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, announced this commitment to Davos Wednesday, seeking to mobilize private sector finance and innovative solutions that can complement public funding and reach people in need.
The initial €1.9 billion allocation includes:
• €448 million to the Middle East, particularly Gaza, further to last year's fragile ceasefire, as well as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon;
• €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;
• €145 million to humanitarian needs in Ukraine, 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..