COVID - 19

The European Commission is dedicated to mitigating the effects of the crisis within and beyond Europe’s borders. The people in need of humanitarian assistance worldwide are vulnerable and it is our joint responsibility to protect them the best we can. At the same time, the safety of humanitarian staff is primordial in order to ensure a successful implementation of response.

As part of the do no harm principle and in line with duty of care obligations, we are encouraging our partners to implement measures for protecting their staff and to ensure that humanitarian workers are not at risk.

DG ECHO has drafted Guidelines on the proposed measures linked to contractual obligations and the Note for Temporary relaxation of the requirement of signed distribution lists during the COVID-19 crisis. The mentioned documents are published on DG ECHO Partners’ website but not applicable as of 1st of July 2022. (See FAQ 206).

As of the 1 July 2022 the exceptional measures adopted during the COVID-19 crisis no longer apply, as such the Guidelines COVID-19 and Note on relaxation of distribution lists requirement.