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For NGOs working in the humanitarian aid sector, links with international institutions are essential.
EUROPEAN UNION
Among the various bodies of the European Union, the two main European Commission institutions concerned with solidarity are the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). In 2020, with the help of its European network, Médecins du Monde also secured funding from the DG Justice for its projects in support of migrants in Europe and by the DG NEAR for its project in Egypt. Since 2017, Médecins du Monde has been a sub-recipient of grants from the European Union’s Trust Funds. — DG ECHO’s mandate is to provide aid and emergency relief to people affected by natural disasters or conflicts outside the EU. DG ECHO works in partnership with around 200 organisations (European NGOs, the Red Cross Network and specialist United Nations agencies). DG ECHO has a budget of around 1.4 billion euros to fund humanitarian projects in more than 90 countries (2019 figure). — DG INTPA is responsible for implementing the aid mechanisms of the European Commission, one of the main contributors of official development assistance. — Since its creation 25 years ago, the MdM network has been a particularly active member of the Brussels-based NGO collective, VOICE (Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies), which acts as an interface between European humanitarian aid NGOs and EU institutions (European Commission/DG ECHO, European Parliament, Member States). VOICE brings together more than 80 European NGOs, including the largest and most influential. MdM France represents the international network on several VOICE working groups, such as the FPA Watch Group.
— MdM’s dealings with DG INTPA are conducted through CONCORD (European Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs) via the French NGO collective, Coordination Sud, which lobbies EU institutions and contributes to the development of common positions on European development policy and other major aspects of North-South relations. — The Council of Europe (COE) brings together 46 European States. MdM’s international network has consultative status with the CoE and is a member of INGO- Service, a liaison group of NGOs holding this status.
UNITED NATIONS
— The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the main coordinating body for the economic and social activities of the UN and its specialist bodies and institutions. MdM’s network has level 1 consultative status (the highest level), allowing it to conduct lobbying actions – notably directed at the Human Rights Commission. It has observer status on this subsidiary body of ECOSOC. — MdM’s international network is represented at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). — Since the start of 2018, MdM has been recognised as a WHO official partner and is an active member of the civil society reference group working on WHO recommendations concerning viral hepatitis. — MdM is a member of the International Council of Voluntary Organisations (ICVA), a Genevabased network of NGOs that focuses on humanitarian issues. ICVA brings together over 100 international NGOs working in 160 countries. Its aim is to promote and lobby for more effective and ethical humanitarian action. It works with UN bodies, tackling a variety of issues, such as relations between aid workers and the military, the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, and increasing funding for international and national NGOs.
INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS
