NGOs and the EU’s Responses to Emergencies and Crises. An Analysis of ECHO’s and Member States’ Support

Abstract

The study of the global policies for relief and reconstruction has produced, in recent decades, a wide and rich variety of analyses. The context of global emergency actions consists of different types of actors, institutions and agencies, procedures, norms, decisions, and practices. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are some of the most important non-state players of emergency policy-making and implementation. They are able to deploy a wide range of materials and logistics, and to make use of apposite capabilities while acting in peace-building and reconstruction activities. NGOs have their own approach to services provided to people affected by natural disasters and conflicts. In principle, this approach is complementary to those of states’ and International Governmental Organizations’ (IGOs). In practice, it can be divergent. Therefore, NGOs’ actions often clash with the programmes states and IGOs develop at sites of humanitarian intervention, but most of the time they interact and contribute, directly or indirectly, to shape the whole humanitarian system.