We are concerned that in recent years the international community, including host and donor governments and international organisations, has not become more effective in responding to crises. In many cases, political actors have not fulfilled their responsibilities in creating the necessary conditions for humanitarian organisations to carry out their work effectively. Improving the technical aspects of humanitarian assistance is important, but in isolation from the political is insufficient.

The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), a global network of NGOs, welcomes the Fribourg Forum as an initiative that aims to improve humanitarian response in crises in Europe and the Newly Independent States.

It has been only in exceptional situations that the international community has been confronted with a capacity problem where the needs of the population outweigh the supplies and resources available. The question of adequate capacity should not be confused with a problem of humanitarian access. For months, the Russian Federation has failed to assure access to impartial humanitarian organisations, including NGOs, to the civilian population in Chechnya, which was the target of indiscriminate attacks and other serious war crimes.

We are concerned that the recent prominence of the military has compromised humanitarian principles and blurred the distinction between the military and humanitarian organisations. We welcome the recommendation in the Framework for Action that when military capacity and assets are used, they must be only in support of humanitarian actors. Furthermore, we would add that such military support must be coordinated by civilians. We urge governments to develop or strengthen, in particular, civilian units that can be deployed in those exceptional cases where logistical capacities are necessary that fall beyond the resources of humanitarian organisations.

While crises have become more complex, many new actors claiming to be humanitarian have emerged. A number of these actors, however, have little knowledge or experience in providing humanitarian assistance and their background, motivation, and ways of operating remain unclear. Others are merely political actors that have metamorphosised in order to improve their public image.

In this respect, we reiterate that all humanitarian actors must be neutral, impartial, and independent and follow the principles elaborated in the Code of Conduct for the Red Cross Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief.

NGOs play a crucial role in voluntary, independent humanitarian action. In fact, in most crises, NGOs carry out the majority of the humanitarian operations, either on their own or as implementing partners of UN agencies and international organisations.

As representatives covering the whole spectrum of civil society, NGOs are in a unique position given their role of mobilising public support and translating a common will into concrete actions. NGOs have several comparative advantages, including their proximity to the beneficiaries, their speed, and their flexibility. Many NGOs have an established reputation and extensive experience and expertise in carrying out humanitarian activities world-wide and are part of established and recognised networks.

The SPHERE Project to define a humanitarian charter and minimum humanitarian standards in five technical areas is a clear demonstration of the commitment of NGOs to finding new ways to improve performance and increase accountability. We call on governments and international organisations to familiarise themselves with, and adopt, the humanitarian charter and minimum standards.

Contrary to popular belief, NGOs are not adverse to coordination. We note, however, that coordination is not just a matter of a central cell dividing labour under which NGOs are pressured to assume roles. NGOs view coordination as a consultative process, under civilian leadership, in which all participants are recognised partners on an equal footing and which is based on respect for, and complementarity of, mandates and missions. We call on governments to give priority to funding NGO-driven coordination mechanisms. While often less attractive than funding direct relief, such mechanisms can contribute to the increased effectiveness of humanitarian response.

While we agree that neighbouring and partner States are often the most immediate sources of assistance, we are concerned that bilateral assistance may by-pass or override multilateral coordination mechanisms. The independent evaluation of UNHCR's performance during the Kosovo crisis provides clear evidence that the many bilateral efforts of States, prompted by strong political interests, seriously undermined UNHCR's lead-agency role and coordination tasks, which it had been given by the international community.

In view of their significant role in humanitarian action, we note with concern that NGOs have not been involved in the preparation process leading to the Fribourg Forum. We consider this not to be in conformity with practice and call on governments to include NGOs in any follow-up initiatives, be it on a national, regional, or international level.