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P10_TA(2026)0005
AMENDMENTS
Humanitarian aid in a time of polycrisis – reaffirming our principles for a more effective and ambitious response to humanitarian crises
The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality submits the following to the Committee on Development, as the committee responsible :
Committee on Development
Amendment 1
PE774.273
Motion for a resolution
European Parliament resolution of 20 January 2026 on humanitarian aid in a time of polycrisis – reaffirming our principles for a more effective and ambitious response to humanitarian crises (2025/2085(INI))
Citation 2 a (new)
The European Parliament,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to Articles 208 and 214 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
Amendment
– having regard to Articles 3(5) and 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),
– having regard to the UN Convention on theGeneva RightsConventions of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified by the EU1949 and all of itstheir MemberAdditional States,Protocols,
Amendment 2
– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU and all of its Member States,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2730 (2024) of 24 May 2024 on protection of humanitarian personnel and UN and associated personnel in armed conflict,
Citation 5 a (new)
– having regard to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on women, peace, and security, and the nine subsequent related resolutions by the UN Security Council, setting out the Women, Peace and Security agenda,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, its Programme of Action and the outcomes of its review conferences,
Amendment
– having regard to the EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) for 2021-2025,
Amendment 3
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
– having regard to the EU Strategic Approach to Women, Peace and Security (WPS),
Amendment 4
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
– having regard to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, its Programme of Action and the outcomes of its review conferences,
Amendment 5
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
– having regard to the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcomes of its review conferences,
Amendment 6
– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid1,
Citation 6 d (new)
– having regard to the Grand Bargain agreement signed on 23 May 2016, to the annual independent reports thereon, in particular the 2021 report, and to the Grand Bargain 2.0 framework and the annexes thereto presented at the Grand Bargain annual meeting from 15 to 17 June 2021, as well as to the renewed commitments made at the Grand Bargain annual meeting from 19 to 20 June 2023,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General of 23 August 2016 on the outcome of the World Humanitarian Summit and the commitments made by the participants at that summit,
Amendment
– having regard to the ‘humanitarian reset’ proposed by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher in a message to the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee on 10 March 20252,
– having regard to the CouncilCommission conclusionscommunication of 10 DecemberMarch 20182021 on Women,the PeaceEU’s andhumanitarian Security,action: new challenges, same principles (COM(2021)0110),
Amendment 7
– having regard to the Commission’s EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the EU’s Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Action (GAP III),
Citation 7 a (new)
– having regard to the updated EU guidelines on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law3,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 10 December 2018 on Women, Peace and Security and the EU Strategic Approach to Women, Peace and Security (WPS),
Amendment
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 20 May 2021 on the EU’s humanitarian action, of 22 May 2023 on addressing the humanitarian funding gap, of 7 May 2024 on protection in humanitarian settings, and of 24 June 2024 on the update of the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict,
– having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the situationCouncil conclusions of sexual16 andDecember reproductive2024 healthon andstepping rightsup inTeam theEurope’s EU,support into theglobal framefood ofsecurity women’sand health1a,nutrition,
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– having regard to the World Food Programme 2025 Global Outlook,
1a OJ C 81, 18.2.2022, p. 43.
– having regard to the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
Amendment 8
– having regard to the 2025 UN Women report ‘At a breaking point: The impact of foreign aid cuts on women’s organizations in humanitarian crises worldwide’,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the 2024 International Committee of the Red Cross report on international humanitarian law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts,
Citation 9 a (new)
– having regard to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) States of Fragility 2025 report,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ special report 15/2025 of 18 June 2025 on EU humanitarian aid under remote management,
Amendment
– having regard to the Equal Measures 2030 report entitled ‘Findings from the 2024 SDG Gender Index: A gender equal future in crisis?’,
– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security,
– having regard to the G7 foreign ministers’ statement of 13 May 2022 on strengthening anticipatory action in humanitarian assistance,
Amendment 9
– having regard to the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, also referred to as the ‘Sevilla Commitment’ (Compromiso de Sevilla),
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) 2023 guidance note entitled ‘Promoting equitable partnerships with local responders in humanitarian settings’,
Citation 19 a (new)
– having regard to the Humanitarian Donors Declaration on climate and the environment of March 2022,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the pledges on ‘strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) through its promotion, dissemination and implementation’ and on ‘protecting humanitarian and medical personnel’ adopted by the EU and its Member States and their National Societies at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,
Amendment
– having regard to the pledge on ‘unblocking and facilitating humanitarian access: more political and diplomatic engagement and increased support to humanitarians’, adopted by the EU and its Member States at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,
– having regard to its resolution of 297 NovemberMay 20182025 on a revamped long-term budget for the situationUnion ofin womena withchanging disabilities1a,world4,
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– having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health5,
1a OJ C 363, 28.10.2020, p. 164.
– having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2018 on the situation of women with disabilities6,
Amendment 10
– having regard to its resolutions on humanitarian aid, in particular those of 15 December 2021 on new orientations for the EU’s humanitarian action7, and of 6 July 2022 on addressing food security in developing countries8, and of 23 November 2023 on how to build an innovative humanitarian aid strategy: spotlight on current and forgotten crises9,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,
Recital -A (new)
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,
Motion for a resolution
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A10-0257/2025),
Amendment
A. whereas the multilateral humanitarian system is facing unprecedented challenges due to a high number of people who require urgent humanitarian assistance and a growing number of fragile contexts, including increasing numbers of armed conflicts compared to 2023; whereas in 2025, an estimated 305 million people around the world will require urgent humanitarian assistance and protection10; whereas polycrisis refers to a complex and interconnected set of crises occurring simultaneously11;
-A. whereas societies that are gender equal are healthier, safer, more just and prosperous for all; whereas gender equality and the achievement of equal rights for women are preconditions for democracy and upholding the rule of law;
B. whereas over 319 million people are estimated to face acute food insecurity worldwide, with approximately 70 % of them living in fragile or conflict-affected settings12, where about one in five people suffers from hunger; whereas international cooperation, in particular with partners who are in a position to provide substantial aid, including transatlantic cooperation, remains crucial in order to tackle these challenges, especially in the field of food security;
Amendment 11
C. whereas by 2030, over 90 % of worldwide poverty will be found in Africa; whereas the benefits of nutrition, health and education are crucial to get this population out of the poverty trap; whereas in 2025, the highest humanitarian needs are estimated to be in Eastern and Southern Africa, where 85 million people need humanitarian assistance; whereas the crisis in Sudan alone accounts for 35 % of those needs;
Motion for a resolution
D. whereas the situation in Afghanistan is putting even greater pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources and worsening the plight of millions, including women and girls, struggling to survive;
Recital A a (new)
E. whereas over 122 million people are forcibly displaced globally, as documented by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with nearly 60 % living in fragile or conflict-affected settings, and over 70 % of asylum seekers arriving in the EU originate from these settings13;
