Mr. MATTIATO Alessandro Civil-Military Relations Assistant
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO)
European Union / European Commission
•DG ECHO
•Civ.-Mil. Coordination
•EU Concept
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
(DG ECHO) – Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination
International Military Academic Forum (iMAF) 2019
Reichenau Castle, 21 May 2019
Alessandro MATTIATO
Civil-Military Relations Assistant DG ECHO.E1, International & Interinstitutional Relations, Legal Framework
Outline of presentation
• DG ECHO and EU humanitarian aid – basic facts
• Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination and future trends and challenges
• EU Concept on Effective Civil-Military Coordination in Support of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
EU Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR)
European Commission (Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations – DG ECHO) in charge of:
• DR: Coordinating EU response by Civil Protection authorities to natural disaster inside & outside EU
• HA: Providing humanitarian assistance to people in need outside of the EU, on the basis of needs and in line with the humanitarian principles.
HA & DR are civilian tasks. Implementation: humanitarian partners & MS Civil Protection authorities.
In exceptional situations: use of mil assets / capabilities only available to the military community.
EU-funded humanitarian operations
Protection from Gender-Based Violence in
Emergencies
Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination = the essential dialogue and interaction between civilian and military actors in humanitarian emergencies necessary to protect and promote humanitarian
principles, avoid competition, minimize inconsistency; and when appropriate, pursue common goals
Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination
EU humanitarian aid & CSDP – Areas of Operation
Future challenges: more relevant than ever before
More effective
Civil-Military Coordination
EU Integrated
Approach to External
Conflicts and Crises New EU
Level of Ambition (LoA) for
CSDP
EU Defence initiatives (PESCO,
EDF)
Evolving nature of
conflicts and crises
Increasing fragility and instability
Effects of climate change
Increasing humanitarian
needs
Need to focus on:
• Education • Training • Exercises • Lessons learnt
Knowledge, skills and competences for the future
• Understand, recognise and protect the humanitarian space
• Promote International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
• Encourage joint planning
• Share information, interact, communicate with humanitarians in Civil-Military Coordination fora
• Jointly develop doctrine and concepts
EU Concept on Effective Civil-Military Coordination in Support of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
• Provides operational guidance to EU Mission/Operation Commanders
• Increases mutual understanding
• Presents concrete ways to work together and complement each other’s efforts
• Favours respect for each other’s mandates and sensitivities
• Presents lessons learnt, best practices, education, training & exercises
Link to the concept
Process
• Excellent EU (Military Staff - DG ECHO) cooperation as part of the EU Integrated Approach
• 2-year process, in parallel with the development of UN OCHA “Recommended Practices for Effective Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination”
• Sept. 2017 workshop on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination
• Concept approved by the EU Military Committee (January 2019) and presented also in COHAFA
Presentation to Annual CMCoord Consultative Group
• Joint EUMS – DG ECHO presentation of the concept at the OCHA-led Annual CMCoord Consultative Group in Geneva, on 7 February
• Very positive feedback, in particular from OCHA, US (DoD, DoS) and ICRC, especially regarding level of ambition, comprehensiveness and detail on gender and WPS
Lessons learnt, education, training & exercises
• Ongoing and past EU Military Operations and Missions (EUFOR CAR, EUTMs)
• DG ECHO’s input to EU military planning
• 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
• IHL in EU Military Missions
• Training
• Exercises
DG ECHO input to CSDP planning (I)
• In real life situations: e.g. EUFOR CAR, EUTMs, EUNAVFOR MED
• In exercises: e.g. ML-14, ML-16, EU HEX-ML 18 (PACE), MILEX 19
• To all planning documents, from Political Framework for Crisis Approach (PFCA) to Operation Plan (OPLAN)/Mission Plan (MPLAN)
DG ECHO input to CSDP planning (II)
• Focus on humanitarian expertise and CMCoord
→ Best practice: IHL training modules by EUTMs, refugee law and non-refoulement training by EUNAVFOR MED/Operation Sophia
2014 Ebola Outbreak
• Activation of DG ECHO/EUMS Movement Planning Cell (Logistics Directorate) Administrative Arrangements
• 2 UK military Liaison Officers to the ERCC
• UK military MEDEVAC planes mobilised through UCPM
• HNLMS Frigate Karel Doorman for the transport of relief items through UCPM
Hurricane Matthew (Haiti 2016) & Cyclone Maria (Dominica 2017)
• HNLMS Frigate Karel Doorman for the transport of relief items through UCPM
What next?
• EU concept can serve as inspiration for national approaches?
• Dissemination of EU concept in national military academies
• Possible inclusion of core principles in national curricula
DG ECHO stands ready to offer support and expertise as required/needed
Thank you!
Alessandro MATTIATO
European Commission - Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid
Operations (DG ECHO) EU humanitarian aid @eu_echo
For more information:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo
