This report entitled Humanitarian Aid in a Time of Polycrisis comes at a crucial moment. We welcome its clear call for more humanitarian funding and more flexibility to respond faster and more effectively to growing needs and for a more integrated approach to fragility.
We also strongly support its focus on defending International Humanitarian Law and protecting aid workers.
I fully agree that we need to take concrete action that genuinely increases the EUs impact. These priorities will be at the heart of our Humanitarian Communication, which we will present in the second quarter of this year. This Communication will be built around three clear priorities: protection, performance, and partnerships.
First, protection. Today more than ever, we must be absolutely clear where we stand: firmly behind International Humanitarian Law and humanitarian principles. That is why we are stepping up humanitarian diplomacy to better protect civilians, aid workers, especially local responders, children, and protection against gender-based violence. With this Communication, our diplomacy, funding, and advocacy serve one goal: protecting human dignity and making sure help reaches those who need it most.
Our second priority is performance. The funding gap has exposed real problems in the humanitarian system: fragmented responses, duplication, and too much competition for resources instead of cooperation.
One example is the humanitarian supply chain, the backbone of any response. Separate procurement and logistics drive up costs and reduce efficiency, so this is an area where we can do better. We are focusing on practical solutions: shared supply chains, joint procurement, better digital tools, more cash assistance, and higher-quality funding.
We will also step up localisation. Our approach is simple: “as local as possible, as international as necessary”. That means doubling our funding for local actors and giving local responders the tools to lead.
Our third focus is partnerships. Building an integrated EU response to fragility will be at the heart of this Communication. This is a top priority for me, and I know it is for you as well.
More than seven out of ten people living in extreme poverty today live in fragile countries or contexts. We cannot solve humanitarian crises or achieve sustainable development without tackling fragility. That means taking a more integrated approach to fragility, from root causes, to transitions, to long-term solutions.
It also means stronger partnerships with development donors, development banks, international financial institutions, the private sector, and philanthropies.
On the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the Commission welcomes your call to significantly increase humanitarian funding, to build in more flexibility, and safeguard humanitarian principles.
Bringing EU humanitarian aid under the new Global Europe instrument will help us act more coherently and better link humanitarian aid with efforts to address the root causes of fragility.
The €25 billion proposed by the Commission as a baseline for humanitarian aid within Global Europe would ensure credible support for urgent humanitarian needs and preserve the EUs leading global role. The flexibility embedded in the proposal for Global Europe will allow us to respond faster and more effectively when new crises hit.
At the same time, the Humanitarian Aid Regulation will remain the legal basis for all EU humanitarian aid. This guarantees the specific nature of humanitarian assistance, and protects its four core principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
Thank you again for your valuable work on this report. It will be a source of inspiration for the Commission, as we prepare our upcoming Communication. Thank you for your strong advocacy for a more robust and efficient humanitarian aid policy, and the budget to match it.
The Commission and I look forward to continuing this work with you and the Member States to meet the challenges ahead.