Motion for a resolution
F. whereas the humanitarian system is facing a massive funding crisis; whereas in 2024 only 43 % of the USD 50 billion UN appeal for humanitarian aid was met; whereas the dismantling of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes and the reduction in foreign aid from other key donors, including several EU Member States, have further exacerbated the situation and led to a worrying decline in global funding for humanitarian, health, gender equality and climate initiatives; wheras only 13 %14 of the funding required for the 2025 UN appeal for humanitarian aid to assist 188 million people in 72 countries was reached by July 2025; whereas due to USAID cuts more than 14 million people face the risk of death by 2030; whereas this also affects more than 4,5 million children under the age of five15; whereas the funding cuts are deepening the hunger crisis when acute food insecurity is at an all-time high; whereas these cuts have a disproportionate impact on women, girls, persons with disabilities, and those living in rural and remote areas, exacerbating existing inequalities16; whereas local and national women-led and women’s rights organisations are among the most severely impacted; whereas these cuts further endanger the safety and well-being of internally displaced people, refugees and vulnerable groups; whereas these cuts are having a devastating impact on global health – further increasing overall mortality, morbidity and disability due to an unequal access to disease treatment and prevention, basic services and goods, and the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, and pandemics –, and food security;
Amendment
G. whereas there are striking imbalances in funding between humanitarian appeals, reflecting the fact that more crises are being forgotten; whereas forgotten crises are defined as severe, protracted humanitarian crisis situations where affected populations are receiving no or insufficient international aid and where there is no political commitment to solve the crisis, due in part to a lack of media interest;
A a. whereas women and girls living in humanitarian aid contexts face severe gender inequalities, such as limited access to resources, including food, a lack of education, work, health, including sexual and reproductive health rights, and an increased risk of gender-based and reproductive violence; whereas living in these situations also makes children more vulnerable; whereas women with disabilities facing humanitarian crises are at increased risk of exclusion, discrimination and violence;
H. whereas humanitarian aid under the current multiannual financial framework (MFF) has been inadequate, leading to routine use of the Emergency Aid Reserve; whereas the EU must call on other actors to step up their humanitarian aid efforts; whereas humanitarian aid should not only support, but also mobilise local communities and get them involved in relief efforts;
Amendment 12
I. whereas the role of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus is crucial in humanitarian settings because it fosters coordination, collaboration and consistency among the sectors to address the root causes of protracted crises in addition to providing immediate relief; whereas the EU and its Member States jointly contribute 42 % of global development aid; whereas the OECD projects a 9 to 17 % drop in official development assistance (ODA) in 202517; whereas by 2027, the Commission aims to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion through the Global Gateway initiative in sustainable and inclusive investments; whereas fragile contexts need a special EU approach and strategy;
Motion for a resolution
J. whereas conflict, climate change and economic factors are the three main drivers of the increase in humanitarian needs, and are human-caused and reversible with concerted and joint efforts; whereas the number of recorded armed conflicts peaked in 2023; whereas the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation lead to increased instability and conflicts, climate-related hazards, natural disasters, resource scarcity including water and food insecurity, internal displacement and irregular migration, disproportionately affecting women and vulnerable groups;
Recital A b (new)
K. whereas there is an alarming increase in the denial of safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need in many contexts, including during conflict, natural disasters and disease outbreaks, both by government forces as well as in areas controlled by non-state armed actors, compounded by the rise in dangerous and corrosive tendencies in the interpretation and application of IHL and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence; whereas the deliberate denial and weaponisation of humanitarian access to advance political and military agendas is in breach of obligations under IHL;
Motion for a resolution
L. whereas lack of respect for IHL is resulting in persistent and widespread violations of IHL and international human rights law, with deliberate attacks of civilians, destruction of essential infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, targeting of humanitarian workers, widespread sexual violence and recruitment of children as combatants; whereas the number and influence of armed non-state actors in global conflicts is increasing and some of the deadliest attacks on civilians have been committed by these non-state armed groups; whereas there is an unprecedented number of attacks against humanitarian workers, civilian populations and civilian infrastructure, driven mostly by the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan18;
Amendment
M. whereas, according to the UN, in 2023 more than 600 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometres of a conflict zone, which is more than 50 % higher than a decade ago;
A b. whereas the situation in Afghanistan is putting even greater pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources and worsening the plight of millions, including women and girls, struggling to survive;
N. whereas conflict-related sexual violence overall has risen dramatically, with the UN recording 3 688 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2023, which was 50 % higher than the year before, and with women and girls accounting for 95 % of the verified cases, while 32 % of the victims were children19;
Amendment 13
O. whereas in times of conflict and crisis, pre-existing gender inequalities are often exacerbated, resulting in women and girls being disproportionally affected, such as from displacement and gender-based violence, to exclusion from life-saving services and decision-making processes; whereas women, adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, indigenous persons, LGBTQI+ persons and older persons often have additional and intersecting vulnerabilities that must be considered; whereas the share of bilateral aid with gender equality objectives in the humanitarian sector has historically been low, and has decreased further over the last few years, stagnating at 17 %20 in 2021-22; whereas women play a crucial role in humanitarian settings as first responders; whereas investing in gender equality saves lives in humanitarian settings; whereas there is evidence that gender-responsive humanitarian programming delivers high returns, namely USD 8 for every USD 1 invested21, with challenges persisting with regard to prioritisation;
Motion for a resolution
P. whereas violence against women in all its forms (physical, sexual, psychological, economic or cyber) is a violation of human rights, an extreme form of discrimination against women and one of the main obstacles to achieving gender equality;
Recital B
Q. whereas anti-gender movements are increasingly instrumentalising humanitarian crises to push back against gender equality and to delegitimise women’s organisations, including in EU partner countries;
Motion for a resolution
R. whereas children constitute half of the population affected by crises and the violation of their rights is happening at alarming levels, compounded by a drastic decrease in funding for child-centred initiatives and programmes; whereas over 473 million children – more than one in six children globally – are now living in areas affected by conflict; whereas there has been an increase in the recruitment of child soldiers; whereas children are more likely than adults to be killed or maimed, recruited by armed groups and sexually violated; whereas more than 52 million children in conflict-affected countries are estimated to be out of school22;
Amendment
S. whereas churches and religious organisations, thanks to the trust they enjoy within communities, their ability to mobilise volunteers and their frequent presence in hard-to-reach areas, provide unique added value to crisis response; whereas their long-term commitment and holistic approach to support (combining material and psychosocial assistance) are crucial for building resilience and lasting peace;
B. whereas the humanitarian system is facing a massive funding crisis; whereas the dismantling of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes6 and the reduction in foreign aid from other key donors, including several EU Member States, have led to an unprecedented decline in global funding for humanitarian, health and climate initiatives; whereas these cuts are having a devastating impact on global health – further increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks – and food security; whereas these cuts disproportionately affect women and girls; whereas these cuts further endanger the safety and well-being of refugees;
Ensuring respect for IHL and the need for an EU humanitarian diplomacy strategy
