Attachments
2015 is a special year: it is the first ever European Year to deal with the European Union’s external action and Europe’s role in the world. It is the European Year for Development (EYD). For NGOs all over Europe it is a unique moment to showcase Europe’s commitment to saving lives during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters and to eradicating poverty worldwide. This is also the chance to link humanitarian and development issues as a contiguum.
Kicking off this issue of VOICE Out Loud, Marius Wanders, Ambassador for the EYD Civil Society Alliance, talks about what he sees as the the opportunities this year for European NGOs. Our members then each take a humanitarian issue where it is important for NGOs to take a longer-term approach. Looking towards more effective disaster risk reduction, Handicap International highlights the keys for resilience and Concern Worldwide calls on the development community to a more in-depth appropriation of this concept and its tools. Caritas Luxembourg emphasizes the opportunities and challenges of being a multi-mandated organisation. DanChurchAid presents the benefits of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and the transition to a certification process. Regarding shelter and urbanisation, Habitat for Humanity and International Rescue Committee put forward the necessity to integrate a longer-term view to these programmes.
In the ‘View from the EU’ section we are happy to hear from Mr. Guerrero Salom,
European Parliament Standing Rapporteur on Humanitarian Aid, who shares his views on several themes, such as the role of the EU at a global level in the 2015 UN summits, the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the EU humanitarian budget.
In addition we have included two joint statements from NGOs. One developed as a contribution to the World Humanitarian Summit on the humanitarian principles, and one is on the implementation of the post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The ‘field focus’ written by People in Need looks at the situation in Ukraine where humanitarian actors in the field face difficulties in reaching the most vulnerable, reporting on the consequences of instability there.