Stylianides' 7 priorities for EU humanitarian aid

Fiery passion, charm, a touch of humility and good preparation helped Christos Stylianides, the European Union’s prospective new commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, come through his confirmation hearing with flying colors on Sept. 30. MEPs were grilling all members-elect of the new European Commission before they voted Oct. 22 to accept Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's team. A relative unknown outside of his native Cyprus, Stylianides, who took office Nov. 1, is no stranger to members of the European Parliament’s influential Committee on Development, known as DEVE. “I was myself this year elected to this parliament and I know very well its importance,” said the commissioner-designate, who became an MEP himself for the center-right Democratic Rally party, which he also represented as a member of the parliament in his native Cyprus between 2006 and 2013. Referring to the conflict that tore Greek and Turkish communities apart in his own country in the mid-1970s, Stylianides mentioned how Cyprus has repeatedly been a recipient of emergency aid and solidarity. “I know how it is to live in fear, stripped of dignity. I have witnessed the pain of displacement. I understand the importance and the necessity of humanitarian aid.” 'Strong and convincing' Speaking in English during his introduction and subsequently answering questions in Greek, the commissioner-designate gave an impassioned performance, with a thundering voice rendering his microphone superfluous. “I want to be the voice of the voiceless, the spokesperson of the most vulnerable,” he asserted. But he also displayed humility, not afraid to admit that he “still had a lot to learn.” At the same time, Stylianides showed that he had clearly been well-briefed, talking fluidly about a wide range of ECHO aid topics, programs and processes. In presenting his work program, the commissioner-designate hinted at continuity by often quoting the outgoing Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Kristalina Georgieva. That went down well with MEPs, since the popular Georgieva has done much to raise the profile of EU humanitarian assistance in the past five years during her tenure. The outgoing commissioner returned the compliment to her successor in waiting by tweeting: ”Stylianides speaking from the heart! Strong & convincing.” Priorities Stylianides painted a grim picture of the humanitarian situation confronting the aid community, dominated by mega-crises in Syria, Ukraine or Ebola in West Africa. During the hearing, he explained how he would enforce the EU's commitment to address these and other crises in a discussion on priorities, policies and methods. There were seven notable priorities: 1. Implementing the humanitarian core mandate. First and foremost, Stylianides promised to stick to his core mandate. “We will continue to provide essential assistance to victims. The EU must not arrive with too little too late.” Furthermore, he is committed to assist forgotten crises. “Aid should not only go to the big crises in the limelight.” Stylianides reminded his audience of the need to help in protracted crises, such as in Palestine, Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia. Asked what he would do to bring aid to people in remote, hard to reach areas, he replied: “I am ready to talk with the devil if that is necessary to get access to people in need!” 2. Ebola. Stylianides highlighted the ongoing Ebola pandemic as one the biggest crises confronting the aid community, calling it “a typhoon in slow motion” that should be addressed as “a mega-natural disaster.” “There is a crucial need for something beyond coordination," he said. "We are bringing all our services together, and linking up with member states, humanitarian partners and donors. But more needs to be done.” Stressing the urgency of the situation, he announced that his first trip as commissioner would be to the Ebola-affected region of West Africa. “As a doctor, I have to be on the ground to form my own opinion.” “This is a brave commitment," said Croatian MEP Davor Ivo Stier, head of the center-right European People’s Party on the DEVE committee, following the hearing. “It would demonstrate EU leadership, since Stylianides would be the first international official to visit the Ebola-affected areas. It would also indicate that we want to isolate the Ebola virus, not the countries affected.” 