ECHO/UGA/BUD/2009/01000
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No.1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid(1) , and in particular Articles 2, 4 and 15(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The security situation in the north central regions of Uganda has remained calm despite the fact that the Juba Peace talks have not yet been concluded.
(2) The return process of the original 1.5 million persons displaced in the north central regions of Uganda has been progressing steadily, albeit with some hesitation in the Acholi region.
(3) LRRD remains an important challenge in the current context of Uganda.
(4) Climatic perturbations continue to affect the Horn of Africa region, in Uganda affecting particularly the Karamoja region manifesting as recurrent and severe rainfall deficiencies and floods in other areas.
(5) As the scale and complexity of the humanitarian crisis is such and it is likely to continue, it is necessary to adopt a Global Plan providing a coherent framework for the implementation of humanitarian action.
(6) To reach populations in need, aid may be channeled through Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) or International Organisations including United Nations (UN) agencies. Therefore the European Commission may implement the budget by direct centralised management or by joint management.
(7) An assessment of the humanitarian situation leads to the conclusion that humanitarian aid operations should be financed by the Community for a period of 18 months,
(8) It is estimated that an amount of EUR 12,000,000 from budget article 23 02 01 of the general budget of the European Communities is necessary to provide humanitarian assistance to more than 800,000 displaced persons, returnees and populations affected by natural hazards taking into account the available budget, other donors interventions and other factors. Therefore the activities covered by this Global Plan may be financed in full in accordance with Article 253 of the Implementing Rules of the Financial Regulation.
(9) Due to the rapidly evolving situation in the field and the nature of the Actions to be funded under this Global Plan, it is necessary to establish a contingency reserve in order to meet unforeseen events.
(10) The present Decision constitutes a financing Decision within the meaning of Article 75 of the Financial Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/20022, Article 90 of the detailed rules for the implementation of the Financial Regulation determined by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/20023, and Article 15 of the Internal Rules on the Implementation of the general budget of the European Communities4.
(11) In accordance with Article 17 (3) of Council Regulation (EC) No.1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid, the Humanitarian Aid Committee gave a favourable opinion on 11 December 2008.
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
1. In accordance with the objectives and general principles of humanitarian aid, the Commission hereby approves a 2009 Global Plan for humanitarian action to assist returning IDPs and other vulnerable population groups affected by insecurity and/or climatic/natural hazards in northern Uganda, of an amount of EUR 12,000,000 from article 23 02 01 of the 2009 general budget of the European Communities.
2. In accordance with Articles 2 and 4 of Council Regulation No.1257/96, the humanitarian actions under this Global Plan shall be implemented in the pursuance of the following specific objectives:
- To provide timely humanitarian support, with particular emphasis on extremely vulnerable individuals, to IDP camp populations and returnees, as well as populations affected by climatic hazards, through integrated assistance in an improved humanitarian environment. An amount of EUR 10,900,000 is allocated to this specific objective";
- To continue strengthening the management and coordination of humanitarian response among multilateral and bilateral agencies and non governmental agencies in Uganda. An amount of EUR 450,000 is allocated to this specific objective;
3. An amount of EUR 650,000 is allocated to the contingency reserve.