To better address the growing humanitarian needs around the world, the European Commission proposes to boost the EU humanitarian budget with an additional €5 billion in its revised proposal for a 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the post-Covid-19 recovery.
These financial resources will be financed by the EU’s recovery instrument and are part of the €15.5 billion increase in the future EU budget for External Action (see other news).
The EU is already the world’s biggest donor, so the humanitarian budget would be increased to €14.8 billion.
“Before the pandemic, the humanitarian budget we had was already insufficient to meet acute needs. Year after year, we were forced to ask for an increased budget on an ad hoc basis. The most recent projections show a catastrophic increase in needs”, stressed Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič at a press conference.
He said the substantial increase in the humanitarian budget will both “close the funding gap that will be exacerbated by the pandemic” and better respond to global needs.
In its humanitarian needs assessment, published in December, prior to the new coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that nearly 168 million people would need assistance and protection in 2020 (up from 130 million in 2018), the highest figure in decades, and 212 million in 2022, Mr Lenarčič recalled.
If the Covid-19 pandemic is added, the direct impact on health systems, sanitation, logistics, hunger – 265 million people worldwide could be at serious risk of hunger by the end of 2020 – must be considered. But its indirect long-term impact on the economic and social situation of countries must also be accounted for, the Commissioner believes.
This is not forgetting the needs related to climate change, conflict, food insecurity and diseases such as cholera, measles and Ebola.
In addition, the solidarity and emergency aid reserve of the future MFF will enable a rapid response to unforeseeable emergencies.
Funds from the humanitarian aid budget would come on top of the additional €2 billion foreseen to strengthen the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and its strategic equipment reserve ‘RescEU’ (budget €3.1 billion). It is intended to assist EU Member States or non-Member States whose capacities are overwhelmed by the scale of a natural, health or man-made disaster (see EUROPE 12494/6).
“This would ensure that in the future the EU is well equipped to support Member States and citizens when national capacities are overwhelmed”, the Commissioner stressed.
This innovation will require a simple technical amendment to the 1996 Regulation on humanitarian aid (Regulation (EC)1257/96).
To consult the Commission proposal: https://bit.ly/36SVoUo (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)