B. whereas the humanitarian system is facing a massive funding crisis; whereas the dismantling of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes6 and the reduction in foreign aid from other key donors, including several EU Member States, have led to an unprecedented decline in global funding for humanitarian, health, gender equality and climate initiatives; whereas the decline in humanitarian aid is only aggravating humanitarian crises; whereas these cuts are having a devastating impact on global health – further increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, unwanted and underage pregnancies, maternal mortality and morbidity – and food security; whereas these cuts disproportionately affect women and girls and LGBTIQ+ people; whereas these cuts further endanger the safety and well-being of refugees; whereas the US funding freeze has severely disrupted humanitarian efforts, hindering project implementation, staffing and the ability to support women and girls, with an especially negative effect on women’s involvement in the humanitarian response; whereas investing in gender equality saves lives in humanitarian settings; whereas there is evidence that gender-responsive humanitarian programming delivers high returns, namely USD 8 for every USD 1 invested6a; whereas the current EU global health strategy, adopted by the Commission in 2022, makes global health an essential pillar of EU external policy and an investment priority under the Global Gateway;
1. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to humanitarian funding, with the EU and its Member States remaining the global leading donor in humanitarian needs-based assistance; insists on the obligation and responsibility for all states and for parties to a conflict to respect and ensure respect for IHL and international human rights law, on the need to prioritise the protection of civilians (PoC) and for these to remain an essential objective of the EU’s external action, including its humanitarian aid; calls on the EU to continue reinforcing the centrality of the non-negotiable humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence – which are increasingly under strain – and the promotion of IHL by applying a principled and needs-based humanitarian approach, refraining from partnerships that would undermine these principles; recalls that, according to Article 3(5) TEU, the Union shall promote the protection of human rights as well as contribute to the strict observance and the development of international law, including respect for the principles of the UN Charter, and will uphold gender equality as one of its core principles, in line with Article 2 TEU, in view of the current de-prioritisation of humanitarian aid, especially for women and girls; stresses the importance of promoting universal access to sexual and reproductive health services as part of the EU’s humanitarian action and of the EU’s commitment to ensuring access to reproductive and maternal healthcare services;
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2. Is alarmed by the increase in IHL violations in recent years – some of which have been reported as strategic methods of warfare; deplores the shrinking of the humanitarian space and the erosion of respect for IHL and the humanitarian principles, which presents significant obstacles to the provision of life-saving assistance in several conflict-affected settings; strongly condemns the alarming increase in attacks against civilian populations and the infrastructure necessary for their survival, grave violations against children, and attacks against humanitarian aid workers; denounces the blatant disregard of the protection of medical facilities with attacks against hospitals marking almost every conflict, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2286 (2016) of 3 May 2016 on protection of the wounded and sick, medical personnel and humanitarian personnel in armed conflict; calls for the perpetrators responsible of such systematic attacks to be held accountable, and calls on the EU to consider sanctions against state or non-state actors that deliberately obstruct humanitarian access;
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3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen actions to prevent IHL violations and to address gaps in monitoring IHL violations through impartial and independent data collection and more effective, evidence-based advocacy in order to hold perpetrators accountable; calls on the Commission to support mechanisms to monitor and report on humanitarian access challenges in conflict-affected settings;
6 The White House, ‘Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid’, 20 January 2025.
4. Welcomes the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2730 (2024), on protection of humanitarian personnel and UN and associated personnel in armed conflict; underlines the obligation under IHL to respect and protect humanitarian personnel, as well as the importance of supporting independent, neutral and impartial humanitarian action by preserving the humanitarian space from direct attacks, unintended impacts of counter-terrorism policies and sanction regimes, politicisation as well as misleading narratives;
6 The White House, ‘Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid’, 20 January 2025.
5. Calls for concrete measures to ensure the effective implementation of safety and security protections for humanitarian workers, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2730 (2024), including the establishment of investigations, transparency, and impartial inquiries into violations of IHL; emphasises the need to take into account the greater vulnerability of local staff, who face increased risks to their safety and security, and to ensure their specific protection; calls on the Commission to support safety and security measures for the protection of humanitarian workers, and to demand accountability for attacks on them; reiterates the importance of rapid response mechanisms that offer immediate financial, legal and psychosocial assistance to humanitarian workers facing arrest, intimidation, or other security incidents, drawing on models such as the ‘Protect Aid Workers’ initiative;
6a https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/facts-and-figures/facts-and-figures-humanitarian-action.
6. Expresses concern over the growing threats, harassment and criminalisation of human rights defenders and humanitarian volunteers in conflict and crisis settings; calls for the EU to include their protection as a priority in its humanitarian engagement; deplores the increasing attempts to criminalise humanitarian assistance without legitimate grounds for concern, especially life-saving interventions to people on the move fleeing from conflict, violence, persecution or poverty; calls for the adoption of a protective legal framework to address the criminalisation of aid, combat impunity, and include humanitarian exemptions in sanction regimes, as well as measures to prevent the criminalisation of humanitarian workers through anti-terrorism laws;
Amendment 14
7. Confirms its support for multilateralism with the UN at its core; underlines that the EU’s operations must be coordinated and consistent with international bodies, and calls on the Commission to continue its critical support to various UN entities in the humanitarian field, with the goal of up holding the humanitarian principles and IHL; reaffirms the obligation to respect and facilitate the mandates of UN entities, and strongly condemns any attempt to obstruct, restrict, or undermine the ability of UN agencies to effectively perform their humanitarian duties;
Motion for a resolution
8. Stresses the need to urgently address the unprecedented humanitarian crises in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), both among the most severe in the world today, with one third of the population in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan and alarming levels of food insecurity and famine conditions confirmed in many parts of the country, similarly in the DRC, where 21 million people require humanitarian aid; calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access in accordance with the humanitarian principles and to respect and protect humanitarian personnel; further calls for the EU and its Member States to increase humanitarian aid to Sudan and the DRC, and their neighbouring countries, and especially fund support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, local resilience and protection programmes, and programmes promoting women’s and children’s rights and gender equality;
Recital B a (new)
9. Stresses that humanitarian aid, and therefore hunger, must never be politicised or weaponised and should reach civilians in need without obstruction or manipulation, in full compliance with IHL; reiterates that distribution sites, civilians, humanitarian workers and medical staff must be protected and must not become targets of military action; expresses outrage at the killing of 508 humanitarian workers in Gaza, as well as the repeated attacks on hospitals and humanitarian convoys; strongly opposes any aid distribution system in Gaza that is incompatible with the humanitarian principles; deplores the fact that this distribution scheme has resulted in the killing of more than a thousand Palestinians seeking aid; calls for an international response and investigation to ensure accountability for possible violations of international law which have occurred at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation-managed sites;
Motion for a resolution
