The European Alliance for Resilience: an initiative to go beyond the limits of the professional humanitarian model

Interview with François Dupaquier

Thursday 19 February, the premises of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, an association dedicated to access to medico-surgical care for the most vulnerable in the world, hosted the launch evening of a humanitarian initiative born from civil society: « European Alliance for Resilience ». Introduced by Éric Cheysson, the president of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, this event was co-presented by François Dupaquier, founder of U-Saved (see interview below) and David Sanchez, president of the Fraternité Franco-ukrainienne Provence. The audience included many humanitarians and supporters of Ukraine. Among others: Marc Rizoulières, from the Fraternité Franco-ukrainienne Provence and from the AMCFU (Franco-Ukrainian Charitable Medical Aid), Marc Castelli, President of Solidarité Ukraine – Auriol & Pays d’Aubagne et de l’Etoile, Oxana Melnychuk, director of projects of the Association « United for Ukraine », Thierry Mauricet, co-president of the CHD and Director General of Première Urgence Internationale. MSF was also present, as well as the firm GEODESK, specialized in international insurance and for NGOs. François Dupaquier retraced his « awareness », on the occasion of his personal commitment in Ukraine, that international NGOs, according to him, functioned in an « archaic », standardized way, opposite to the flexibility and inventiveness of Ukrainian local aid initiatives; « I began to realize that me, professional humanitarian and expert, I was part of the problem ».

On the occasion of a meeting with David Sanchez, he discovers the extent of initiatives in France, born from civil society, and how they have, already, undertaken to coordinate among themselves in a spontaneous way. It is the trigger ; they decide to launch the Alliance project to unite citizen and associative initiatives. David Sanchez explains that, with his association « We made 19 convoys, including 17 to Kharkiv, we built a network with the small local NGOs, and today we believe in this Alliance because we need to mobilize more, to have more logistical means, and be able to continue… When one sees on site a smile, one can no longer abandon the people one has begun to help ». François Dupaquier emphasizes that « today, only 1% of the overall funding of humanitarian aid to Ukraine goes to initiatives born from civil society ». A video from a report in Ukraine on the action of U-Saved volunteers who assist and evacuate people as close as possible to the front lines is shown ; the tension of this type of actions conducted in permanent risk management is perceptible. Lucas, a U-Saved volunteer present at the evening, explains that since the beginning of his commitment he has organized the delivery, by himself alone, of more than 500 utility vehicles to Ukraine.

A second part of the event was devoted to the presentation of a particular project (stakeholder in that of the Alliance) born from civil society, STABNET (see interview below), by Damien Harry-Marin, coordinator of said project. The latter highlighted the extraordinary energy and liveliness of Ukrainian society which, in four years, has seen the emergence of 50,000 high-technology start-ups, in the service of the war effort and aid to victims. Positioning itself in this field of « technological added value » which multiplies impact on the ground, Damien Harry-Marin summarized the project, in the service of wartime medical emergency and nourished by the experience of Ukrainian doctors, with this formula « It is about projecting medical high-tech into a field of sunflowers, that is to say a no-man’s land neighboring the front line ». A video is shown, presenting a STABNET stabilization container and its manufacture.

At the end of the evening, Anouchka Finker, Director General of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, shared her feeling about the project « European Alliance for Resilience »: « Given the context of falling funding, this initiative makes it possible to complement existing mechanisms by structuring citizen energy. Civil society is often highlighted in the discourse of donors and NGOs ; here something is happening. It recalls the beginning of French NGOs, we are returning to the basics ».

1. Hello François Dupaquier. Can you summarize your humanitarian background ?

A lawyer in international humanitarian law, I have 25 years of operational engagement that began in Afghanistan with Solidarités International before going on to field missions and headquarters missions for various organizations. I specialized in evaluation and analysis while developing an audiovisual activity and as a novelist around geopolitical issues. In 2008 I founded FrontView, an expert firm specialized in evaluation and accountability. In March 2022 I witnessed the fantastic momentum of Ukrainian civil society. I then founded U-Saved to develop a humanitarian response anchored on localization and effectiveness, as close as possible to needs.

2. U-Saved operates in Ukraine. What reasons led you to bring this structure into being, and what are its particularities, notably at the level of its Franco-Ukrainian governance ?

