What is humanitarian aid?
Humanitarian aid primarily involves saving and protecting lives during natural disasters and those caused by man-made activities, as well as:
- providing the necessary assistance and support to people exposed to long-term crises and delivering assistance in the so-called “forgotten crises”;
- carrying out short-term rehabilitation and reconstruction work, particularly in the area of infrastructure and equipment, in close cooperation with local institutions, taking into account, where possible, long-term development objectives;
- addressing issues associated with the consequences of migration (of refugees, displaced persons, and repatriates) caused by natural or man-made disasters;
- taking measures to prevent and reduce the effects of disasters.
Humanitarian aid funds come from the special-purpose reserve of the state budget administered by the Department of Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In situations of severe crises, other state authorities may also decide to provide humanitarian aid from resources at their disposal.