10. Demands the unimpeded and large-scale provision of humanitarian assistance, under the coordination of the UN and in line with thehumanitarian principles; calls for the opening of all relevant border crossings, recalling that the denial of access to life-saving humanitarian aid is collective punishment, constituting a war crime; underlines the urgent need for all international humanitarian bodies, and in particular those that are part of the UN network, in line with Article 214 TFEU, to have full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip; stresses the central role the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) plays in providing humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees and deplores the attempts to delegitimise it; calls for the mandate and funding of UNRWA to be reinstated in full, with strong oversight and accountability, by securing long-term, sustainable, multiannual and predictable funding for a reformed UNRWA to deliver vital services to Palestinian refugees, and preventing further humanitarian crises;
Amendment
11. Calls also for EU humanitarian assistance for the civilian population affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine to be maintained and stepped up, with a particular focus on the needs of internally displaced persons, refugees, elderly people and children, including victims of forced deportation to the Russian Federation and occupied territories;
B a. whereas comprehensive systems exist at EU and international level to provide humanitarian aid; whereas although gender-responsive humanitarian assistance is in place, many increasing challenges nevertheless persist with regard to prioritisation; whereas ‘polycrisis’ refers to a complex and interconnected set of crises occurring simultaneously1a; whereas women, girls and LGBTIQ+ people worldwide, and in specific contexts migrants and refugees, are disproportionately affected by poverty, humanitarian crises, climate change, conflicts, wars, extremism, terrorism, and by conflict-related sexual violence, including rape as a weapon of war, sexual exploitation, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and limited access to critical resources such as safe shelter, nutrition and water, and are more likely to face other human rights violations, which according to reports from some NGOs are perpetrated with impunity; whereas the persistence of the practice of female genital mutilation remains a matter of serious concern, particularly in the context of a polycrisis, that exacerbates the vulnerabilities of women and girls, and necessitates unwavering solidarity with its victims; whereas in times of polycrisis it is important to provide targeted humanitarian aid for women and girls to protect them and ensure their survival, including protection from gender–based violence, general risk mitigation, ensuring access to healthcare services, livelihood support, and participation in social life and decision–making;
12. Highlights, in particular, the situation in Afghanistan, which is facing a severe and complex humanitarian crisis, with over 23,7 million people in need of assistance; notes that the situation is likely to deteriorate further owing to the expulsion of refugees from Pakistan and Iran and ongoing regional instability; welcomes the EU’s pledge of EUR 266 million in support, and calls for targeted local actions to assist women and girls;
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13. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop an EU humanitarian diplomacy strategy, together with the Member States and the European External Action Service (EEAS), and the EU Special Representatives (EUSRs), in consultation with humanitarian actors, so as to boost efforts and ensure a more systematic and coordinated approach to humanitarian diplomacy, while adapting to ever-changing circumstances, using all available tools by leveraging the EU’s political and economic weight through political dialogue, and trade and aid relations, in order to secure humanitarian access, protect humanitarian workers and safeguard humanitarian space in armed conflicts, including negotiating the cessation of hostilities, humanitarian pauses, and safe passages for civilians and relief items in active conflicts; encourages the Commission, together with the Member States, the EEAS and EUSRs to ensure that high-level humanitarian diplomacy is systematically informed by the operational experiences of humanitarian actors, who should be consulted on a regular basis;
1a https://policy-lab.ec.europa.eu/news/unraveling-polycrisis-foresight-and-innovation-2025-03-26_en.
14. Calls on the Commission to strengthen actions to prevent IHL violations and to address gaps in monitoring IHL violations through data collection and more effective, evidence-based advocacy;
Amendment 15
15. Stresses the need for independent humanitarian access to all migration-related facilities, including detention centres, hotspots, and informal border zones, where women and LGBTIQ+ persons face heightened risks of violence, exploitation and denial of essential services, including sexual and reproductive healthcare; calls for transparent monitoring and accountability mechanisms in such settings;
Motion for a resolution
Humanitarian aid funding
Recital B b (new)
16. Welcomes the suggested increase in humanitarian funding to EUR 25 billion for a Global Europe Instrument, and calls for a significant increase in the level of humanitarian funding in the next MFF and for ensured funding that is adequate, predictable and sustained, while underlining that flexibility for humanitarian aid should be ring-fenced, especially in the light of the growing gap between humanitarian needs and funding, but also to foster the EU’s interest in promoting global peace, stability and its international credibility as a principled humanitarian actor and reliable donor; strongly recommends that all EU institutions and the Member States work to foster international cooperation in order to jointly tackle global humanitarian challenges, especially global food insecurity;
Motion for a resolution
17. Calls on the Commission to maintain separate budget lines and instruments for humanitarian aid in order to respect the principles of neutrality, independence and impartiality; opposes the suggested merger of the EU Humanitarian Aid Instrument with the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe in the next MFF, and stresses the need to ensure that the emergency aid reserve has the capacity to respond when needed, to both EU internal and external needs;
Amendment
18. Asks the Commission to ensure that increased flexibility in the next MFF works to the advantage of EU humanitarian action, with increased transparency, and that it does not come at the expense of its neutrality, impact, credibility and predictability; recalls that transparency is key to ensuring that the next MFF is protected against misuse, fraud and breaches of the principles of the rule of law and the Union’s values, and to ensure that humanitarian and development aid financed by the Union reaches civilian populations in need; calls on the Commission to step up its monitoring mechanisms, and to provide for the rigorous selection of local partners, strict monitoring of the use of funds, and enhanced cooperation with Member States and international actors, with a view to preventing the risk of diversion or abuse; calls for stronger mechanisms of democratic oversight regarding the allocation and use of EU humanitarian funding, taking into account recommendations of civil society organisations in the monitoring and evaluation of EU-funded humanitarian operations;
B b. whereas cuts in foreign aid and humanitarian assistance have a devastating impact on global health, gender equality and human rights; whereas local and national women-led and women’s rights organisations are among the most severely impacted, as they are key actors in crisis situations and face repression, violence and increasing restrictions in many parts of the world; whereas, at the same time, these cuts have a disproportionate impact on women, girls, persons with disabilities, and those living in rural and remote areas, further exacerbating existing inequalities and hampering their access to health services, safe shelter and basic infrastructure; whereas these cuts mainly target sexual health-related projects, disproportionately affecting marginalised groups, especially women and girls, and thereby increase, inter alia, the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, notably the risk of a renewed global HIV crisis; whereas reinstating the Mexico City Policy (Global Gag Rule) in the US will take a dramatic toll on sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide, affecting millions, especially those in marginalised situations; whereas the previous Global Gag Rule (2017–2021) resulted in approximately 108 000 maternal and child deaths and 360 000 new HIV infections1a;
19. Reaffirms that the EU’s credibility as a global humanitarian actor rests on maintaining its committed, principled, sustained and inclusive engagement in regions affected by humanitarian crises, including in fragile settings and forgotten crises; reiterates that humanitarian aid must not be subordinated to geopolitical, migratory control or security objectives, and warns against instrumentalising humanitarian action to serve the external policy goals of the EU or its Member States;
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20. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop a more harmonised approach to forgotten crises, and to report on its commitment to allocate 15 % of its initial annual humanitarian budget to forgotten crises and to prevent the transfer of resources from already underfunded crises; calls on the Council to better coordinate the Member States’ attention to and support for these crises;
1a https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2123177119.
