Portugal’s humanitarian efforts involve a variety of partners and include, both directly and indirectly, governments and civil society organisations in the affected countries, Portuguese NGOs and multilateral organisations.
The Operational Action Plan is an integrated response that includes, above all else, the creation and strengthening of the resilience of communities and partner countries and a reduction of disaster risk. It also highlights the importance of maintaining a flexible perspective by linking and co-ordinating aid for emergencies, rehabilitation and development. It also strives to create a more systematic relationship with all the organisations involved by establishing focal points and shared responsibilities concerning information, knowledge, methods and operational structures.
It is an integrated approach to humanitarian activities that also focuses on medium- to long-term solutions and the strengthening of the resilience of families, communities and partner countries as well as reducing the risk of disaster. To this end, these areas have been gradually integrated in the Strategic Co-operation Programmes and the support instruments for the NGDO’s development projects.
The decisions about financial supports given by Portugal to the humanitarian cause are based on the crises risk and seriousness and the added value that a national intervention can represent.
Decisions regarding Portugal’s financial aid for humanitarian reasons are based on an analysis of the seriousness of the crisis and the added-value that a particular national intervention might represent for Portugal in order for it to be prioritised for funds being allocated to UN agencies (i.e. core funding) and flexible and/or "non-earmarked" funds like CERF - Central Emergency Response Fund, to which Portugal has continuously made a contribution since its creation. Contributions are also made to various UN agencies operating in the area of humanitarian aid, most notably the UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, WFP and other humanitarian organisations such as the International Red Cross.