Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-13-Speech-2-436"
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"en.20071113.38.2-436"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would firstly like to thank our colleague Mr Cornillet for his work on this report and for the debates he led in our Committee on Development. I would also like to thank the Commissioner for his pertinent analysis at the beginning of this debate.
The report on humanitarian aid rightly focuses on the protection of humanitarian personnel and access to victims, which are the two major issues that humanitarian aid must tackle now and will have to tackle increasingly in the future. In this respect, I would like to point out, as the Commissioner did, that the changes in the way the armed forces are used can blur the image of humanitarian actors. The confusion caused by the use of military resources, at times to accompany humanitarian workers, inevitably results in NGOs and their teams losing the immunity they used to have in the field.
Moreover, in order to reach victims and demand a certain freedom of expression, it is crucial not to appear to be involved in these conflicts or dependent on the policies of the organisations’ countries of origin. In conflict areas the recent changes have made the perception of NGO positioning more complex. In Darfur, in particular, several international NGOs, including
say that it is becoming more and more difficult for them to reach the victims outside the camps for the displaced and that there is a fresh upsurge of violence against the people and humanitarian workers. Their room for manoeuvre is dependent on reaffirming their independence in relation to the armed forces involved on the ground and any political positioning.
It is also important to note that an increasing proportion of the financial resources of humanitarian NGOs comes from financial institutions, particularly European institutions. This situation can also reinforce mistrust of these NGOs, which can sometimes see their action confused with the geo-strategic positions of the donor countries or the Union. For that reason, I wish to stress here that the increase in public funding, which we welcome and which is an excellent thing, must not, however, lead to these NGOs being used as pawns.
In the last 10 years more than 1 000 humanitarian workers have been killed in more than 500 attacks on civilian aid operations. If we do not make every effort to guarantee the independence of NGOs, their capacity for action will undoubtedly decrease and, consequently, the number of areas in which international humanitarian law is applied will be vastly reduced.
The media approach means that today the whole world is focusing on Zoe’s Ark, which is an extremely small amateur association compared with the vast majority of humanitarian operations, which are carried out by recognised structures whose staff have great courage and human and professional qualities. This isolated case must not therefore be allowed to discredit all humanitarian aid actors. On the contrary, it reminds us that it is essential for humanitarian operations to be carried out strictly in accordance with international humanitarian law and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
We therefore welcome the fact that this European consensus, which will be adopted at the next part-session, encompasses our request for the creation in the Council of a formal structure that is specifically responsible for humanitarian issues, and for an annual review of the consensus and its accompanying action plan."@en1
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