European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps

14/05/2012 - The European Humanitarian Aid Voluntary Corps is shaping up. The pilot phase is ongoing and the European Commission will soon prepare a proposal on the future shape of this new programme. But in the meantime, the Corps needs a name. Everybody is invited to make proposals and suggestions. We invite you to join the online public forum and enter your proposals.

The forum will be open from April 19 to May 31, 2012. Until 18 May, 12am everyone with a creative idea can make proposals. On 31 May voting on the proposals will close.

Have your say - and do not hesitate to spread the news. For further info visit www.name4volunteers.eu

Pilot projects: first impressions from volunteers

European Humanitarian Aid Volunteer Olivia Defrene in Vanuatu (05/2012)
Emergency aid work as a career choice (March 2012)
Picture story from Kenya (March 2012)

The Humanitarian Aid Corps takes shape: The 2012 Call for proposals is open

The Call and all relevant documents can be directly accessed here

DG ECHO has organized in December 2012 an info session to present the main expected features of the call for proposals 2012.
Please find here the powerpoint presentations on the main features and the contractual information.

Please note that the two powerpoint presentations are purely indicative and that only the above mentioned call is legally binding.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 05/03/2012.

The first pilot projects started in June 2011

DG ECHO has chosen two of its main partner organisations in Humanitarian Aid to run the first pilot projects and recruit, select, train and deploy the first European Humanitarian Volunteers:

Save the Children UK together with the Network of Humanitarian Assistance 'NOHA', Institut Bioforce Développement (Bioforce, France) as partners and Caritas Czech Republic; Save the Children Denmark and Johanniter Germany as associate organisations.
The call for candidates for this project was closed on 24th July. (You can see the full call here).

Factsheet of the project

Watch a movie of the first volunteers training for deployment to the field:

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Red Cross France together with the German Red Cross, the Austrian Red Cross; and the Bulgarian Red Cross as partners and the International Federation of Red Cross / Red Crescent Societies (CH) as associate organisation. Project has started in autumn 2011, the call for applications is closed.

Factsheet of the project

DG ECHO's movie on the launch of the pilot projects on 17 June 2011 in Budapest:

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Background info to the pilot projects: Preparatory Actions

Annual work programme 2012 for a Preparatory Action concerning the European Voluntary Corps
Call for proposal 2011 for pilot projects
Preparatory Action- Work Programme for grants 2011
Preparatory Action: financing decision
Invitation to the information session of the 11th of February
Powerpoint presentations on Preparatory Action: [1] - [2]

Context and previous steps

The Lisbon Treaty foresees the establishment of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, Art 214.5 TFEU.

A Communication presenting the main principles and options has been adopted on the 23rd of November COM(2010)683 final. Some gaps and areas where the Voluntary Corps is likely to have an added value are identified. These include:

identification and selection of volunteers (aimed at having the right people at the right place at the right time);
training, through the development of common standards, good practices and possibly modules;
deployment, in order to benefit from volunteers in EU humanitarian aid operations.

The main conditions for the Voluntary Corps to bring a positive contribution to humanitarian aid operations include:

Avoid duplication and support/complement existing voluntary organisations.
Take into account the increased professionalization of the humanitarian sector, including the need for volunteers deployed through the Voluntary Corps to provide real added value.
Security: young and un-experienced volunteers will be dealing with pre and post crisis activities rather than emergency response ones (Disaster Risk Reduction and activities in transition contexts).
Support to the development of local capacities, including exchange and pairing programmes.
Allocation of additional funds, in order to avoid diverting operational humanitarian aid budget.

A 1 m € budget has been allocated to a preparatory action for 2011. The preparatory action will support the Commission in the process leading-up to the establishment of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps through further consultation (conferences, workshops) and through the implementation of pilot actions aimed at selecting, training and deploying EU volunteers.

A public consultation was held early 2011 to further explore views of EU citizens and stakeholders (see below).

A legislative proposal is planned for 1st semester 2012 to establish the Voluntary Corps.

Public consultation (February to May 2011)

The Commission conducted an open Stakeholders Consultation to gather ideas and opinions for the establishment of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps. The online consultation lasted 12 weeks from 08 February to 03 May 2011 and will serve as a basis for the Commission legislative proposal to be presented in 2012.

Responses are requested on a range of issues. These include: