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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1244/2014 of 20 November 2014 laying down rules for the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps ( ‘EU Aid Volunteers initiative’ ) Text with EEA relevance

Type Implementing Regulation

Publication 2014-11-21

State In force

Text As published

Department European Commission

Source EUR-Lex

articles 39

This is the act as published. Later amendments are not folded into the text below: each one is a separate act in this repository and an entry in this law's history.

Reform history JSON API

(e) eligibility and exception criteria (if any) as regards the equal opportunities and non-discrimination principles;

(f) selection criteria and minimum requirements to serve as exclusion criteria, if applicable (such as level of competences, motivation and other relevant criteria such as experience, language skills, medical aptitude to travel and work in developing countries, availability) and an indication as to whether junior or senior professional profiles are sought;

(g) indications as to whether the position is expected to be combined with an apprenticeship placement;

(h) conditions of service, including details on the length of deployment, learning opportunities, working and living conditions, including accommodation and subsistence payments, flights, insurance coverage, medical and necessary vaccinations, etc.;

(i) closing date and time for submission of applications;

(j) timing of shortlisting and interview(s);

(k) interview process;

(l) expected date of decision on outcome; and

(m) expected timetable (date of training, where relevant, apprenticeship placement, pre-deployment preparation and induction, deployment and post-deployment activities).

3. Requirements for working hours, leave allowance and working space

Factors	General requirements	Minimum requirements
Working hours	— Appropriate working hours shall be agreed between the sending and hosting organisation on the basis of the latter's policies and then discussed and agreed with the EU Aid Volunteer. — The agreed working hours shall leave room for the EU Aid Volunteer's development time as established in their task assignment and performance objectives.	— Regular working hours shall not exceed 40 hours per week on average, calculated over a four-month period. — Overtime and emergency work hours shall be negotiated with the EU Aid Volunteer, taking account of their psychological and physical well-being. — Overtime and emergency working hours and rest shall comply with minimum requirements provided for in Directive 2003/88/EC⁵ and relevant national law.
Leave allowance	— Appropriate leave allowance shall be agreed between the sending and hosting organisation on the basis of the latter's policies and then discussed and agreed with the EU Aid Volunteer. — If leave allowances vary between role categories, the leave allowance shall match that for local staff in the same or similar roles. — The leave allowance shall include: — Monthly leave allowance; — Sick leave; — Home leave, if the deployment period exceeds 18 months; — Parental leave, including maternity and paternity leave. At the request of an EU Aid Volunteer whose deployment period exceeds six months, the parental leave may also include days off work to go back to the country of residence of (a) dependent child(ren) under the age of 12; — Special leave in the event of the funeral or medically certified serious illness of an ascending or descending direct relative, spouse or registered partner, or sibling.	— Where local provision is very low, the sending organisation shall ensure that International Staff provision is used as a minimum benchmark to determine the EU Aid Volunteer's leave allowance. — In any case, the monthly leave allowance shall consist of two days per month, which the EU Aid Volunteer shall take in the course of his/her deployment.
Timing of leave	— Annual monthly leave shall be discouraged at the beginning or end of the placement. — Home leave may be used at the request of the EU Aid Volunteer nine months after the beginning of the placement and sufficiently in advance of its end.
Working space	— The hosting organisation shall provide a dedicated working space for the EU Aid Volunteer in accordance with their task assignment and the agreed secure, safe and healthy working conditions based on the indicators set out in point 7 of Annex I.

4. Requirements for accommodation

1. Each EU Aid Volunteer shall have a clean lockable room with access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The room shall be located at a reasonable distance from the EU Aid Volunteer's main working location.

1. Accommodation for EU Aid Volunteers may take the form inter alia of a room with a host family, individual housing or housing with other EU Aid Volunteers.

1. To the extent possible, the accommodation shall facilitate integration of EU Aid Volunteers in the local community and enable them to interact with the expatriate community.

1. Language considerations shall be taken into account when assessing accommodation options.

1. The EU Aid Volunteers shall have access to means of communication enabling them to contact the hosting and sending organisations as well as their relatives.

5. Requirements for the security management and evacuation plan

The security management and evacuation plan shall include as a minimum the following:

(a) information on the crisis management officer/team in the sending organisation and relevant contact details to be shared with the hosting organisation and the EU Aid Volunteer;

(b) the organisational chart of any staff holding responsibilities for security risk management in both the sending and the hosting organisation, including current contact details;

(d) a security incident reporting mechanism for the sending and hosting organisations;

(e) an evacuation plan;

(f) provisions for medical evacuation in line with the provisions for insurance referred to in Article 24;

(g) context-specific information, guidelines and rules provided by the hosting organisation;

(h) a mechanism for regular review by the sending organisation, with updates provided by the hosting organisation (as required by the country-specific environment);

(i) scenario planning organised by the sending organisation with the hosting organisation to assess potential security situations and test the security management and evacuation plan; where possible, drill exercises shall be organised in order to ensure smooth cooperation between the sending and hosting organisations in an emergency scenario; and

(j) the support available in the sending and hosting organisations for the physical, material and psychological security and safety of the EU Aid Volunteers.

6. Requirements for the risk assessment

The risk assessment shall cover as a minimum the following:

(a) general situation in the country of deployment (such as economic situation, recent history and anticipated changes to establish levels of risk and insecurity regarding political instability and complexity, conflicts, civil unrest, ethnic and religious dynamics, etc. to establish a map of threats, the likelihood of each threat occurring and their likely impacts);

(b) natural-disaster risk-mapping;

(d) other agencies operating at the same location;

(e) contingencies and evacuation plans;

(f) facilities (offices and accommodation);

(g) reporting mechanisms and monitoring for security incidents;

(h) connectivity and communications available and communication equipment (including accessibility and level of reliability); and

(i) availability of transport and current maps, including freedom of movement and ease of access.

7. Indicators for safe and healthy working and living conditions

The following indicators for safe and healthy working and living conditions shall be used:

(a) mapping of diseases prevalent in the area (water-, mosquito-, human-borne, seasonal, etc.), including the level of likelihood and impacts;

(b) availability and accessibility of first-aid support (internally and externally), fire wardens and services, medical facilities and professionals (e.g. hospitals, nurses, access to medication);

(c) the level of maintenance for all locations (offices and accommodation); availability of electricity points, lighting, ventilation, sanitation and hygiene facilities;

(d) the level of vehicle maintenance, regular inspection and servicing, appropriate equipment (such as radio, first-aid kit, seat belts, water, blanket);

(e) availability and quality of desk space, chairs, computer equipment;

(f) provisions for leave and working hours; access to recreational activities and sports facilities, libraries, markets, etc.; degree of remoteness; access to private space, religious buildings; and

(g) health-and-safety incident reporting mechanisms and monitoring.

Directive 2003/88/EC of 4 November 2003 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time (OJ L 299, 18.11.2003, p. 9).