3. Ensuring coherence. Stylianides stressed that he will push to ensure coherency of EU policies across the board. This will bring him in close cooperation with colleagues in related areas, notably the commissioner for development, Neven Mimica, but especially with Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini. As one of the so-called super-commissioners within Juncker's team, Mogherini oversees the Commission’s foreign affairs cluster, and Oxfam’s Deputy Director of Advocacy and Campaigns Natalia Alonso said that Stylianides will be dependent on strong backing from her "to preserve the humanitarian space." At the same time, humanitarian aid must remain independent and neutral. “All tools have to work together from analysis to action,” Stylianides said, “but the mandate of each tool has to be respected. Humanitarian aid is based on needs, not on political expediency.” Stylianides said he will uphold Georgieva’s "in-but-out" approach to keep humanitarian aid independent from foreign policy. This means that EU humanitarian actors are "in" to analyze fragility, design programs for better resilience and tackling causes of instability and poverty, for instance using assets under civilian leadership. But they are "out" when it comes to pursuing foreign policy or security objectives. The priority of humanitarian considerations was also clear in Stylianides’ reaction to a proposal from the room for a “refugee 2.0” policy that would take into account migration problems. “I absolutely agree, and I will work closely on this with the commissioner for migration. But my first concern will be to provide food, shelter and education for those in need. That would help to decrease the pressure of migratory flows.” 4. Defending humanitarian principles. In the same vein, Stylianides promised to mount a strong defense in favor of humanitarian principles, calling them “a precondition for success.” “The lack of compliance with international humanitarian law poses one of the biggest threats to populations and a major challenge for humanitarian actors. Without neutrality and independence, we may risk being denied access to victims in conflict situations,” he said. Some non-state actors are not even aware of their obligations under international law, while others seem to choose to purposefully disregard them, noted the commissioner-designate, who recalled that states are primarily responsible to respect and uphold IHL. 5. Strengthening resilience. Strengthening resilience is key for the future commissioner, said Stylianides, because it can help to avoid humanitarian crises. “Prevention is better than cure. Investing in resilience now is much more cost-effective than responding to a crisis tomorrow.” Humanitarian actors must therefore tackle the root causes of conflict. These can be addressed through poverty reduction and sustainable development. “I will work for more support to communities to withstand famine or conflict and to recover. The resilience of populations must be improved to better cope with stress, thereby increasing stability in fragile contexts.” To achieve this, he said, “fragility must be addressed before the tipping point is reached. I will insist on more robust early warning, crisis and conflict preparedness and preventions as well as early recovery, stabilization and peace-building. Drivers of conflict such as scarcity of resources and the effects of climate change need to be addressed together.” 6. Safeguarding funds. During his hearing, the commissioner-designate continuously stressed the need to mobilize actors who can provide new sources of financial support. “There are too many crises and not enough budget. We need to finance our NGOs so that they can work together with local NGOs to provide assistance. We must balance payments and commitments, and I need the parliament’s support for that.” Stylianides rejected calls for cuts in development and humanitarian aid in the EU’s 2015 budget: “There has to be a special treatment for humanitarian aid,” he said, pinning his hopes on a Commission proposal to provide 250 million euros ($313.5 million) of fresh payments for humanitarian aid. In the longer run, the EU’s Emergency Aid Reserve must be used as a flexible instrument to respond to new crises and disasters. For new contributions, Stylianides has cast his eye on emerging countries such as Brazil and India, as well as countries in the Islamic world. In that regard, he said it was “symbolic” that the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit will be held in Turkey. He also noted trust funds as an alternative source of future funding. 7. Supporting women and girls. Stylianides promised to devote special attention to the plight of women in crisis situations: “I was devastated by the testimonies in a recent report by the International Rescue Committee about the violence and harassment that displaced Syrian women and girls are suffering.” When an MEP asked how he would deal with sexual health issues in crisis areas, notably with women who became pregnant after rape, he answered: “This is a major issue in crises in Syria, Iraq and DRC. As a doctor, I am in favor of abortion in such cases, a woman should have that right. It is a question of morality to support the mother. But she should be able to make a well-informed decision within the legal framework of her country.” Neil Datta, secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, told Devex shortly after the hearing: “We welcome Mr. Stylianides’ passionate acknowledgement that women and girls suffer most in times of humanitarian crises … I was also glad to hear Mr. Stylianides’ emphasis on the Ebola outbreak and the crisis in Syria.” Was Stylianides the right choice to succeed Georgieva as the EU’s humanitarian aid chief? What do you think of his seven priorities? Please let us know by sending an email to news@devex.com or leaving a comment below. Read more development aid news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day.