In response to the considerable humanitarian needs around the world, the European Commission will be mobilising €1.8 billion in 2024 (compared with €1.6 billion in 2023) to help the most vulnerable populations, victims of conflict, natural disasters or the effects of climate change. This annual budget, which was adopted by the Commission on Monday 12 February, was adopted on an initial basis against a backdrop of multiple crises and a shortfall in funding for the global humanitarian response to the needs of 300 million people.
The allocation of funds is as follows:
- almost €470 million for the Middle East and North Africa to meet the extreme humanitarian needs of Gaza and the Palestinian civilian population, as well as the current regional crisis (Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and neighbouring countries);
- around €346 million for the populations of East and Southern Africa affected by the conflict in the Great Lakes region and people displaced by armed conflict in Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Madagascar, Mozambique and the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia);
- almost €200 million in response to the consequences of forced displacement, food insecurity, acute and chronic malnutrition, natural hazards and epidemics in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger), the Central African Republic and the Lake Chad Basin (Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria);
- around €115 million for South-East Europe and the European neighbourhood, mainly to deal with the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine and to respond to needs in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus, the Syrian crisis and the consequences of the earthquake in Turkey.
- €186 million for South Asia and the Pacific, mainly targeting the humanitarian response in Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Philippines and the impact of climate change in the region;
- €111.6 million for Central America, South America and the Caribbean to help the victims of armed conflict in Colombia, the crisis in Haiti and the violence in Central America, Mexico and Ecuador.
In addition, there is a reserve of €315 million to respond to sudden emergencies and unforeseen humanitarian crises, and €98 million for horizontal activities and innovative projects such as multi-year aid programming partnerships and policy initiatives, such as strengthening response capacity.
“In 2023, the funding gap reached new record levels, as not even 40% of the $56.7 billion that were needed, were provided”, said the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)