ANNEX II

Training curriculum

Module title	Days of face-to-face training	Target group/status	Key learning outcomes: the participants shall …	Main competences addressed
1) General introduction to the Union, its external relations and crisis response system	0.5	All groups/mandatory	Understand and describe the EU and its basic functioning and principles; Understand and explain EU external action, including Common Foreign and Security Policy and crisis response system as well as the EU's comprehensive approach to external crises; Understand and explain the role of the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection in humanitarian aid and civil protection, including its field network;	Understanding humanitarian contexts and applying humanitarian principles
2) Introduction to humanitarian action, the Union humanitarian aid policy and the EU Aid Volunteers initiative	1.5	All groups/mandatory
The Union humanitarian aid policy and the EU Aid Volunteers initiative			Understand the EU Aid Volunteers initiative including its communication plan, how it works and what they can do to stay part of it; Face their placement with realistic expectations; Act autonomously and create their own ‘volunteering experience’; Understand how their public action and behaviour affect the image of the EU Aid Volunteer initiative and the mission they will join; and Be aware of the ‘do's and don'ts’ during deployment concerning issues such as communication with media, publishing information on social media, participation in demonstrations, etc.	Understanding humanitarian contexts and applying humanitarian principles Autonomy Demonstrating leadership Managing one's own expectations Volunteering mind-set Communication
General framework of humanitarian action			Provide definitions of humanitarian aid; Name three humanitarian principles; Understand and describe the key elements of the international system of disaster risk reduction, response and humanitarian aid and recovery; Understand and describe the roles and responsibilities of key international stakeholders in disaster, pre- and post-disaster areas; Understand and explain the UN's central and overall coordination role in promoting a coherent international response to humanitarian crises; Know about regional mechanisms for cooperation in disaster management; Understand and explain the requirements, constraints and objectives of the various stakeholders and the challenges of coordinating stakeholders in humanitarian action, linking disaster relief and rehabilitation and building resilience; Understand changing aid and development paradigms, resilience approach; and Post-2015 international agenda.	Understanding humanitarian contexts and applying humanitarian principles Accountability Achieves and transmits results of action and capacity building Working with others
International humanitarian law			Name the main points of I-IV Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the 1977 Additional Protocols; Understand the role of international humanitarian law (IHL) in the international humanitarian system and its applications to concrete emergency situations; Have a basic understanding of international disaster response law and international human rights law; and Know the main points of the European Consensus on humanitarian aid and the European Consensus on development aid.	Understanding humanitarian contexts and applying humanitarian principles Accountability
Introduction to the sectors of humanitarian aid			Know and describe the specific needs of the following sectors of humanitarian aid: — Food and nutrition; — Health; — WASH; — Disaster risk reduction; — Protection; — Shelter; — Refugees and IDPs; — Livelihoods; — Linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD); — Resilience; — Gender; and — Conflict prevention.	Understanding humanitarian contexts and applying humanitarian principles Demonstrating leadership
Codes of conduct and standards			Know and apply Sphere core standards and protection principles; Know and apply People in Aid Code; Know and apply the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) Standard in Accountability and Quality Management; Know and apply International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGO) Accountability Charter; Know and interpret the definition of accountability according to HAP; Name the six HAP benchmarks; Name the nine principles of INGO Charter; and Understand and exercise accountability towards the final beneficiaries of humanitarian aid.	Understanding humanitarian contexts and applying humanitarian principles Accountability Demonstrating leadership
3) Managing personal safety, health and security	1.5	All volunteers/mandatory	Know and follow security strategies and procedures; Understand the importance of following organisations' safety procedures when deployed; Know how to prepare before deployment; Be able to identify, prevent and mitigate risks during a mission; Be able to act in situations where threat occurs; Have basic first-aid skills; and Have basic stress management and psychological first-aid skills.	Managing personal safety, health and security Self-awareness and resilience Autonomy
4) Project management, Introduction Level 1 (Introduction to the lifecycle of humanitarian aid missions/ projects)	1.5	Junior professionals	Describe the main stages of the project cycle and the specific principles applied to these in the context of humanitarian aid; Develop an outline for a basic project application; Carry out a basic needs assessment under the supervision of a more senior colleague; Draw up an implementation plan for a simple project in their area of expertise, in consultation with more senior colleagues; Develop basic tools for financial management of a project; Identify the main roles and tasks for other persons needed in the project; Develop an approach to monitoring of a simple project; and Outline an evaluation approach for a simple project.	Managing projects in humanitarian contexts Accountability Demonstrating leadership Achieves and transmits results of action and capacity building
