Italy: Act to raise emergency funds

Agire (act) is the name of an organisation set up by Action Aid, Amref, Save the Children, Terre des Hommes, Vis and WWF that is based on the ?emergency committee? model already in operation in several European countries. Agire stands for the Italian Agency for Emergency Response and it especially copies the English Disasters emergency committee in operation since 1963 that brings together the country?s 13 main organisations.

The aim of the Italian agency is to launch a national fundraising appeal in the event of an international crisis. It will use a network of strategic partners, from the media, banking groups, telephone companies and local government to inform and raise awareness among the general public as well as a means of multiplying the usual fundraising channels.

Marco Bertotto, Agire?s director, explains that the agency will not intervene in all emergencies. Three main guidelines will be used to decide upon intervention: the degree of seriousness of the crisis and whether it requires an immediate humanitarian intervention; the capacity that NGOs have to intervene; the degree to which public awareness is likely to respond to the crisis.

?Agire?s aim is to mobilize organised civil society, NGOs as well as the general public. In other words to raise funds? explained the agencies current president, Marco De Ponte. Bertotto uses the 2005 tsunami as an example of the fundraising potential that the agency has ? in Italy 50 million euros were raised for humanitarian intervention, while the English Dec managed to raise 500 million. The agency will make sure to follow up on the fundraising campaign by informing the public of where and how the funds are used.