The European Commission and the European Union's top diplomat have launched comprehensive set of new measures designed to strengthen and reform its humanitarian aid efforts. The aim is to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches those grappling with unprecedented global crises. According to a Joint Communication adopted on Wednesday, the package outlines how the bloc intends to maintain its role as a 'reliable and principled donor' despite sharp pressure on the international aid system.
Global humanitarian funding has plummeted since last year, largely due to extreme funding cuts by the United States, as well as by other major donors such as the United Kingdom and Germany. These funding shortfalls are having a devastating impact around the world, leaving tens of millions of people without access to the assistance they desperately need. At a time when global crises are intensifying, radical funding cuts are putting millions of people at risk of hunger, disease, displacement and ultimately death.
"As the leading humanitarian donor worldwide, the European Union continues to defend the dignity of those in need, as well as those who risk their lives to help them," said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
"With this package, we are ensuring life-saving aid is delivered more efficiently, even in the toughest environments."
According to UN estimates, more than 250 million people worldwide require urgent assistance, but current global funding levels can support fewer than half of those in need. To bridge some of this gap, the EU's new strategy is based on three core pillars — Protect, Perform and Partner — to ensure the safe delivery of aid and increase its effectiveness.
Under the first pillar, 'Protect', the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have pledged to enhance humanitarian diplomacy through collaborative efforts. Measures will include utilizing all available diplomatic tools, ranging from human rights dialogues and multilateral advocacy to peace mediation.
"In a global humanitarian system facing cuts and shortfalls, the EU and its member states remain the world’s largest and most reliable donors," said Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative.
"With our new approach to humanitarian diplomacy, we will make better use of every tool at our disposal to safeguard aid delivery, secure humanitarian access, protect civilians, and ensure respect for international humanitarian law."
This diplomatic push comes at a critical time, as international humanitarian law is flagrantly violated across the world.
Over the past three years, more than 1,000 aid workers have been killed while carrying out their duties. The majority of these deaths occurred in Gaza and the West Bank (over 560), with another 130 deaths in Sudan, 60 in South Sudan, 25 in Ukraine and 25 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Consequently, the EU initiative places a strong focus on safeguarding aid workers, stepping up funding and measures to prevent security incidents. Crucially, the EU has also committed to giving local actors a greater role in humanitarian responses, ensuring that interventions include the most vulnerable people affected by crises.
While the first pillar focuses on advocacy and protection, the 'Perform' pillar addresses systemic inefficiencies by mandating deep reform of aid mechanisms. The EU will work to maximize cost-effectiveness throughout supply chains, from procurement to last-mile delivery.
To address inefficiencies, funding modalities will be scaled up to promote predictable and dignified assistance for beneficiaries. This includes enhanced support for cash assistance, anticipatory action funding, multi-year financing and shared data systems to enable collective service delivery.
Finally, the 'Partner' pillar shifts the focus from immediate aid provision to long-term stability. The EU intends to bolster resilience and peace initiatives by collaborating more closely with international financial institutions, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations.
The aim is to provide innovative financing solutions to help fragile communities transition away from their dependence on humanitarian goods and services.
The international humanitarian system has been shaken to its core by brutal funding cuts imposed by the United States from 2025 onwards. For years, the US had been the world's leading international humanitarian donor, followed by Germany and the European Commission.
In 2025, however, this changed radically. Since last year, the European Union, along with its member states, has provided the largest share of global humanitarian funding (approximately one third in 2025), following a sharp drop in US funding from over 40 percent in 2024 to less than 15 percent last year.
The European Commission alone has already allocated almost €2 billion for humanitarian aid in 2026, making it one of the few donors globally that has not curtailed its humanitarian contributions.
At the same time, humanitarian needs are surging worldwide, mainly due to new or protracted armed conflict. The number of people forcibly displaced or seeking asylum has doubled over the past decade, reaching over 117 million in 2025. Around 20 percent of all children worldwide – approximately half a billion – are living in or fleeing conflict zones.
Compounding the crisis, sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, continues to increase, predominantly targeting women and girls. Global food insecurity and malnutrition are also becoming more widespread, with the number of people experiencing acute hunger reaching catastrophic levels.
Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, emphasized that it is not just about the numbers.
„Humanitarian workers are being attacked, civilians are being used as a weapon of war, and the principles that should guide humanitarian action are being undermined,“ she said.
Lahbib affirmed the EU's commitment to being a "leading, principled donor" dedicated to making a concrete contribution to a system that delivers with "greater efficiency, effectiveness and resilience."
"We will defend humanitarian space and respond to needs wherever they arise," she emphasized.
Further information
Full text: Joint Communication to the European Parliament and European Council on Humanitarian Aid, Defending values, driving reform, delivering impact: the EU's humanitarian action in a shifting global order, European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, adopted May 27, 2026
https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/downloads/joint_communication_on_humanitarian_aid.pdf