Commission announces €1.9 billion humanitarian aid budget for 2026

The European Commission has announced its initial €1.9 billion humanitarian aid budget for 2026, at a time when 239 million people need assistance and major donors are cutting funding. Commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, Hadja Lahbib, brings this commitment to Davos today, seeking to mobilise private sector finance and innovative solutions that can complement public funding and reach people in need.

Funding humanitarian response worldwide

The EU’s humanitarian aid delivers life-saving assistance where it matters most: emergency food and shelter, critical healthcare, protection for the most vulnerable, and support for children’s education in crisis zones. As other donors retreat and humanitarian law faces unprecedented strain, the EU maintains its commitment: principled aid that reaches people in need, wherever they are.

The initial €1.9 billion allocation includes:

• €557 million to West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, North-West Nigeria, Central Africa, Southern Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Greater Horn of Africa;
• €448 million to the Middle East, particularly Gaza, further to last year’s fragile ceasefire, as well as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon;
• €145 million to humanitarian needs in Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion enters its fourth year, and an additional €8 million for humanitarian projects in Moldova;
• €126 million is allocated to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran;
• €95 million to Central and South America and the Caribbean, a region facing complex humanitarian crises driven by armed conflicts, widespread violence, political instability, acute inequalities and environmental challenges;
• €73 million will be allocated to support Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in particular for the Myanmar crisis and its impact in Bangladesh;
• €14.6 million will be allocated to North Africa, a region that remains exposed to complex political, economic and social challenges.

Additionally, more than €415 million is reserved for responding to sudden-onset emergencies worldwide, and maintaining a strategic supply chain.

Mobilising private sector support in Davos

Closing the gap between record humanitarian needs and available resources requires new approaches. Commissioner Lahbib is in Davos this week to discuss with business leaders and investors how the private sector can bring innovation, scale, and new financing models to humanitarian responses.

Together with the World Economic Forum, she will co-host an event on ‘New Alliances in Aid and Development’ on 22 January. Her full Davos agenda, including bilateral meetings, is available on her calendar.

Background

The EU and its Member States are the leading global humanitarian aid donor. The Commission has been providing humanitarian aid since 1992 in over 110 countries, delivered through humanitarian non-governmental organisations, international organisations (including UN agencies), and specialised agencies in the Member States.

The European Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) can help any country inside or outside the EU affected by a major disaster upon request from the national authorities or a United Nations body. Operating 24/7, the ERCC ensures rapid deployment of emergency support and acts as a coordination hub between all EU Member States, 10 additional participating states, the affected country, and civil protection and humanitarian aid experts.

More information: European Commission.