GLOSSARY

APPEL, also called the Electronic exchange system, is the application for electronic exchange of information between DG ECHO and its partners.

Using APPEL, DG ECHO partners can update their administrative data necessary for the management of agreements, transmit operational and financial information and submit action proposals, action reports and modification requests through the Single Form.

Organisations which are not yet partners use APPEL to submit their application(s) for award of the EU Humanitarian Partnership Certificate.

A Certified Partner that receives a grant.

A Certificate is a stand-alone document. It is a statement by the Commission that the partner complies with a number of conditions

A Certified Partner that participates in the action. The co-partner is obliged to co-sign the grant agreement. Legally referred to as co-beneficiary.

Conflict of interest may arise in any situation where the impartial and objective implementation of an Agreement is compromised for reasons involving economic interest, political or national affinity, family or emotional ties or any other shared interest between the partner and any other party or person.

Any economic operator, being a natural or legal person, involved in the provision of supplies, works or services by means of a contract. The term contractor includes any buying agent or other profit-making entity specialised in offering technical assistance or procurement services to partners.

This principle requires the partners to strive to minimise the harm they may inadvertently be doing by being present in a country and providing assistance.

A situation whereby the same cost is reimbursed more than once.

The fulfilment of the specific objectives proposed and the achievement of the intended results. Effectiveness measures the extent to which an activity achieves its purpose, or whether this can be expected to happen on the basis of the outputs. Implicit within the criterion of effectiveness is timeliness.

The best relationship between resources employed and results achieved. Efficiency measures the outputs – qualitative and quantitative – achieved as a result of inputs. This generally requires comparing alternative approaches to achieving an output, to see whether the most efficient approach has been used.

See APPEL

People in need recipient of the humanitarian assistance

Where implementation of an action requires financial support to be given to beneficiaries, the partner may give such financial support in the form of cash, vouchers or prizes.

Unforeseeable exceptional situation or event beyond the parties’ control, which prevents either of them from fulfilling any or part of their obligations under the specific agreement, which was not attributable to error or negligence on their part or on the part of implementing partners or contractors and which proves to be inevitable in spite of exercising all due diligence.

Any intentional act or omission designed to deceive, resulting in the victim suffering a loss and/or the perpetrator achieving a gain. It includes internal and external misconduct. The intention to deceive is the key element which distinguishes fraud from irregularity. Fraud covers any infringement of the financial interests of the EU as defined by the ‘Convention on the protection of the European Communities’ financial interests', namely, in respect of expenditure, any intentional act or omission relating to: • The use of presentation of false, incorrect or incomplete statements or documents, which has as its effect the misappropriation or wrongful retention of funds from the EU budget or budgets managed by, or on behalf of, the European Union; • Non-disclosure of information in violation of a specific obligation, with the same effect; • The misappropriation of such funds for purposes other than those for which they were originally granted.

The principle of humanity means that human suffering must be addressed wherever it is found, with particular attention to the most vulnerable in the population. The dignity of all victims must be respected and protected.

The principle of impartiality denotes that humanitarian aid must be provided solely on the basis of need, without discrimination of any kind between or within affected populations.

A non-certified organisation, which implements parts of the action in the field or contribute to the implementation of the action on a non-profit basis. The implementing partner – usually active in the country or region of the action – is identified in the Single Form. It is not necessarily a local partner. The Grant Agreement holder retains full responsibility for the implementation of the action.

The principle of independence means that actions shall respect the autonomy of the humanitarian objectives from political, economic, military or other objectives that motivate actors in the regions where the actions are carried out. It also serves to ensure that the sole purpose of humanitarian aid remains to relieve and prevent the suffering of victims of humanitarian crises.

An organisation (NGO or a local authority), which assists a partner with the implementation of the action at local level. A local partner is always an implementing partner.

Niche organisations are organisations providing support and capacity building activities necessary for the implementation of a programme or an action. In the context of humanitarian aid, this may entail e.g. map-making, mine clearance, telecommunication, training, transport.

Upholding the principle of neutrality means that actions do not favour any side in an armed conflict or other dispute.

Changes to the grant agreement, which do not require mutual consent

For DG ECHO, a partner is a humanitarian organisation which has signed one of the following Partnership agreements: the Framework Partnership Agreement with Non-Governmental Organisations, the Framework Partnership Agreement with International Organisations and the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement between the United Nations and the European Union or which has been awarded a Certificate. It also includes Member States’ Specialised Agencies.

The form to be completed by the partners for the submission of their action proposals, reports and modification requests. The Single Form evolves together with the action.