The structure was born from the observation of the effectiveness of the Ukrainian civil movement which mobilized to evacuate civilians and deliver vital aid, including in the most extreme conditions. This need also has its source in an observation matured over the course of my control activities — an observation which found its apex in Ukraine: « professional » aid has bogged down in bureaucracy and standards which prevent it from acting and have made it lose access to the field and to populations. We therefore created two sister organizations, in France and in Ukraine, not according to a hierarchical headquarters–field relationship but according to a cooperation model: international professionals supported and strengthened the skills of our Ukrainian counterparts in project management, so that funds are captured and managed locally and that the majority of means is devoted to aid to populations.

3. Is this experience with U-Saved at the root of the initiative « European Alliance for Resilience » ?

Absolutely. 2025 was the time for an assessment ; the U-Saved experience brought to light two dead ends: the excessive transfer of financial risk to local actors — which forced us to rethink our economic model — and the inability of the professional humanitarian system to integrate civic initiative. The Alliance aims to capitalize on effective citizen practices to make European action more resilient and truly localized. Humanitarian reform must no longer remain an intention: U-Saved and the Alliance seek to convert it into action.

4. What is the purpose of this initiative ?

The Alliance federates citizen and associative initiatives to constitute a European civil crisis-response capacity: inventory and labeling of actors, logistical and financial pooling, training and standards frameworks, and political advocacy to open access to funding. The objective is pragmatic: transform dispersed solidarity flows into chains of responsible, effective and sustainable actions.

5. What are the concrete objectives ?

In the short term: map and formalize existing collectives, make their voices heard, create a coordination platform and propose an accountability framework acceptable to donors. In the medium term: consolidate logistical hubs, co-financing mechanisms and local capacity-strengthening mechanisms. In the long term: develop tools which reduce administrative burden and institutionalize financial instruments allowing direct access to resources.

6. Isn’t there a contradiction between promoting the vitality of multiple initiatives born from civil society, and wanting to formalize, label and standardize ?

On the contrary, formalizing takes nothing away from the vitality of civil initiatives, it strengthens it. What we propose is an empowerment while preserving the operational autonomy of actors. Concretely, collectives remain free in their choices and their actions, within the framework of a charter and partnership modalities clearly defined. The Alliance lightens the administrative burden, plays the role of facilitator and of « one-stop shop » for donors. It filters bureaucratic requirements to protect field teams, without imposing standardized responses on them. Partners can and must continue to act outside the perimeter of the Alliance: it is a support, not a tutelage as is often the case in headquarters-field relations. This is the model we deployed with U-Saved in Ukraine, where volunteer groups are stakeholders in governance.

7. In this project, it is written that « French civil society has strongly mobilized since 2022. 147 French associations in 70 departments have been identified as regularly sending material aid to Ukraine ». Where does this figure come from, and what volume of aid does it represent ?

This figure comes from the inventory carried out by our teams (mapping, interviews and flow monitoring) of French initiatives active towards Ukraine. It still needs to be refined, but in terms of volumes, the dynamic is significant: this enabled aid to 170 Ukrainian localities for 53,000 tons of goods delivered. Some actors have sent more than a hundred vehicles to Ukraine since 2022, dozens of generators, thousands of parcels, some up to one heavy truck per month of material aid, which represents an operational and logistical resource under-exploited by the formal system. Added to this are more structural supports, such as educational activities, hospital care or surgical support.

8. Does this initiative already federate partners among these actors ?

It is not U-Saved that is launching this project: it is the associations themselves. The Alliance is not a top-down structure, it is a collective and co-constructed movement. As soon as we opened the discussion, many actors immediately reacted, because the need to federate was already there. Some associations had moreover begun to work together informally. In the Bouches-du-Rhône, for example, the association Fraternité Franco-Ukrainienne Provence has already partnered with other local structures to coordinate its actions. Its president, David Sanchez, is present on 19 February. He is one of the drivers of the Alliance’s dynamic and comes to share both his vision and the concrete achievements of his organization. At this stage, around ten associations have already joined the Alliance or are in the process of doing so in the Bouches-du-Rhône, in Rhône-Alpes, in Centre-Val de Loire, in Lorraine, in Brittany or in Île-de-France. Others will follow because we have not yet been able to contact all the identified structures. On 19 February, many civil society actors are present to carry their voice and their practices at the heart of the Alliance.

9. At first, the European Alliance for Resilience focuses on aid destined for Ukraine mobilized in France by associations and collectives. Can you explain why, and sketch a possible second phase ?

