Experts from the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) analyzed the draft law "On Amendments to Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine 'On Humanitarian Aid' Regarding the Alignment of the Definition of the Term 'Humanitarian Aid'", developed by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine.
The document was prepared to implement the National Program for the Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to the European Union Acquis. Its primary goal is to align the definition of the term "humanitarian aid" with EU Council Regulation No. 1257/96 and eliminate terminological discrepancies between Ukrainian and European legislation.
The draft law is predominantly of a technical and legal nature and does not envisage a reform of the humanitarian aid system. Instead, it clarifies the baseline legal concepts used during the administration of humanitarian aid, the management of the Unified Register of Humanitarian Aid Recipients, customs clearance, as well as in the interaction between donors, recipients, and beneficiaries of aid.
Among the key changes is the updated definition of the term "humanitarian aid." The proposed wording details the list of crisis situations in which humanitarian aid may be provided, including armed aggression, war, emergencies, natural disasters, technological catastrophes, and epidemics. At the same time, the draft law preserves the current possibility of utilizing humanitarian aid to ensure state defense under conditions of armed aggression.
In addition, the document clarifies the definition of the term "recipient of humanitarian aid," emphasizing that these are legal entities and specific accredited representative offices that accept humanitarian aid from donors and ensure its further targeted use or transfer to the final beneficiaries.
UCIPR experts note that the draft law will have a mostly positive impact on the activities of civil society organizations. Specifically, the harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with European Union law will help increase legal certainty and create the prerequisites for greater compatibility of the Ukrainian humanitarian system with international humanitarian aid mechanisms and cooperation with international donors.
Detailed analysis of the document at the link.
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