The UK Government Response to the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review

Lord Ashdown’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) has raised the bar for the UK Government. It has given direction, reminded us of key principles and outlined a new approach to ensure we are fit to respond to emergencies in the 21st Century. The review requires a step change in the way we work, in our humanitarian work and in our development work.

This response document sets out what that step change will look like. It also sets out the framework for the UK’s humanitarian policy going forward.
The HERR themes are relevant not just for rapid onset emergencies, but also for our work in protracted conflict and fragile states. The HERR sets out the core principles that will guide all our humanitarian work, and the key policy commitments that will shape our actions in the coming years. Over the
next three months we will develop a short policy note that covers all DFID humanitarian action, including protracted emergencies.

The UK firmly commits to applying the core principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality to all UK Government humanitarian action, including respect for international humanitarian law. The UK strongly reaffirms its commitment to the European Consensus on humanitarian aid and the UN General Assembly resolution 46/182 on strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian assistance, and the principles and practice of Good Humanitarian Donorship. Together these principles and international commitments will guide our humanitarian work. Common to all of these is the principle that our humanitarian action will be based on need, and need alone.

This key principle has underpinned UK policy towards humanitarian action in recent years. The UK has been a pioneer in the establishment of the expanded UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and its largest contributor to date. The CERF provides fast and flexible funding to the multi-lateral system, including for forgotten emergencies, but more importantly it provides it on the basis of need, not political interest. The same is true of country-level pooled funds, which the UK Government supports in some of the largest and most protracted humanitarian crises, and of our core funding to multilaterals.

In line with this approach, the UK will deliver humanitarian assistance in three key modes:
• Multilaterally, through core, predictable increased support for our humanitarian partners, through mechanisms such as CERF, and through new mechanisms to support non-government organisations (NGOs).
• In humanitarian emergencies, where there is compelling and overwhelming need, by providing additional funding to the international system where it needs additional resource to save lives, including providing funds to governments and local civil society when appropriate.
• Where there is comparative advantage, or overwhelming public interest, the UK Government may respond directly.

In line with the recommendations of the HERR, the UK Government will develop a new and vital component to its humanitarian and development work. We will commit to making resilience a core part of the work
of all our country offices, and show international leadership on this important area of work. Being more anticipatory and innovative will be a part of this. In the medium to long term this will result in more lives saved, and faster and more efficient response to major disasters. Crucially, building resilience will also safeguard development gains, and contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in those communities and countries where these targets have been the most challenging.
We endorse the seven themes of the HERR and have used these to structure our response. We will honour our international commitments, we will champion accountability and transparency in aid and we will work to combat the impact of climate change. We will also strengthen our focus on women and girls, amongst the most vulnerable groups that carry much of the burden resulting from emergencies. We will do this in partnership – as a network enabler, working with the multilateral system and non-government organisations (NGOs), with established donors and forming relationships with important new donors.
The challenges highlighted in the HERR will mean a new way of thinking
and working for both DFID and the international system. In partnership with others, DFID will work for change. A new way of working will mean countries better able to respond to, and withstand, disasters. It will mean a faster and more professional international response system. And it will mean greater transparency and accountability to the people who receive assistance and those who pay for it. The result of this, implemented properly, will be many thousands of lives saved, and scarce resources better used.