2017 Humanitarian Assistance Operational Strategy of the Czech Republic

Executive Summary

 

Providing of humanitarian assistance financed from the Czech Government Budget is based on the Act on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, which entered into force in 2010.[1] According to this law, the humanitarian aid (HA) is defined as a set of activities financed from the national budget in order to prevent loss of life and injury, to alleviate suffering, to protect human dignity and to restore basic living conditions of people after an emergency, as well as to mitigate long-lasting consequences of emergencies and to prevent their occurrence and negative consequences.

The provision of humanitarian assistance of the Czech Republic is governed by fundamental international humanitarian principles of humanity (the main goal is saving lives), impartiality (HA is provided strictly on the basis of needs), neutrality (the humanitarian actors do not favour any part of a given conflict) and independence (the aid is provided regardless of political, economic, military or other aims of the donor and/or beneficiary). The Czech Republic endorsed these principles in 2006, having joined the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) platform.[2]

We promote the leading role of the UN (in particular UNOCHA) in the global coordination of humanitarian action, and cooperate regularly with UN-related humanitarian agencies and programmes (in particular IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNRWA and WFP). The International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement´s role in the promotion of International Humanitarian Law as well as its field presence in particular in conflict-affected countries is highly appreciated and supported. We participate in the forming of the EU humanitarian policy and response as well. 

In 2016, the Czech Republic played an active role in the forming of indicators for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030[3]. We further endorsed the UN Agenda for Humanity as well as the Grand Bargain document which represents a comprehensive summary of measures for a more efficient humanitarian system as presented on the First World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.

In the programming of our humanitarian response 2017, both global humanitarian needs assessments and the follow-up to the bilateral humanitarian assistance provided in 2016 are taken into consideration.

Related recommendations from the first ever OECD/DAC Peer Review of the Czech ODA system will be implemented in the humanitarian programming and response in the coming months and years.

In 2017, the amount of CZK 130 million will be available for humanitarian assistance in the initial budget[4], representing an increase by more than CZK 50 mio, compared to the 2016 initial budget. In addition, at least CZK 20 mio from special means for Syria 2016 – 2019 will be provided in the form of humanitarian assistance. In order to limit the fragmentation of our humanitarian response, we will increase the amounts provided both for grants to NGOs and contributions to international humanitarian partners.

We will continue our support to countries affected by conflict and forced displacement (in particular Iraq and Syria; Central African Republic, Nigeria and South Sudan; and Myanmar), including refugees from these countries in the neighbouring region and their host communities, with a particular focus on health care, education and protection.

Another continued priority will be the humanitarian response in our bilateral ODA partner countries (in particular Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Palestine and Zambia) according to their needs and with a special aim on reducing structural vulnerabilities and resilience building.

We will coordinate closely the humanitarian assistance programme with related programmes under the authority of the Ministry of Interior (MEDEVAC – the Medical Evacuation Programme; and Refugee Assistance Programme in Regions of Origin).

A Mid-term review of the Strategy will be completed in July 2017.

 

 

Preliminary distribution of the Czech humanitarian budget 2017:

Period	Indicative Amount (CZK)	Countries/Activities	Implementing Partners
Q I - IV	30.000.000	Ad hoc needs and emergencies	UN, ICRC/IFRC, IOM, Czech and local NGOs
Q I	40.000.000       20.000.000   20.000.000	Calls for Proposals: Protracted emergencies (CAR, Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, South Sudan)   Syria (special means)   Iraq + refugees from Iraq and Syria in the region	NGOs registered in CZ
Q I - II	10.000.000	Urgent follow-up HumAid 2016 (Afghanistan/Pakistan, Israel, Nigeria, Sri Lanka)	Local partners
Q III - IV*	30.000.000	International Cooperation, according to Czech and international assessments (Haiti, Palestine, Ukraine, Yemen)	ICRC, CERF/OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNRWA, WFP, local partners
Total	150.000.000

* Based on the mid-term review of the humanitarian situation and available means.

 

 

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[1] 151/2010 Act on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and Amending Related Laws

[2] PRINCIPLES AND GOOD PRACTICE OF HUMANITARIAN DONORSHIP, endorsed in Stockholm, 17 June 2003, by 16 donor countries and the EC. Several other donors, incl. the Czech Republic (2006), have joined since than (42 in January 2017); the EU joined collectively in 2007 through the endorsement of the EU Consensus on humanitarian aid.

[3] Adopted on the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015.

[4] According to the Government decision No. 631 from July 11, 2016 (2017 Development Cooperation Plan and Preliminary Financial Outlook until 2019)