ECHO renews its partnership with COOPI

As of 1 January 2021, a new partnership contract between the European Union's Department for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale, signed last November, is in force.

COOPI was one of the first European non-governmental organizations to become a partner of ECHO, back in 1993. Today, the renewed pact between the European body and the Italian NGO is further recognition of COOPI's values, effectiveness and reliability as well as its cross-sectoral expertise gained at international level. Ennio Miccoli, COOPI Director, explains: "This partnership demonstrates confidence in our organization, in its ability to operate in different countries in the humanitarian field and in respect for the principles that ECHO stands for".

Thanks to its partnership with ECHO, COOPI is able to intervene in the main humanitarian crises in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, with projects in the sectors of nutrition, education in emergencies, fight against drought, disaster risk reduction, and access to water and basic goods.

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.