21. Highlights the special challenges faced by children and persons with disabilities and their families in terms of accessing humanitarian aid; underlines that only a fraction of ODA (12 %) currently targets children compared to their significant representation in the population of ODA-receiving countries, even though investing in children – and not just individual sectoral priorities – fosters lasting improvements to their living standards, along with their whole communities; emphasises the importance of prioritising child-specific needs, particularly education and child protection, in all phases of humanitarian response, including preparedness, emergency relief, and recovery; underlines that safeguarding children’s rights and well-being is essential for long-term resilience and sustainable development; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure dedicated funding, programming, and coordination mechanisms to address the specific needs of children in humanitarian settings;
Amendment 16
22. Stresses the need for public funding to remain a primary resource for humanitarian aid, in the light of the responsibility of states to ensure adequate and sustained funding, while acknowledging that public funding alone will not suffice to close the humanitarian funding gap and underlining that new sources of financing, including from the private sector, have to be taken into account; encourages the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to expand the resource base by supporting the development of innovative approaches and partnerships to fill the humanitarian funding gap in cooperation with international financial institutions, multilateral development banks, the private sector – provided that any private engagement complies with the humanitarian principles and full transparency – and the scientific community, to complement international public humanitarian assistance and close the global humanitarian funding gap; calls on the Commission and the Member States to explore progressive and sustainable financing mechanisms for humanitarian aid; emphasises the need for cooperation with emerging donor countries with a view to increasing their contribution to humanitarian aid;
Motion for a resolution
23. Welcomes the Humanitarian Reset launched by the UN, and stresses that this must be an opportunity to strengthen the humanitarian principles and a needs-based and people-centred system, and not just be driven by cost-cutting; underlines that equally important to achieving more efficiency and effectiveness is ensuring accountability for delivery, and that critical sectors, such as the protection mandates and gender-based violence measures, remain at the core as a lifesaving sector;
Recital B c (new)
24. Welcomes the Commission’s significant efforts to make humanitarian supply chains more effective and efficient, considering that they account for nearly 70 % of the humanitarian costs, making it a critical focus area when addressing the growing funding gap; encourages the Commission to continue to develop and support a strategic approach to supply chains;
Motion for a resolution
25. Calls on the Member States to deliver on their collective commitment to provide at least 0,7 % of gross national income (GNI) as ODA, to meet the ODA target of 0,2 % of GNI to Least Developed Countries by 2030, and to devote 10 % of their ODA to humanitarian action; calls on the Commission to ensure that humanitarian aid adequately addresses the needs of women and girls as a strategic investment with long-term positive impacts for all, while regretting that women’s rights organisations continue to be systematically underfunded, receiving less than 1 % of global ODA23;
Amendment
26. Expresses its concern about the possible downsizing of EU delegations, including in third countries where significant humanitarian assistance is being provided; considers it essential, to the contrary, to strengthen these structures in the most critical countries;
B c. whereas violence against women in all its forms (physical, sexual, psychological, economic or cyber) is a violation of human rights, an extreme form of discrimination against women and one of the main obstacles to achieving gender equality;
Developing an integrated approach to fragile contexts
Amendment 17
27. Highlights that the diversity of fragile contexts requires tailored approaches and specific financial instruments that foster concerted action among humanitarian, development and peace actors, while respecting the distinct mandate of principled humanitarian action, with a particular focus on engaging with and empowering local actors, both in decision-making processes and in the implementation of programmes; calls on the Commission and the Member States to maintain and intensify engagement in fragile, and conflict-affected settings;
Motion for a resolution
28. Calls on the Commission to adopt the communication on humanitarian aid as envisaged in its 2026 Commission Work Programme with a focus on an ambitious, people-centred and integrated approach to fragility, and the mechanisms to implement it, and to consult Parliament on the preparation and implementation of this strategy; welcomes the Commission’s communicated intention to prepare an integrated strategy to address fragility and conflict; highlights the importance of developing such a strategy with appropriately adapted, context-specific funding that addresses the interconnected challenges of peace, development, climate action, and humanitarian needs, including by engaging more with the local private sector, with full respect for the humanitarian principles; in view of this strategy, calls on the Commission to take into account the gender dimension;
Recital B d (new)
29. Calls on the Commission to make sure that countries are not caught up in endless cycles of humanitarian aid but can rather move to sustainable development, so as to strengthen local communities and prevent dependence on external supplies, through funding of essential services such as education, health and key infrastructure, including and beyond Global Gateway, which has the potential to be able to advance a range of interconnected SDGs, by leveraging multiple sources of funding, including private sector investments, and respecting social and environmental standards that could lead to accelerated growth, the creation of decent jobs, the reduction of poverty and income inequality, ensuring a more resilient and inclusive development in which no one is left behind; calls on the Commission to make use of EU cooperation instruments for local development plans through specific, targeted projects that have already been tried and tested by Member States;
Motion for a resolution
30. Recalls that climate change acts as one of the main drivers of conflict, drought, famine and migration; stresses that sea level rise may pose an existential threat to Small Island Development States, which are among the world’s countries most vulnerable to climate change;
Amendment
Promoting effective humanitarian responses through the implementation of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus, localisation of aid and anticipatory action
B d. whereas women and LGBTIQ+ people facing multiple and overlapping forms of discrimination based on race, disability, migration status, gender identity, sexual orientation or socio-economic background are often overlooked in humanitarian interventions and more exposed to violence and exclusion;
31. Calls on the EU to advance in the implementation of the triple nexus to address the key causes of crises and to support resilience-building, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings by supporting local organisations, including youth and women-led organisations, faith-based organisations, which play a key role in responding to humanitarian crises, and ensuring their full, equal and meaningful participation in the humanitarian programme cycle and in decision-making spaces at all levels;
Amendment 18
32. Calls on the Commission to deliver on its commitment to channel at least 25 % of its humanitarian funding to local actors by 2027, including through the use of country-based pooled funds and other funding mechanisms that prioritise local actors, as well as explore how to provide grants directly to local organisations, and help strengthen their capacities to meet regulatory, transparency and accountability requirements; calls on the EU to prioritise funding for local organisations delivering assistance to youth, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ populations and other vulnerable groups;
Motion for a resolution
33. Calls on the Commission to prioritise in the next MFF multi-year funding for conflict prevention and peacebuilding in order to enforce linkages between humanitarian and crisis response mechanisms and longer term peacebuilding and development programming; stresses the importance of strengthening coordination mechanisms at field level across the EU’s humanitarian, development and peacebuilding actions to ensure joined-up and coherent outcomes, including through the Team Europe approach; underlines the importance of the EU-UN partnership in strengthening the humanitarian, development and peace nexus, with special attention being paid to girls and young women, people with disabilities, children and the older persons in vulnerable situations and stresses the importance of EU funding for the UN system; considers that structural inequalities continue to influence the power dynamics of humanitarian interventions, access to funding, and participation in decision-making; calls for a more inclusive, equitable and rights-based approach to EU humanitarian policy, with greater leadership from local and historically marginalised actors;
Recital B e (new)
34. Notes that anticipatory action in crisis-prone settings in advance of humanitarian crises is an efficient way of preventing or mitigating future humanitarian needs, as well as supporting communities’ ability to absorb and adapt to shocks and to build their resilience; encourages the Commission and the Member States to ensure that investments in prevention, anticipatory action and disaster preparedness are preserved to mitigate the impact of crises on populations and systems;
Motion for a resolution
35. Insists on the need for an evidence-based approach to anticipatory action, particularly in fragile and climate-vulnerable settings, to increase the availability of quality data and risk analysis in order to improve early warning systems and integrate risk forecasting into humanitarian planning;