5) Project management, Advanced Level 2 (Introduction to the lifecycle of humanitarian aid missions/projects and programmes)	1.5	Senior professionals	Apply their experience of project cycle to the sector of humanitarian aid in which they will be active; Understand and be capable of applying the principles of humanitarian aid to the project cycle when it comes to involvement of local communities, accountability, specific attention being paid to gender issues and vulnerable groups; Carry out needs assessment for a project in his/her area of expertise; Develop a project application; Draw up an implementation plan for a project in their area of expertise; Develop tools for financial management of a project; Identify the main roles and tasks for other persons needed in the project; Identify the briefing and guidance needs; Carry out a risk assessment for the project; Develop an approach to monitoring the project; Outline an evaluation approach for the project; Understand the key principles for successful reporting; and Identify the main requirements for financial and administrative reporting.	Managing projects in humanitarian contexts Accountability Demonstrating leadership Achieves and transmits results of action and capacity building
6) Inter-cultural awareness (and transversal issues)	1	All volunteers/mandatory	Understand the importance of demonstrating cultural sensitivity; Understand the possible negative consequences of behaving in a stereotyped manner; Describe what stereotypes are and how they are conveyed; Describe the different reactions in the context of a new culture (withdrawal, resentment, feeling of superiority, over-identification, etc.); Understand the main features of culture and how these are translated into practice; Understand the importance of non-verbal communication; Understand differences in communication styles and adjust communication; Describe and apply the key principles of giving constructive feedback; Be aware of the importance of developing and implementing gender-sensitive behaviour; and Understand the main principles of mainstreaming.	Inter-cultural awareness Working with others Communication Managing one's own expectations
7) Scenario-based exercise	3	All volunteers/mandatory	This component is aimed at testing how the participants have acquired the key learning outcomes of previous modules and test their ability to: — Analyse the context of an imaginary humanitarian intervention and identify the main security risks for the organisation and its staff; — Establish procedures to mitigate security risks; — Implement security guidelines; — Gather, analyse and communicate information in a rapid assessment; — Coordinate with other stakeholders; — Set up project logframe and identify funding for projects to facilitate recovery or to mitigate disaster risks; — Work in a team, implement and evaluate a simple project plan; and — Communicate project progress and outcomes to stakeholders.
8) Communication and advocacy	1	All groups/optional	Understand the importance of ethical considerations in the context of humanitarian aid advocacy; Apply cultural sensitivity to communication and advocacy; Carry out a mapping of stakeholders/beneficiaries in the context of humanitarian aid and identify what communication channels are best suited to reaching them; Draw up a communication strategy; and Critically review communication strategies and identify improvements.	Communication Demonstrating leadership Inter-cultural awareness
9) Psychological first aid (PFA)	1	All groups/optional	Identify the four domains where human emotions are expressed through the stress cycle in the aftermath of a disaster, emergency or other traumatic event; Define two different types and scope of disaster and emergency; Describe two disaster behavioural health response principles; Demonstrate competency in at least three of the PFA skills taught in the training; Identify the modalities by which PFA can be delivered; and Identify the populations for which PFA is appropriate.	Managing personal safety, health and security Self-awareness and resilience
10) Training of multipliers	2	Senior professional volunteers/optional	Name the principles of adult learning and apply them; Name the stages of the training cycle and the key requirements for each stage; Formulate aims and learning outcomes of training courses; Know and practise learner-centred approach to delivery of training; Apply various training skills and techniques; Select appropriate methods, reading materials and resources for training related to humanitarian work; and Develop tools for evaluation after the training.	Achieves and transmits results of action and capacity building Communication
11) Volunteer management	1	Senior professional volunteers/optional	Understand and implement legal frameworks for volunteer management; Plan the work of local volunteers in the receiving country; Organise recruitment and selection of volunteers; Set up and implement systems for the regular supervision, support and management of volunteers; Plan induction and short training sessions for volunteers, as relevant; Set up systems that ensure the safety and security of local volunteers; Ensure that management in the local organisation has taken formal responsibility for the volunteers, with an appropriate line-management and reporting system; and Set up and monitor systems.	Achieves and transmits results of action and capacity building Demonstrating leadership Working with others Inter-cultural awareness
12) Organisational development	2	Senior professional volunteers/optional	Name some key characteristics of capacity building; Name and describe a range of different organisation development interventions; Describe different elements of organisational assessment (OA); Assess a local organisation's strengths and weaknesses; Be able to carry out needs assessment for capacity building; Assist local organisations in developing new policies; and Develop capacity indicators for monitoring organisational development.	Achieves and transmits results of action and capacity building Demonstrating leadership

