Introduction

• Author: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) (European Commission), Landell Mills International
• Pages: 91-96

Final Evaluation Report: Part B- NRC Partnership Evaluation

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5. Introduction

5.1. Background to the partnership

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Established in 1946 to assist refugees in Europe after World War II, the Norwegian Refugee Committee

(NRC) is an independent, humanitarian, rights-based organisation committed to the principles of

humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality. It currently works in new and protracted crises in 31

countries with a mission to protect the rights of displaced and vulnerable persons. Its programmes aim

to provide assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs, prevent further displacement and

contribute to durable solutions. Programme focus is in the core competency areas of camp

management, food assistance, clean water, shelter, legal aid, and education. NRC is known for its

attention to advocacy for displaced people, through which it aims to alert the world to injustices and to

promote and defend displaced people's rights and dignity in local communities, with national

governments and in the international arena.122

In addition to the country programme focus, NRC established the Internal Displacement Monitoring

Centre in Geneva to be a global leader in monitoring, reporting on and advocating for people displaced

within their own country.123 It also has a facility (NORCAP) which can rapidly deploy experts from all over

the world to support the United Nations (UN) agencies and local authorities in humanitarian crises.

In 2017, NRC’s total income reached USD 490 million and the organisation employed around 14,000

staff, mostly hired locally to work in the field.124 NRC is a decentralised organisation with authority vested

at field level in the country offices. It maintains a headquarters in Oslo as well as several regional offices.

Due to the importance of the partnership with DG ECHO, NRC maintains an office in Brussels to develop

and maintain a close working relationship. It has Partnership and Advocacy Advisers who provide support

to NRC country offices to ensure quality and compliance.

Framework Partnership

The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) has

a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) with NRC, as well as with more than 200 diverse partner

organisations providing humanitarian assistance throughout the world. FPAs for NGOs are in recognition

of their vital role and added value in providing humanitarian assistance because of their field presence,

flexibility, specialisation, and because they are a direct expression of active citizenship at the service of

humanitarian actions. These FPAs enable DG ECHO to have comprehensive coverage of ever-

expanding needs across the world in increasingly complex situations. The DG ECHO Partnership

guidelines (2014)125 require partnership to be based on:

• Transparency and accountability towards all stakeholders, including beneficiaries of aid;

• Strategies and initiatives to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian aid though coordinated

humanitarian response;

• Duty of care toward humanitarian workers and volunteers, with special attention to their safety in the

field and, to the extent possible, to their professional development;

• Coherence with regard to sectorial and thematic issues;

• Evidence-based learning culture; and

122 https://www.nrc.no/who-we-are/about-us/

123 http://www.internal-displacement.org/about-us

124 NRC Annual Report 2017 (latest available)

125 DG ECHO (2015). Framework Partnership Agreement 2014 Guidelines, version September 2015