Amendment
36. Encourages the Member States to significantly scale up their investment in locally-led and integrated anticipatory action, such as investments in early-warning systems, risk analysis and community resilience, and an increase in the share of climate funds dedicated to enhancing resilience and adaptation in the most disaster-prone countries and regions, stressing the importance of engaging a diverse group of actors, including civil society organisations and local-level networks in anticipatory actions, including forecast-based finance, and disaster preparedness and risk management, especially in fragile and climate-vulnerable settings;
B e. whereas anti-gender movements are increasingly instrumentalising humanitarian crises to push back against gender equality and to delegitimise women’s organisations, including in EU partner countries;
25 years of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000): towards a gender-sensitive approach to humanitarian aid
Amendment 19
37. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which is an essential tool in ensuring that the rights of women and girls are observed at all times; notes that 25 years after its adoption, vast implementation gaps remain, with women still marginalised in peace processes and disproportionally impacted by conflict and crisis, including through widespread gender-based violence, requiring increased political and financial support to the agenda from the EU, as a catalyst for and investment in long-lasting and sustainable peace and development; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to continue making the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment, including implementation of SDG 5, a priority throughout all of the EU’s external action; calls on the EU and the Member States to prioritise the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda;
Motion for a resolution
38. Calls on all parties to armed conflicts to take measures to promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls and protect them from all forms of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, notably rape, recognising that such violence often intensifies during conflicts and may be being used systematically as a weapon of war; underlines the deep connection between armed conflicts and humanitarian and climate crises, and the increase of irregular migration, human trafficking, and the risk of exploitation, which disproportionately affect women and girls; underlines the importance of the active, full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all stages of a peace process, including in ceasefire negotiations, mediation efforts, prevention and resolution of armed conflicts, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction; calls on the Commission, the EEAS, and the Member States to enhance efforts to take into account the specific needs and contributions of women and girls in strategies for conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding;
Recital B f (new)
39. Underlines that women in humanitarian contexts should be recognised not merely as victims, but as agents of change who actively drive positive transformation and shape their own destinies; highlights the crucial role played by women as frontline responders and community leaders and by women-led organisations in humanitarian settings, in preparedness, response, and recovery efforts, providing life-saving services, such as shelter, sexual and reproductive health services, gender-based violence services, cash assistance, trusted community-based protection, and which undertake advocacy for the rights and needs of women, girls, and marginalised populations, as well as drive peacebuilding and development work in their communities, while only receiving 0,3 % of bilateral aid in fragile states;
Motion for a resolution
40. Regrets that local women-led organisations are among the hardest hit by the recent cuts to foreign aid, with half of them at risk of being shut down and encourages better engagement with them in humanitarian programming24; calls on the Commission to allocate specific, sustainable, flexible, multiannual funding, to maintain existing partnerships, to simplify access to funds and to expand its support for local women-led organisations in humanitarian settings, to ensure a more effective, inclusive and accountable system, to achieve this by increasing its funding for local women-led organisations, strengthening tracking and accountability for humanitarian funding to local, women-led organisations, adapting existing funding mechanisms and processes to better fit their needs and capacities, as well as increasing the levels of direct multi-year funding made available to them; notes with regret that almost half (47 %) of women-led and women’s organisations surveyed expect to shut down within six months if current funding levels persist, while more than a third (35 %) remain trapped in uncertainty, unable to plan or sustain their work, and only 18 % report that they anticipate being able to remain operational for more than a year25; calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide 5 % of their aid in fragile contexts to women-led and women’s rights organisations through flexible and long-term funding, including by committing at least 5 % of their ODA funding to supporting those organisations within the next MFF;
Amendment
41. Encourages the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to promote gender-responsive approaches in humanitarian interventions and to increase their support for women’s participation in humanitarian decision-making processes, supporting the creation of conditions for women to take on leadership roles in crisis settings, and ensuring that their perspectives and needs are prioritised in the design and delivery of aid, in line with the objectives of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000); calls on the Commission to apply an inclusive, intersectional, and gender-responsive approach in all humanitarian planning, taking into account the specific needs and rights of women, girls, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people and other marginalised groups; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the meaningful participation of these groups in the design, implementation and evaluation of humanitarian aid programmes; considers it necessary to prioritise persons with disabilities in EU-funded humanitarian aid, addressing in particular the needs and priorities of women and children living with disabilities, including by providing funding to local organisations and networks of women and girls with disabilities, who are often best placed to respond to needs, but most impacted by funding cuts;
B f. whereas, according to the UN, in 2023 more than 600 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometres of a conflict zone, which is more than 50 % higher than a decade ago;
42. Calls on the Commission to ensure that gender equality remains prioritised when reforming and restructuring the humanitarian system as part of the UN-led Humanitarian Reset, safeguarding funding and critical mechanisms, such as retaining a dedicated cluster within the humanitarian system that includes specialised action on gender-based violence, gender equality, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, as critical life-saving services; calls on the Commission to ensure the systematic implementation of rigorous gender analysis, gender-disaggregated data collection, gender-responsive budgeting and gender impact assessments, as well as the development of dedicated gender expertise in the Commission, to support such roles in partner organisations, and to continue strengthening the use of the EU Gender-Age Marker; welcomes the growing number and formalisation of gender focal persons (GFPs), with 99 % of EU delegations and 87 % of headquarters services now having GFPs;
Amendment 20
43. Reiterates the need for appropriate and timely sexual and reproductive health services to be prioritised and made available in all humanitarian responses, including through the implementation of the Minimum Initial Service Package for reproductive health in emergencies and transition to comprehensive services as the situation allows;
Motion for a resolution
44. Reiterates its call for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and its subsequent resolutions by the EU and its Member States; in this regard welcomes the progress made on the EU Action Plan on WPS and GAP III, and stresses the importance of the Commission’s presenting a GAP IV and the need for adequate resources for its implementation; regrets that since the launch of the GAP III only 3,8 % of all gender-responsive/targeted actions have gender equality as a principal objective; calls on the Commission to ensure that 85 % of all new external actions incorporate gender as a significant or principal objective and that 20 % of ODA in each country is allocated to programmes with gender equality as one of their principal objectives;
Recital B g (new)
45. Expresses serious concern about the growing influence of ultra-conservative, anti-gender and religious fundamentalist movements – both within and outside the EU – that aim to undermine the fundamental rights of women and girls, including in humanitarian settings; stresses that such movements often spread disinformation, stigmatise sexual and reproductive health services, and weaken the protection of women against gender-based violence; calls on the Commission, the EEAS, and the Member States to ensure that EU-funded humanitarian programmes remain firmly grounded in international human rights standards and gender equality, and to actively support civil society organisations targeted by anti-rights actors;
Motion for a resolution
46. Warns against institutional violence and negligence by humanitarian actors, including gender-blind programming, unsafe environments for women and LGBTQI+ people, and a lack of accountability for abuses; calls for binding gender-sensitivity standards, comprehensive reporting systems and zero-tolerance policies across all humanitarian operations funded by the EU;
Amendment
°
B g. whereas physical inaccessibility, including the lack of safe transport and infrastructure, significantly limits the ability of women and girls to access humanitarian aid, healthcare and protection;
° °
Amendment 21
47. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Action Service.
