Humanitarian and emergency assistance

Humanitarian Action

NZAID supplies ready for distribution in Munda

NZAID supplies ready for distribution in Munda. Source NZDF

NZAID leads the New Zealand Government Response to humanitarian crises in developing countries, whether these arise from natural disasters, conflict or factors such as poor governance and collapse of government systems. Our programmes under the Humanitarian Assistance to Natural Disasters and Conflict reflect NZAID's commitment to provide assistance to a wide range of humanitarian needs.

Humanitarian support is provided through multilateral and regional agencies, international voluntary agencies, New Zealand-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and direct bilateral assistance. Activities include disaster risk reduction and preparedness, immediate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction activities.

In addition, NZAID provides annual funding to key international humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations and Red Cross which enables them to respond to humanitarian emergencies in an effective and timely manner. This support, accompanied by NZAID engagement in agency governance, policy and evaluation processes helps ensure that capacity and readiness is maintained at a high level.

Humanitarian and emergency assistance is split between the following programmes:

Pacific natural disasters
Natural Disasters
Complex Emergencies and Transition Facilities
Multilateral Agency Support
Humanitarian Action Fund for New Zealand NGO’

Natural Disasters in the Pacific

New Zealand's immediate neighbourhood - the Pacific - is a key focus for NZAID's humanitarian response. Recognising New Zealand’s close links with countries in the region, New Zealand Agency for International Development takes a "hands on" whole-of-government approach when responding to disasters in the Pacific. The safety of people is the first priority, followed by the meeting of basic needs such as food, water, and shelter.

Responses are planned and managed by the Emergency Task Force, and can include reconnaissance and emergency supply flights, the provision of technical and specialist assistance and relief supplies as well as direct funding to partner governments and response agencies including NGO’s.

Natural Disasters

This allows for response to immediate need arising from natural disasters, from earthquakes to cyclones. The New Zealand response to natural disasters (in areas outside of the Pacific) usually consists of channelling grants towards international relief efforts. These can be through United Nations (UN) agencies, international NGOs or the International Red Cross Movement. This enables New Zealand assistance to be used for large-scale relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes.

Complex Emergencies and Transition Facility

This programme aims to address the immediate needs of people during and after a conflict. In its most basic form, humanitarian assistance needs to save lives and reduce suffering. It can encompass activities that prevent and mitigate the escalation of violence and includes the post-conflict reconstruction phase.
NZAID works through a variety of partners in the Complex Emergencies Transition Facility. We channel funding through multilateral organisations, other government agencies such as the New Zealand Police Force, international and local non-governmental organisations and national institutions where these are functioning.
Relevant link: Complex Emergencies Fact sheet (October 2007)

Multilateral Agency Support

In addition to the other means of support for humanitarian and emergency situations, NZAID provides annual assistance to multilateral partners. This includes United Nations (UN) and regional agencies, and international voluntary organisations.

This support for the multilateral system acknowledges that the individual country or even the region cannot always meet humanitarian needs. Providing core funding to humanitarian agencies better enables them to plan and strategise their future activities. They can also be the mechanisms for assistance where funding is allocated to a specific disaster from another NZAID programme.
In 2007, we are providing support to the following multilateral agencies:

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Core support to United Nations development agencies, such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also helps to ensure they have the necessary capacity to play effective roles in humanitarian crisis situations.

Humanitarian Action Fund for New Zealand NGO’s

In building an effective agency response to emergency situations, NZAID recognises the importance of supporting NGOs to work at the grassroots level. The NGO Humanitarian Action Fund (HAF) is a contestable fund that is open to accredited New Zealand-based NGOs that are partnered with in-country counterpart organisations for emergency and disaster relief, rehabilitation and preparedness/mitigation activities.

The KOHA-PICD Programme Management Committee (PMC) with the addition of the vice-chair of the NGO Disaster Relief Forum (NDRF, a committee of the New Zealand NGO umbrella group, the Council for International Development, for those NGOs involved in humanitarian assistance work), makes funding recommendations to NZAID Management.