We are talking about crisis response, and the one affecting Ukraine is the most massive that Europe has known on its periphery for a long time. But Europe concentrates such a density of initiatives, logistical infrastructures and civic ecosystems that it can make it possible to sustain a pilot model on any other crisis to come. Phase 2 therefore aims at transnational extension: interoperability of national hubs, cooperation agreements between local networks, standardization of procedures and European financial mechanisms allowing replication in other Member States.

10. How do you envisage the future governance of the European Alliance for Resilience ?

A federated governance: steering council composed of field actors, technical experts and donor representatives ; a restricted executive committee for implementation ; seats reserved for Ukrainian partners and for European territorial representatives. Clear quorum rules, rotation of seats and transparent procedures will guarantee legitimacy and responsibility.

11. What will be the role of local Ukrainian partners in the European Alliance for Resilience ?

One of the essential principles of the Alliance rests on the relevance of humanitarian needs identified by members via local Ukrainian actors. They are therefore co-decision-makers because they define needs, operational priorities, implement actions and ensure their accountability. Their leadership role guarantees local anchoring and the relevance of responses.

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12. Do you have concrete examples of actions carried out in Ukraine with partners called to join the project ?

The Alliance is launched symbolically on the occasion of the four years of the Russian invasion, but on the ground, nobody waits for an official date to act. On 14 February, a first pooled truck left for the east of Ukraine with generators and winter equipment. It is carried collectively by several associations, under their banner and that of the Alliance which participates financially in this dispatch. At the end of February, two ambulances also leave for the Donbass filled with physical rehabilitation equipment for the wounded. I convoy them myself with volunteers from U-Saved France, to support the evacuations of civilians on the front line. These are simple, visible, concrete actions: they say better than long speeches what we want to do with the Alliance: pool, accelerate, go where needs are immediate.

13. The question of access for humanitarian initiatives born from civil society to institutional funding is decisive in this project, and this in a context of radical decline of it. Isn’t this a tall order ?

It is a major constraint but surmountable. Because the real challenge of the decrease of this institutional funding is to put in place new approaches. This is what we propose: be more agile, more targeted, with less. The Alliance has the vocation to build this bridge between civil society and public donors to lift institutional obstacles. In any case, civil society waits for nobody to act. It proves every day its combative spirit and its resilience.

14. How do you envisage what you call « the structuring and the sharing of a collective voice of civil society based on the reality of the field »? Isn’t there a contradiction between the multiplicity of different initiatives and the will to speak with a single voice ?

This is the whole stake of a governance that we want to co-construct with our members. There are many ways to exchange and to find common positions in a federative architecture: thematic/territorial working groups which feed consensual positions, complemented by collective statements when necessary. The common voice will rest on field legitimacy and on rules of representation which preserve operational diversity.

15. In this project, U-Saved ensures the carrying and the administrative, financial and operational facilitation of the Alliance… Isn’t this a load that risks exceeding the capacities of U-Saved ?

U-Saved relies on a network of experts and very experienced volunteers but it will be necessary to obtain grants to sustain the model. Moreover the initial carrying by U-Saved is transitory: the NGO provides the mobilization (representation, secretariat, accounting, compliance) to move either towards a merger of the model or towards a progressive disengagement. The objective is to institutionalize rapidly a pooled structure or a dedicated entity to distribute sustainably load and responsibility.

16. Do you envisage partnerships with other pooling initiatives, notably logistical, such as hulo or Bioport which we have already talked about in Défis Humanitaires ?

Logistical pooling is at the heart of the Alliance. Partnerships with specialized operators (hulo, Bioport or equivalents) make it possible to secure platforms, stocks and corridors, while defining standards of interoperability and traceability. U-Saved is already a partner of Bioport, which ensured part of our logistics to Ukraine as early as 2022 and we are in discussion with them concerning the Alliance.

17. In the event of large-scale high-intensity war, notably in the West, supply sources, logistical chains and means of transport as well as communication of humanitarian NGOs will be affected, degraded or even unavailable. Can an initiative like « European Alliance for Resilience » be part of the response to this challenge ?

Local initiatives and actors are the first to act, as close as possible to needs, in the most degraded conditions. They constitute a mesh of aid often informal that cannot be matched. In Ukraine, we have the capacity to reach a person stuck in their cellar in the middle of fighting with bread still warm. We are not seeking standardization but specific action. The Alliance will allow not to create access which exists in fact, but to coordinate these civil corridors, pre-position aid, avoid redundancy of supplies and better target victims.

