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1. Actions contributing to peace, stability and conflict prevention in situations of urgency, emerging crisis, crisis and post-crisis, including those which may result from migratory flows and forced displacement. Rapid response actions referred to in point (a) of Article 4(4) shall be designed for an effective, efficient, integrated and conflict sensitive Union response to the following exceptional and unforeseen situations:

(a) a situation of urgency, crisis, fragility, hybrid threats, emerging crisis or natural disasters, where relevant for stability, peace and security;

(b) a situation posing a threat to peace, democracy, law and order, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, or the security and safety of individuals, in particular those exposed to sexual and gender-based violence in situations of instability;

(c) a situation threatening to escalate into armed conflict or to severely destabilise the third country or countries concerned. Those rapid response actions may cover the following:

(a) support, through the provision of technical and logistical assistance, for the efforts undertaken by international, regional and local organisations and by State and civil society actors in promoting confidence-building, mediation, dialogue and reconciliation, transitional justice, women’s and youth empowerment, in particular with regard to community tensions and protracted conflicts;

(b) support for the implementation of UNSCRs on women, youth, peace and security;

(c) support for the establishment and functioning of interim administrations mandated in accordance with international law;

(d) support for the development of democratic, pluralistic state institutions, including measures to enhance the role of women in such institutions, effective civilian administration and civilian oversight over the security system, as well as measures to strengthen the capacity of law-enforcement and judicial authorities involved in the fight against terrorism, organised crime and all forms of illicit trafficking;

(e) support for international criminal tribunals and ad hoc national tribunals, truth and reconciliation commissions, transitional justice and other mechanisms for the legal settlement of human rights claims and the assertion and adjudication of property rights;

(f) support for reinforcement of State capacity - in the face of significant pressures to rapidly build, maintain or restore its core functions, and basic social and political cohesion;

(g) support for measures necessary to start the rehabilitation and reconstruction of key infrastructure, housing, public buildings and economic assets, and essential productive capacity, as well as other measures for the re-starting of economic activity, the generation of employment and the establishment of the minimum conditions necessary for sustainable social development;

(h) support for civilian measures related to the demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants and their families into civil society, and where appropriate their repatriation, as well as measures to address the situation of child soldiers and female combatants;

(i) support for measures to mitigate the social effects of restructuring the armed forces;

(j) support for measures to address, within the framework of Union cooperation policies and their objectives, the socio-economic impact on the civilian population of anti-personnel landmines, unexploded ordnance or explosive remnants of war. Activities financed under the Instrument may cover, inter alia, risk education, mine detection and clearance and, in conjunction therewith, stockpile destruction;

(k) support for measures to combat, within the framework of Union cooperation policies and their objectives, the illicit use of and access to firearms, small arms and light weapons;

(l) support for measures to ensure that the specific needs of women and children in crisis and conflict situations, including preventing their exposure to gender-based violence, are adequately met;

(m) support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the victims of armed conflict, including measures to address the specific needs of women and children;

(n) support for measures to promote and defend respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law, and the related international instruments;

(o) support for socio-economic measures to promote equitable access to, and transparent management of, natural resources in a situation of crisis or emerging crisis, including peacebuilding;

(p) support for measures to address the potential impact of sudden population movements with relevance to the political and security situation, including measures addressing the needs of host communities;

(q) support for measures to promote the development and organisation of civil society and its participation in the political process, including measures to enhance the role of women in such processes and measures to promote independent, pluralist and professional media;

(r) support for measures in response to natural or man-made disasters which pose a threat to stability, and to threats to public health linked to pandemics, in the absence of, or by way of complement to, Union humanitarian and civil protection assistance;

(s) capacity building of military actors in support of development and security for development, in accordance with Article 9.

2. Actions contributing to strengthening resilience and linking humanitarian aid, development actions and, where relevant, peacebuilding

Rapid response actions referred to in point (b) of Article 4(4) shall be designed to effectively strengthen resilience and to increase coordination, coherence and complementarity between humanitarian aid, development actions and, where relevant, peacebuilding which cannot be swiftly addressed through geographic and thematic programmes. Those rapid response actions may cover the following:

(a) strengthen resilience, tackle factors of fragility and address potential drivers of conflict by supporting individuals, communities, institutions, and countries to better prepare for, withstand, adapt to and quickly recover from political, economic, and societal pressures and shocks, natural or man-made disasters, conflicts, pandemics and global threats, including by identifying and strengthening their existing capacities; by reinforcing the capacity of a state - in the face of significant pressures to rapidly build, maintain or restore its core functions, and basic social and political cohesion, as well as supporting societies, communities and individuals to manage opportunities and risks in a peaceful and conflict sensitive manner and to build, maintain or restore livelihoods and social services in the face of major pressures by supporting relevant international and multilateral initiatives for the same ends;

(b) mitigate the short-term adverse effects resulting from exogenous shocks creating macroeconomic instability and aim at safeguarding socio-economic reforms and priority public expenditure for socio-economic development and poverty reduction;

(c) carry out short-term rehabilitation and reconstruction to enable the victims from natural or man-made disasters, conflicts and global threats to benefit from a minimum of socio-economic standards and, as soon as possible, create the conditions for a resumption of development on the basis of long-term objectives set by the countries and regions concerned and affected populations; this includes addressing the urgent and immediate needs arising from the displacement of people and the communities that host them following natural or man-made disasters;

(d) assist the region, state, at national or local level, or relevant international or civil society organisations, in setting up short term disaster prevention and preparedness mechanisms, including for prediction and early warning, with a view to reducing the consequences of disasters;

(e) support measures operationalising integrated approaches particularly by improving coordination and the application of conflict sensitive approaches by humanitarian, development and, where relevant, peacebuilding actors.

3. Actions addressing Union foreign policy needs and priorities

Rapid response actions to support the objectives set out in point (c) of Article 4(4) shall support Union foreign policy across political, economic and security issues. Those actions shall enable the Union to act where there is an urgent or imperative foreign policy interest, or a window of opportunity to achieve its objectives, requiring a rapid reaction and which are difficult to address by other means. Those rapid response actions may cover the following:

(a) support for the Union’s bilateral, regional and inter-regional cooperation strategies, promoting policy dialogue and developing collective approaches and responses to challenges of global concern, such as migration and forced displacement, climate change and security issues, including mediation, and exploiting windows of opportunity in this regard;

(b) support for Union trade policy and the negotiation, implementation and enforcement of trade agreements; and for improving access to partner country markets and boosting trade, investment and business opportunities for companies from the Union, in particular SMEs, while eliminating barriers to market access and investment and protecting intellectual property rights, by means of economic diplomacy, business and regulatory cooperation, with the adaptations necessary for the specific situation of the partner country, taking into account the principle of policy coherence for development as laid down in Articles 208 and 212 TFEU and the international commitments referred to in Article 3(1) of this Regulation;

(c) contributions to the implementation of the international dimension of internal Union policies such as, inter alia, environment, climate change, energy, science and education and cooperation on management and governance of the oceans as well as supporting regulatory convergence;