EU adopts highest ever humanitarian budget of €1.6 billion

The European Union has increased their humanitarian response budget to €1.6 billion in 2019.

The humanitarian budget will focus on providing funding to the ongoing crisis in Syria and Yemen. Presently, Syria are facing severe flooding which is displacing thousands of families.

In Africa, aid will be allocated to regions that have been suffering from severe food and nutrition crises such as Sahel.

With a growing concern for climate change, the aid budget will also include helping vulnerable communities prepare for extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and cyclones, in countries prone to natural disasters.

The aid will also go to the Democratic Republic of Congo, to support the Ebola crisis that continues to affect many people. So far, since the second outbreak in August 2018, 608 cases have been reported and 368 people have died.

Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said:

"With this new budget, the EU remains a leading humanitarian donor in the face of crises such as Syria and Yemen. Humanitarian aid alone cannot solve all problems but we must do everything in our power to help the most vulnerable. This is our humanitarian duty. We must also think about the impact of these many crises on children, on the next generation. That's why a record 10% of the new budget, 10 times more than in 2015, is dedicated to education in emergencies, so we can give children the tools to build a better future.”

EU Humanitarian aid is impartial and independent, based only on the needs of the people.

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Photograph: European Commission