectre of hunger looming over parts of Africa, the growing frequency and intensity of disasters, new and protracted conflicts - these trends mean we must be prepared for another tough year. Planning is essential if we are to respond efficiently and accountably to the humanitarian challenges we face”, said European International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva.
The provision breakdown of the funding reflects the scale of the humanitarian operations to be conducted, particularly in the Horn of Africa (€102 million), in Sudan and in newly independent South Sudan (€87 million), in the Sahel region (€45 million), in Democratic Republic of Congo (€44 million) and in the occupied Palestinian territory (€40 million).
“One of the biggest crises already looming on the horizon is the food emergency in the Sahel, where 300,000 children already die from malnutrition every year. Without concerted action this tragedy will be even greater next year. We helped prevent a large-scale food crisis in the Sahel in 2010 and we are investing more in the coming months”, said Georgieva.
Some 15% of the budget will be devoted to “forgotten crises” - areas which get little media attention and where the Commission is often the only major donor. In 2012, these will include the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and the victims of internal armed conflict in the Central African Republic.
Reserve resources will be available through the year for unpredictable crises and disasters. In 2011, the entire reserve was used due to major disasters in Japan, Libya, Côte d'Ivoire and the Horn of Africa.
In 2011, the Global Needs Assessment (GNA) allowed the Commission to identify 52 countries currently experiencing at least one humanitarian crisis. Of these, 23 countries emerged as being “extremely vulnerable”, 19 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. (AN/transl.rt)