ANNEX III

1. Self-assessment and references for hosting organisations

1. The self-assessment by hosting organisations shall cover all the standards and procedures, where an applicant hosting organisation must have a policy or practice in place, to fulfil the necessary requirements regarding candidate volunteers and EU Aid Volunteers. The organisation shall state, for each requirement of each standard and procedure, whether:

(a) the minimum requirement is covered in its policy/practice and/or it commits itself to implementing it;

(b) relevant staff are aware of this and put it into practice; and

1. The self-assessment shall also include answers to the following questions in relation to safety and security and to volunteer management:

(a) How does the hosting organisation ensure the safety and security of the international volunteers it hosts?;

(b) How are the volunteers managed and supported during their stay?; and

(c) In what areas (if any) of the standards and procedures is the hosting organisation presently strengthening its capacity?

1. The reference shall cover what is required from a hosting organisation during an EU Aid Volunteer's deployment and seek the experience of the referee in relation to the necessary requirements of each standard and procedure where they are in a position to provide information. In particular, it shall:

(a) specify the experience of their organisation in relation to the minimum requirements of the relevant standards and procedures to be applied by the hosting organisation (compliant/non-compliant);

(b) justify/explain each of their assessments; and

1. To promote simplification, the Commission shall identify the standards and procedures where the applicant hosting organisation needs to take no action if the latter is a humanitarian aid partner of the Commission which has signed a framework (partnership) agreement in force.

2. Evidence–based self-assessment for sending organisations

1. The evidence-based self-assessment by sending organisations shall cover all the standards and procedures, where the organisation must have a policy or practice in place, to fulfil the necessary requirements regarding candidate volunteers and EU Aid Volunteers. The sending organisation shall state, for each requirement of each standard and procedure, whether:

(a) the minimum requirement is covered in its policy/practice and/or it commits itself to implementing it;

(b) relevant staff are aware of this and put it into practice;

(d) the requirement is addressed in certification/accreditation through another approved mechanism (e.g. national, European or international schemes).

1. To justify the statements in the self-assessment, the applicant sending organisation shall prove compliance and enclose sample evidence and means of verification that the policies and practices referred to in each of the requirements of the standards and the procedures are implemented, particularly in relation to volunteers.

1. To promote simplification, the Commission shall identify the standards and procedures where the applicant sending organisation needs to take no action if the latter is a humanitarian aid partner of the Commission which has signed a framework (partnership) agreement in force.

1. At any point of the certification process, the Commission may ask the applicant sending organisation to provide additional evidence, if necessary.

3. Procedure for suspension or termination of the certification

1. If the Commission intends to suspend or terminate the certification, it shall formally notify the sending or hosting organisation in advance, specifying the reasons and inviting it to submit observations within 45 calendar days of receipt of the notification.

1. If, after examination of observations submitted by the sending or hosting organisation, the Commission decides to stop the suspension or termination procedure, it shall formally notify it of the decision.

1. If no observations are submitted or if, despite the observations submitted, the Commission decides to pursue the suspension or termination procedure, it shall respectively:

(a) suspend the certification by formally notifying the organisation of the suspension, specifying the reasons and the indicative date of completion of the necessary verifications; or

(b) formally notify the organisation of the termination, specifying the reasons and the date on which the termination takes effect.

1. Suspension shall take effect on the day of the receipt by the sending or hosting organisation of the notification referred to in point 3(a) or on a later date where the notification so provides.

1. Unless the certification has been terminated in accordance with point 3(b), the Commission shall, as soon as it considers that the grounds for suspension no longer apply or the necessary verifications have been carried out, formally notify the sending or hosting organisation of the lifting of the suspension.

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