With an estimated 300 million people in need of humanitarian aid in 2024, the European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the world's most vulnerable people. The European Commission (EC) announced on Monday that it had approved an initial annual humanitarian aid budget of more than €1.8 billion (US$1.93 billion) for this year, a slight increase of about €100 million compared to the previous year. In 2023, the European Union's (EU) initial humanitarian aid budget was €1.7 billion.
The European Union has been providing humanitarian aid since 1992 in over 110 countries, reaching millions of people across the globe each year. In 2023, the European Union was the third-largest humanitarian aid donor in the world after the United States and Germany, proving nearly €2.7 billion (US$2.9 billion) funding in humanitarian aid.
"As we enter 2024, the gap between humanitarian needs and resources available continues to widen. At the same time, funding needs are very high, as conflicts multiply and the climate crisis worsens," said Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič in a statement.
Last year, the global funding gap reached record levels, with donor governments and international or supranational institutions providing less than 40 percent of the $56.7 billion needed. While financial contributions from some of the largest donors, such as the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, declined sharply, this was not the case for the European Commission.
Human-induced humanitarian crises, resulting from wars with often widespread violations of international humanitarian law, conflicts or outbreaks of violence are the main source of humanitarian needs in the world.
Lenarčič said, “the European Commission will continue to fund humanitarian action in support of the most vulnerable, no matter who and where they are across the world.”
“And we will continue to advocate for and mobilize the international community to collectively close this alarming funding gap,” he added.
Last year, the EU set a voluntary target for the amount of gross national income (GNI) that its member states should set aside for humanitarian aid.
However, the European Commission stressed that the global shared responsibility for financing humanitarian aid cannot be shouldered by Europe alone. In 2023, over 80 percent of contributions came from just 10 donors, of which the top three - including the European Commission - provided 57 percent of global humanitarian funding.
In 2024, the European Commission's humanitarian aid budget will be split between crises in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Latin America, and will also target South Eastern Europe and its closest neighbors.
Nearly €200 million will address the consequences of forced displacements, food insecurity, acute and chronic malnutrition, natural hazards and recurrent epidemics in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger), the Central African Republic and the Lake Chad basin (Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria), which are fueled by conflict, insecurity and climate change.
Some €346 million will support those in East and Southern Africa affected by long-term conflict in the Great Lakes Region and those displaced by extreme weather events and armed conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Madagascar, Mozambique and the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia).
Almost €470 million of EU humanitarian funding will be allocated in the Middle East and North Africa regarding the extreme humanitarian needs in Gaza and the Palestinian civilian population as well as the ongoing regional crises in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and neighboring countries.
Around €115 million will be directed to Southeast Europe and the European Neighborhood addressing mostly the consequences of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, as well as funding projects for ongoing needs in the Western Balkans, the Caucasus, and the effects of the Syria crisis in Turkey as well as the lasting consequences of last year's earthquakes.
€186 million in humanitarian assistance will help the most vulnerable populations in South Asia and the Pacific, targeting mainly the humanitarian response in Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Philippines, while also addressing the impact of climate change in the region.
€111.6 million will be allocated to Central and South America and the Caribbean, supporting the response to the impact of the crisis in Venezuela, the humanitarian consequences of the armed conflicts in Colombia, the multi-layered crisis in Haiti, as well as pervasive violence in Central America, Mexico, and Ecuador. The region is also exposed to frequent natural hazards.
Around €315 million are reserved for responding to sudden-onset emergencies and unforeseen humanitarian crises that may arise throughout the year, while more than €98 million will be committed to “horizontal activities, innovative projects and policy initiatives”.
EU humanitarian assistance is delivered through humanitarian partner organizations, such as European humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Red Cross societies, United Nations agencies, other international organizations, and specialized agencies in the member states.
The European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) is responsible for both humanitarian aid and civil protection. Established in 1992, ECHO is one of the world's largest players in the field of humanitarian assistance. In the case of humanitarian aid, ECHO shares competence with European Union member states.
Further information
Full text: The Commission announces initial humanitarian aid of €1.8 billion for 2024, Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), press release, published February 12, 2024
https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/news/commission-announces-initial-humanitarian-aid-eu18-billion-2024-2024-02-12_en