I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 123 together.
One of the objectives of Ireland's programme of development co-operation is improving the situation of the millions of people affected by crisis, conflict and natural disasters in Africa and elsewhere in the world. Africa, where Ireland has six priority country programmes, is of particular concern where many local conflicts have spilt over into a large crisis belt spanning across the continent from Sudan in the north-east through the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes in the centre to Angola in the south-west. This is exacerbated in some regions by the effects of natural disasters such as the ongoing drought that extends from the Horn of Africa far into Asia. The humanitarian situation in other regions of the world continues to be precarious in protracted crisis areas, particularly least developed and conflict-ridden states.
In view of these overall developments, it is more important than ever for the humanitarian community, including the European Union, to develop effective policies and procedures so that the available resources are spent as effectively as possible to meet the most urgent and pressing humanitarian needs.
The evaluations of EU aid have highlighted the complex internal financial controls, a centralised bureaucracy, a proliferation of different funding instruments and a lack of co-ordination between different directorates in the Commission, as impeding the effective delivery of EU aid. The current institutional reform process within the European Union's institutions, therefore, provides a unique window of opportunity for the European Community humanitarian office to reposition itself within an evolving institutional context. It has already initiated internal reform as a consequence of the 1999 Communication on the Assessment and Future of Community Humanitarian Assistance. The year 2001 will be a decisive year for ECHO to introduce a number of changes in the organisation.