18. A last question concerning this project « European Alliance for Resilience »: the humanitarian world is fertile in ambitious initiatives: in what way is this one necessary, and isn’t it too ambitious ?

I think that the humanitarian world has over-intellectualized the sector and has had too much ambition for financial growth. We must rediscover that of the founders’ solidarity growth and return to more concrete and operational objectives. Look at initiatives like STABNET. They would not exist without the ambition of a few dreamers.

19. Precisely: during the launch evening of the project « European Alliance for Resilience », a presentation of an innovative initiative born from civil society, « STABNET » was made by Damien-Harry-Marin, coordinator of this project. You are also very involved in it. Can you tell us what it is about ?

STABNET is a network of innovative stabilization containers, mobile, compact, towable by 4×4, autonomous (energy, water, heating, communications), protected from projectiles. It is designed to stabilize the seriously wounded as close as possible to combat and to respect the « Golden Hour ». Very affordable, it makes it possible to reduce mortality on the front line by reducing the delay of access to care. The project benefits from significant financial and institutional support, including the highest medical authorities of Ukraine who give us the benefit of unmatched expertise in war medicine. In two years STABNET has made it possible to take charge of more than 120,000 wounded as close as possible to combat. It is a striking example of the relevance of initiatives carried by civil society. For my part, I am joining STABNET as development director to help increase its reach and therefore its impact on the survival of the wounded.

Beyond that, STABNET, before being a company, is above all a Franco-Ukrainian humanitarian association, born from the commitment of business leaders, industrialists, extremely inventive and resilient profiles. These are women and men who decided to put their skills at the service of war medicine on the front line. Today, STABNET adopts a hybrid approach, not out of opportunism but out of necessity: to develop robust, industrializable and reliable technical solutions in a context of war, one must also dialogue with industrial logics. This in no way erases its humanitarian vocation. STABNET retains a production capacity at cost price, specifically dedicated to supporting Ukrainian medical units engaged as close as possible to the front.

20. How do you see the evolution of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, with an intense conflict that lasts ?

The conflict will remain long, certainly smoldering with peaks at high intensity: exhaustion of resources, wear of populations and fragmentation of the humanitarian response. This will have to evolve from a centralized model towards localized and hybrid models — combination of immediate assistance, support to socio-economic resilience and gradual reconstruction. It will be necessary to align funding, local capacities and operational innovation to maintain a continuum between relief, stabilization and recovery. Intra-European social cohesion will also be essential so that our Ukrainian brothers and sisters absorb this shock.

21. To conclude, you say that the conflict will be long, but in the event of a ceasefire, or even a peace settlement, what would become of U-Saved, an association based on emergency on the front line as well as its Alliance project ?

U-Saved Ukraine works on the front line, but our anchoring in Ukrainian civil society allows us to intervene beyond immediate emergency. We do not need to theorize concepts like the « Nexus » to know where we stand: we are immersed in the social reality of the country, and we naturally cover the entire fields of solidarity when needs require it. If we intervene in war zones, it is because the priority needs are there and because, very often, there is nobody else left but Ukrainian volunteers to respond to them. International humanitarian law obliges us to act only according to the needs of populations. Many have made the choice, in recent years, to leave these zones: too dangerous, too complex. We chose to stay. The last support that we were receiving from an international NGO evaporated with the fall of USAID in February 2025. Today, we work exclusively thanks to private funds, in a tight financial situation if not critical. But we refuse to abandon the populations that we have been accompanying for four years. If, tomorrow, U-Saved Ukraine were to disappear, we would stop while keeping our conscience intact. A humanitarian NGO is not meant to have to survive at all costs. But with U-Saved France and the European Alliance for Resilience, we will be able to reach the entire Ukrainian territory, with our partners, and to intervene in all possible sectors: emergency, civil support, social reconstruction. This is why the Alliance exists.

Words collected by Pierre Brunet,

Writer and humanitarian.

To learn more about U-SAVED: https://u-saved.co/fr/

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François Dupaquier :

François Dupaquier is a lawyer in international law and a humanitarian expert specialized in evaluation and operational strategies. He has 25 years of experience in dozens of political crises and armed conflicts throughout the world. He has worked in close collaboration with many NGOs, governments and multilateral agencies. He leads “FrontView”, an expert company specialized on humanitarian and accountability issues, which evaluates the projects of NGOs, donors and international organizations. He is also an audiovisual producer and a novelist published by Flammarion.