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
C. whereas conflict and climate change are the two main drivers of the increase in humanitarian needs, and are both human-caused and reversible with concerted and collective action; whereas climate change and environmental degradation lead to increased instability and conflicts, climate-related hazards, natural disasters, resource scarcity including water and food insecurity, internal displacement and forced migration;
C. whereas conflict and climate change are the two main drivers of the increase in humanitarian needs, are both human-caused and reversible with concerted and collective action, and have a greater impact on the poorest countries and populations; whereas climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation lead to increased instability and conflicts, climate-related hazards, natural disasters, resource scarcity including water and food insecurity, internal displacement and forced migration, thereby disproportionately affecting women and vulnerable groups;
Amendment 22
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
C a. whereas the humanitarian situation in Sudan is not just a catastrophe for its people, it is a global failure of action, accountability and humanitarian aid, with women and girls bearing a large proportion of this ongoing tragedy;
Amendment 23
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
D. whereas there is an alarming lack of humanitarian access in many contexts, compounded by the rise in dangerous and corrosive tendencies in the interpretation and application of international humanitarian law (IHL);
D. whereas there is an alarming lack of unhindered humanitarian access to people in need, including during conflict, natural disasters, climatic events, health outbreaks and along migrant routes, compounded by the rise in dangerous and corrosive tendencies in the interpretation and application of international human rights law (IHRL), humanitarian law (IHL) and humanitarian principles; whereas UN rights workers have pointed to the inaction of the international community; whereas there is an unprecedented number of attacks against humanitarian workers and civilian populations and civilian infrastructure in crisis- and conflict-affected settings; whereas women, girls, LGBTIQ+ people, migrants and refugees are disproportionately affected by numerous humanitarian crises worldwide1a, including the world’s largest humanitarian, displacement and hunger crisis in Sudan, the ongoing conflict and displacement in Gaza, the aftermath of the earthquake in Myanmar, cholera outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, severe food and water shortages in the Horn of Africa, protracted conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and the refugee crisis in South Sudan;
_________________
1a https://www.oxfam.org.uk/documents/715/Rights_Resilience_Response.pdf.
Amendment 24
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
D a. whereas more than 18 per cent of Afghan women and girls have no or only limited access to women aid workers; whereas only women aid workers are allowed to speak to women and girls for needs assessments and the provision of aid;
Amendment 25
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
D b. whereas EU humanitarian aid should continue to be both gender and age-sensitive, and aim to be gender and age-responsive, taking into account the specific needs, vulnerabilities and capacities of all;
Amendment 26
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1. Insists on the need for all parties to a conflict to respect and ensure respect for IHL and international human rights law; insists on the need to reinforce the centrality of the humanitarian principles in the EU’s external action;
1. Insists on the need for all parties to a conflict to respect and ensure respect for IHL and international human rights law; notes that rape and other forms of sexual violence are used as weapons of war and constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts contributing to genocide; stresses the role of women’s rights organisations in providing victims with access to justice and support services; insists on the need to strongly reinforce the centrality of the humanitarian principles in the EU’s external action;
Amendment 27
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 a. Recalls that the EU is a value-based Union, with gender equality as one of its core principles, as enshrined in Article 2 TEU; stresses, furthermore, that Article 8 TFEU enshrines the EU’s responsibility to promote gender equality in all of its actions;
Amendment 28
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 b. Stresses the importance of promoting access to sexual and reproductive health and rights globally and the EU’s commitment to ensuring access to reproductive and maternal healthcare services, including emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis, sexually transmitted infection treatments and access to safe and legal abortion for everyone, including survivors of rape, as part of their protected right to essential medical care and their equitable integration into primary and secondary healthcare systems, as well as clinical management of rape for women and girls affected by humanitarian crises and other vulnerable populations, including those experiencing intersectional discrimination; urges the EU and its humanitarian partners to include and effectively deliver safe abortion services in the minimum initial service package (MISP);
Amendment 29
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 c. Stresses the importance of ensuring a gender-responsive perspective as an integral part of all EU humanitarian aid and crisis management actions, including in foreign policy; recalls the EU’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on SDG 5 on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, which are essential for building resilient and inclusive societies; stresses that the achievement of SDG 5 is crucial to achieving all other SDGs and therefore instrumental to achieving the results set out in the 2030 agenda;
Amendment 30
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 d. Is concerned about the backlash against gender equality and the international human rights framework that sets out to protect women and girls in vulnerable or marginalised situations across the world, including LGBTIQ+ people; calls for the EU and all EU Member States to step up their efforts to protect the EU’s fundamental values and strengthen respect for human rights and international law;
Amendment 31
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 e. Points out that humanitarian crises often exacerbate pre-existing gender inequalities and discriminatory social norms, further limiting women and girls’ access to essential services, the full exercise of their rights and personal autonomy;
Amendment 32
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 f. Is concerned that human rights violations and gender-based violence remain pervasive in conflict settings, while efforts towards prevention and survivor support, and access to justice, remain insufficient; expresses concern that, amid shrinking services, women-led and women’s rights organisations fear that gender-based violence may go unaddressed or intensify in severity;
Amendment 33
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 g (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
1 g. Expresses its deep concern about the destruction of health infrastructure and the systematic blocking of humanitarian aid in Gaza; calls for the EU and the Member States to ensure unrestricted access to sexual and reproductive health and maternal health services for all women and girls affected by the conflict;
Amendment 34
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2. Is alarmed by the increase in IHL violations in recent years – some of which have been reported as strategic methods of warfare – in particular in Sudan, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine and Haiti; calls for immediate international action to put an end to the intolerable humanitarian crisis in Gaza, against the backdrop of the blockade enacted by the Israeli Government;
2. Is alarmed by the increase in IHL violations in recent years – some of which have been reported as strategic methods of warfare – in particular in Sudan, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine and Haiti; underlines the exceptional gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, especially for women, children and other vulnerable groups, brought about by the prolonged blockade and repeated large-scale attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools and humanitarian infrastructure carried out by the Israeli Government; expresses great alarm at the catastrophic humanitarian situation, especially for women and girls, in the Gaza Strip, notably the lack of food and widespread malnutrition resulting from insufficient access to humanitarian aid; reiterates that distribution sites, civilians, humanitarian workers and medical staff must be protected and must not become targets of military action; underlines the urgent need for all experienced international humanitarian bodies to have full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, with a focus on providing essentials such as food, water, medical supplies and shelter, in line with international law, and demands the immediate restoration of vital infrastructure; emphasises the obligations of the parties to the conflict, under international humanitarian law, with regard to the provision of humanitarian assistance; highlights that the EU’s priority is clear, namely an immediate and permanent ceasefire; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, both living and deceased; notes, however, that the continued deaths of civilians are unacceptable, and that vital aid must be allowed in, including aid specific to women and girls;
