Brussels, 21/08/2015 (Agence Europe) - To mark World Humanitarian Day, which is celebrated every year on 19 August, the European Union, the world's largest provider of humanitarian aid, called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, which is increasingly sidelined.
19 August commemorates the date of the attack on the headquarters of the UN in Baghdad (Iraq) in 2003, in which 22 humanitarian workers lost their lives.
“Saving lives should not cost lives (…). Humanitarian crises are more devastating than ever before with an increase in the number of natural disasters and conflicts (…). Ongoing conflict and insecurity hamper the delivery of humanitarian aid. This prevents millions of people from receiving life-saving assistance. Unfortunately there is an alarming trend of increased violence against aid workers and violations of international humanitarian law. In 2014, over 300 aid workers were attacked, kidnapped or killed”, said the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides.
In August, the European Commission made three new decisions to provide emergency financial assistance for a total of €19 million in response to humanitarian crises in Yemen, Mali and Libya.
Yemen: €12 million in emergency aid were mobilised on 5 August in favour of the victims of the enormous humanitarian crisis in this country, which has left 80% of the population dependent on humanitarian aid. Of this amount, €10 million will cover the most essential needs of vulnerable populations (nutritional and food aid, health care services, drinking water, sanitation, shelter, necessary household products and protection for populations inside the country). The remaining €2 million has been earmarked for refugees. This money has been divided equally between Djibouti and Somalia and will help to cover the most urgent requirements of refugees newly arrived in these two countries. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has reached 'level 3': the highest in the UN classification system.
Mali: An extra €1 million was made available on the same day to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the north of the country. It will help to step up assistance to recently displaced persons (food, drinking water, healthcare) and the impoverished populations accommodating them, themselves faced with food insecurity.
Libya: €6 million was made available on 4 August to tackle the most urgent requirements of those hardest hit by the conflict, particularly migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. This money will fund the distribution of necessary items (cooking utensils, blankets, mattresses) and an in-depth assessment of requirements by humanitarian organisations on the ground. It has become increasingly difficult for civilians to access food and fuel. Since the conflict deepened last year, the Commission has provided €8.76 million in response to the crisis.
In 2014, the Commission helped 121 million victims of natural disasters and conflict in 80 countries, corresponding to €2 for every citizen of the EU, or less than 1% of the EU's total annual budget, the European Commission stressed in a press release. (Aminata Niang)