Polish aid

As a signatory of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, Poland has agreed to observe the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief.

As a member of the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) forum, Poland has committed itself to observing the guidelines set out in the Principles and Good Practice of Humanitarian Donorship and the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.

In the context of the transfer of medicines and medical assistance, Poland is guided by the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, while in the context of complex crisis situations it conducts its activities in accordance with the OECD-DAC guidelines for the evaluation of humanitarian aid.

Poland provides humanitarian aid also in line with the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, which means that it is guided by the following principles:

• humanity: human beings must be treated in a humane way in all circumstances, which is manifested by saving human lives and alleviating suffering while ensuring respect for the rights of an individual;
• impartiality: humanitarian aid must be provided solely on the basis of need; its provision must not depend on the nationality, race, religion or political beliefs;
• neutrality: humanitarian aid must not favour any side in an armed conflict or a dispute during which it is provided;
• independence: the autonomy of humanitarian objectives from political, economic, military or other objectives.

In addition, Poland provides humanitarian aid after a thorough analysis of the affected population’s needs. Particularly relevant in the needs analysis are appeals and reports of the UN’s and the ICRC’s humanitarian agencies, as well as the results of DG ECHO’s Global Needs Assessment and Forgotten Crises Assessment. This means that in its decision processes on allocating humanitarian aid funding, Poland takes account not only of sudden, unforeseen and highly visible humanitarian crises but also of the “protracted” and “forgotten” crises. Another important principle guiding Poland’s humanitarian activities is donating resources proportionally to the scale of a crisis.

Besides, the following principles are crucial:

• speed: it is vital that aid reach those in need as soon as possible after a disaster which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Smooth delivery of aid means reducing the damage caused by a protracted crisis (epidemics, famine, weather conditions);
• appropriateness: aid should fully respond to the needs of the population affected by a crisis. This implies obtaining information from the recipient country’s authorities, Polish diplomatic missions, as well as NGOs, in particular international ones;
• the lowest possible administrative costs: the need to ensure that the costs involved in aid provision (planning, transport, administrative services) are as low as possible in relation to the value of the actually disbursed aid.