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Resolution 2164 (2017)
Possible ways to improve the funding of emergency refugee situations
1. The Parliamentary Assembly underlines
that the financing of humanitarian assistance in the context of the
current migration and refugee crisis must be driven by the commitment
to guaranteeing the fundamental human and social rights and dignity
of the people afflicted by the current and protracted crises which
have displaced tens of millions of people from their homes and countries
as a consequence of war and other natural or man-made disasters.
2. The Assembly is aware that none of the humanitarian action,
burden-sharing of resources or management of large-scale movements
of people seeking asylum can be achieved efficiently without large financial
appropriations by national governments in their own countries, by
States with financial means donating to other States in need, and
by international organisations, non-governmental organisations and private
enterprise to the regions worst hit by the migration crises. While
it is the political and moral responsibility of all European countries
to contribute financial resources to dealing with the crises, according
to the means at their disposal, they must also do their utmost to
ensure that monies are spent where needs are greatest, keeping administrative
costs and structural obstacles to a minimum while assuring accountability
and transparency.
3. It is clear that the ongoing migration and refugee crisis
has not only revealed shortcomings and divergences between European
countries as regards burden-sharing, but has also exacerbated the weaknesses
in the funding frameworks of the major international organisations
in relation to humanitarian assistance, especially those of the
United Nations and the European Union, which like Europe’s regulatory frameworks
have been tested and proved lacking.
4. The United Nations system of needs assessment prior to budget
planning is very strained, with a growing gap between budget requirements
and funding available and a year-long race to secure funds for planned activities,
often in competition with other United Nations-funded sectors. Currently,
this gap amounts to double-digit billions in euros, covering less
than half the identified need. The European Union’s recent increased
focus on border control and “outsourcing” of humanitarian assistance
beyond the European Union’s borders may, if not solidly supported
on the ground, endanger the protection of the basic rights of migrants
and refugees. In member States, despite constant demonstrations
of popular solidarity, difficult domestic economic and political contexts
inspire hostility and rejection.
5. The Assembly regrets that the complex decision-making and
budgetary procedures and slow implementation of European Union programmes
on the ground leads to situations where assistance does not allow
infrastructure to be put in place and those in need to receive assistance
in a timely manner.
6. It welcomes the smaller-scale but important humanitarian assistance
provided through other channels, for instance the targeted loans
of the Council of Europe Development Bank, which allow rapid and
concrete action to be taken, especially for reception conditions
and well-being of migrants and refugees. Private funding, in particular
through formal or informal diaspora networks, is an important element
of funding for emergencies.
7. In view of the need to address the seriousness of the current
migration and refugee crisis by sharing the financial burden while
ensuring that spending is driven by humanitarian concerns balanced
out by the need to preserve the security and well-being of European
citizens, the Assembly:
7.1. supports
member States which devote a considerable part of their budget to
managing migration, especially countries of reception in the front
line of mass arrivals;
7.2. encourages all European States to step up the financial
burden-sharing of the current situation, including through international
frameworks for co-operation such as those of the European Union,
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) and other international humanitarian organisations;
7.3. calls on the European Union to continue its diversified
funding to improve reception conditions, accelerate asylum procedures
and encourage short- and medium-term integration of migrants and refugees,
alongside additional measures to reinforce security, border controls
and returns systems;
7.4. encourages member States to contribute to the resources
of the Migrant and Refugee Fund set up by the Council of Europe
Development Bank to continue to support emergency measures;
7.5. urges the United Nations and its member States to do their
utmost to fulfil the “Grand Bargain” agreed at the World Humanitarian
Summit in May 2016. In doing so, the UNHCR should ensure in particular:
7.5.1. greater transparency, harmonised and simplified reporting
requirements and the reduction of duplication and management costs;
7.5.2. data streamlining, with joint and impartial needs assessments
by specialists;
7.5.3. more support and funding for local and national actors
and the reduction of administrative barriers to partnerships;
7.5.4. increased use and co-ordination of cash-based programming;
7.5.5. increased collaborative humanitarian multi-year planning
and funding of humanitarian action;
7.5.6. a “participation revolution” to include people receiving
aid in making decisions which affect their lives;
7.5.7. enhanced engagement between humanitarian and development
actors.
8. The Assembly calls on the European Union to examine the possibility
of national debt relief in exchange for humanitarian commitments,
especially as the economies of countries at Europe’s borders and
therefore in the front line of the migration crisis (Greece and
Italy for instance) are put under unprecedented pressure.