The European Commission has announced its initial humanitarian aid budget for 2026 at €1.9 billion, while 239 million people worldwide remain in need and major donors are reducing funding.
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.
