In todays wars, civilians are no longer caught in the crossfire. They are the battlefield. Children doing their homework. Patients lying in hospital beds. Aid workers delivering food. Women and girls holding families together.
They are being targeted. And they are being killed.
The image of war with clear frontlines and defined battlefields is a thing of the past. Today war spills into everyday life. It is fought in homes, hospitals, schools, and markets.
Yes, soldiers still fight. But more and more, it is civilians who die. We see it in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and far too many other places.
Yet, the rules are crystal clear. International humanitarian law exists for one clear reason: to protect civilians from exactly this.
But today, what is written on paper is not what is happening on the ground. And things are getting worse.
There are more than sixty active conflicts worldwide. Violations of human rights and humanitarian law no longer shock us. They have become the price of war — routine, expected, tolerated.
This is where Europe must be clear about where we stand. The European Union stands for the rules. We stand for humanitarian principles and the multilateral system. And we stand by our responsibility as a humanitarian donor.
Today nearly 240 million people need humanitarian assistance. At a time when donors are cutting back, the EU is staying rock solid in our humanitarian commitment. Our initial humanitarian budget is €1.9 billion for 2026.
This is a choice. A European choice. A clear window into what we believe. We choose to stand with the most vulnerable and to do what we can to ease their suffering.
But money alone cannot bring protection.
As the humanitarian system goes through a necessary reset, we are also investing in what keeps that system working. In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, for example, the EU supports humanitarian access working groups and local NGOs. They know the terrain, the risks, and they know their communities. It is common sense.
But we also need something else: a strong voice. We have to speak up because whispering politely no longer works. We must demand, publicly and privately, that the rules of war are respected, everywhere, every time.
The European Union must be the “inconvenient voice” in the room. The voice calling out violations, repeating the message, and being on the ground, face to face, with those who can stop the violence.
We also need to be honest with ourselves. Humanitarian crises cannot be solved by humanitarians alone. Politics, diplomacy, and shared responsibility matter.
Humanitarian diplomacy cannot be an empty buzzword. It has to work in the real world. That is why later this year, the EU will adopt a Communication setting out how we will step up humanitarian diplomacy, with real tools and clear accountability.
It must reflect todays global power shifts and the realities on the ground. That is exactly why todays discussion matters. Because good diplomacy starts with good facts, reliable data, clear analysis, and the courage to name violations when they happen.
At a time when misinformation spreads faster than aid convoys, protecting truth is itself a form of protection. That is why initiatives like IHL in Focus are so important.
I look forward to your report, to the trends you identify, and to discussing how we can act together to better defend international humanitarian law.
I was particularly shocked by the part that looks at conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. As Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and for Equality, I am deeply concerned by what we see in conflicts like the Democratic Republic of Congo. In two weeks, I will visit the Great Lakes region to advocate for the protection of people, in particular women and girls.
Womens bodies have become battlefields. They face brutal violence, used as a weapon of war. This is unacceptable. I will continue to put the safety and rights of women and girls at the heart of EU humanitarian action.
Europes humanitarian leadership is a choice. A choice to stand with another human being, simply because they are human.
I want to thank each of you for making that choice, again and again, because it is not easy. Sometimes it even puts you in danger. That takes courage.
But we hold something powerful in our hands: international humanitarian law. Not a weapon of war, but a shield for those who have no weapons and no power.
It is our duty to make that shield stronger and use it with clarity, courage, and resolve.