Humanitarian issues

African Children

Each year, millions of civilians are affected by natural disasters, conflict and other complex emergencies. In some cases, populations have lost everything they own – loved ones, personal possessions and livelihoods. In circumstances where national authorities lack the capacity to provide emergency assistance, the international community has a moral obligation to help those in need. Such efforts are generally led by the United Nations and co-ordinated by its Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Most recent

On 27 May 2008, the UK delivered a statement in the UN Security Council debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. The same day, the UN Security Council also adopted a Presidential Statement on the Protection of Civilians, commissioning a new report by the Secretary-General by May 2009, in line with the 18 month reporting cycle.

UK position

The UK government, in particular its Department for International Development (DFID), is committed to working closely with humanitarian organisations, to assist in the provision of speedy and effective humanitarian relief, in accordance with the principles of humanitarianism and good humanitarian donorship. We seek to ensure that assistance is based on a proper assessment of need and delivered as a matter of priority to those who need it most. Dfid released a humanitarian policy paper in June 2006.

However, relief aid is only part of the solution. What we really need to do is to tackle the root causes of vulnerability. For example, DfID’s recent policy on Disaster Risk Reduction details how the Department will work to reduce long-term risk to natural hazards, (eg earthquakes, floods and the new challenges of climate change), including by putting 10% of what we provide in relief to a disaster towards measures that reduce the risk of future natural disasters.

But aid alone is not enough. We need to work for political solutions to the violence and conflict that daily threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. The UK will therefore continue to work actively to reduce conflict, and to strengthen the protection of civilians and children affected by armed conflict.

UK support

DFID's humanitarian assistance in 2006/07 totalled £484m, £336m was spent bilaterally and £148m multilaterally. The largest recipients of bilateral humanitarian assistance were Sudan (£84m), Democratic Republic of Congo (£52m) and Indonesia (£19m).

In terms of support for the UN humanitarian effort, the UK is the biggest donor to the Office of the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and also the largest contributor to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The CERF provides rapid funding when disaster strikes, and also helps the UN to respond to forgotten emergencies like Chad, Cote d'Ivoire or the DRC. The CERF will need funding every year because, sadly, we know that disasters will happen every year. The UK is therefore contributing £163 million over 4 years (2006-09), so that the CERF can provide humanitarian agencies with funds to respond immediately to sudden disasters, like earthquakes and provide often overloooked yet urgent services in emergencies.

The UK also maintains strong links with UN programmes and specialised agencies with a protection and assistance mandate. These include the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). For details of DFID partnership agreements with these agencies and organisations, click on the relevant link above.