Amendment 35
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2 a. Notes that rising food, energy and fertiliser prices, caused by the war in Gaza, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other conflicts, are significantly increasing the need for humanitarian aid; stresses that complex geopolitical crises have a direct impact on the availability of essential goods on global markets, which particularly affects the most vulnerable populations, including children and women;
Amendment 36
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2 b. Calls also for EU humanitarian assistance for the civilian population affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine to be maintained and stepped up, with a particular focus on the needs of internally displaced persons, refugees, elderly people and children, including victims of forced deportation to the Russian Federation and occupied territories;
Amendment 37
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2 c. Deplores the lack of international attention and action with regard to the crises in African and other developing countries, resulting in a situation where 6.7 million people in Sudan are at risk of gender-based violence (GBV); calls, therefore, on global actors to better ensure access to food, clean water, medical care and psychological support, especially for women and children; stresses the importance of advancing women’s rights and gender equality worldwide, which are crucial to the realisation of human rights; emphasises that, despite some progress, women and girls continue to suffer from discrimination and gender-based violence;
Amendment 38
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
2 d. Regrets that aid has been weaponised by many countries, which disproportionately harms women and girls; points out that we have obligations, as an international community, to uphold IHL, which is undeniably being challenged in some regions, further exacerbating vulnerabilities among women and marginalised populations;
Amendment 39
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
3. Deplores the shrinking of the humanitarian space and the erosion of humanitarian principles, which present significant obstacles to the provision of life-saving assistance in several conflict-affected settings; strongly condemns the alarming increase in attacks against civilian populations and the infrastructure necessary for their survival and against humanitarian aid workers; calls for the perpetrators to be held accountable;
3. Deplores the shrinking of the humanitarian space and the erosion of humanitarian principles, as well as non-compliance with international institutions and the arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court, which present significant obstacles to the provision of life-saving assistance in several conflict-affected settings; strongly condemns the alarming increase in attacks against civilian populations and the infrastructure necessary for their survival and against humanitarian aid workers; calls for the perpetrators to be held accountable;
Amendment 40
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
4. Deeply regrets the intention of some EU Member States to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention and the 2008 Oslo Convention;
4. Deeply regrets the de-prioritisation of humanitarian aid, in particular for women and girls, by some EU Member States, and their intention to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention and the 2008 Oslo Convention;
Amendment 41
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
5. Calls on the Commission to strengthen actions to prevent IHL violations and to address gaps in monitoring IHL violations through data collection and more effective, evidence-based advocacy;
5. Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to strengthen actions to prevent IHL violations and to address gaps in monitoring IHL violations through data collection and more effective, evidence-based advocacy; reiterates the need for the EU to play a leading role at multilateral level in promoting women’s rights in foreign and humanitarian policy; calls for the EU, its Member States, the Commission and the EEAS to commit to advancing towards a development and humanitarian policy that entails a gender-responsive and intersectional vision, and to further promote gender equality in their external action; welcomes, in this regard, the growing number and formalisation of gender focal persons (GFPs), with 99 % of EU delegations and 87 % of headquarters services now having GFPs; points out that humanitarian gender-age focal points help maintain focus on gender-based violence prevention and response;
Amendment 42
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
6. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop an EU humanitarian diplomacy strategy, together with the Member States and the European External Action Service (EEAS), so as to boost efforts and ensure a more systematic and coordinated approach to humanitarian diplomacy;
6. Reiterates its urgent call on the Commission to develop an EU humanitarian diplomacy strategy, together with the Member States and the European External Action Service (EEAS), so as to boost efforts and ensure a more systematic and coordinated approach to humanitarian diplomacy;
Amendment 43
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
6 a. Stresses the need for independent humanitarian access to all migration-related facilities, including detention centres, hotspots, and informal border zones, where women and LGBTIQ+ persons face heightened risks of violence, exploitation and denial of essential services, including sexual and reproductive healthcare; calls for transparent monitoring and accountability mechanisms in such settings;
Amendment 44
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
6 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop reparation schemes, including symbolic, material and psychosocial measures, for survivors of sexual and reproductive rights violations in humanitarian contexts, in line with international human rights obligations; emphasises the need to include affected communities, particularly women and girls, in the design of such mechanisms;
Amendment 45
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to significantly increase humanitarian funding in the next multiannual financial framework (MFF), especially in the light of the growing gap between humanitarian needs and funding;
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to significantly increase their humanitarian funding, including in the next multiannual financial framework (MFF), especially in the light of the growing gap between humanitarian needs and funding, and calls for specific, sustainable, flexible, multi-annual funding to be allocated to ensuring that the needs of women and girls, including their sexual and reproductive health needs, are met in humanitarian responses, including through funding women’s rights organisations, which have the greatest access to crisis–affected communities;
Amendment 46
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that humanitarian aid funding prioritises those projects and organisations supporting women and girls who are victims of conflict and climate change, refugees or in situations of humanitarian need that are most at risk of having their funding cut1a;
_________________
1a UN Women, April 2025, 'At a breaking point: The impact of foreign aid cuts on women’s organizations in humanitarian crises worldwide'.
Amendment 47
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7 b. Calls for all EU-funded humanitarian projects to include gender-responsive indicators and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that aid reaches women and girls effectively, responds to their specific needs and contributes to advancing gender equality; underlines the importance of developing tailored humanitarian responses that take into account the needs and realities of women living in rural areas affected by multiple crises;
Amendment 48
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7 c. Stresses that it is important that efforts to support innovative approaches to humanitarian funding specifically consider those that empower women and girls economically and socially; stresses the importance of transparent reporting and independent evaluations in assessing the gender impacts of EU-funded humanitarian action;
Amendment 49
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7 d. Urges the Commission to reject the growing trend towards de-funding humanitarian aid, and emphasises that support is not a question of capacity but of political will and moral responsibility; insists that the Commission, and the wider EU, must lead by example and ensure robust, sustained funding for humanitarian efforts;
Amendment 50
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7e. Deplores the fact that development and humanitarian aid provided by the EU in the form of grants to NGOs recognised as being of common public interest are being instrumentalised and criticised by reactionary movements and nationalist parties within the European Parliament itself;
Amendment 51
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
7 f. Stresses that increasing defence spending must not come at the cost of humanitarian aid, particularly in the face of global crises that disproportionately impact women and girls; highlights that cuts to humanitarian funding risk deepening gender inequalities and undermining critical support for women's health, safety and livelihoods in conflict and disaster settings;
Amendment 52
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
11. Calls on the Member States to deliver on their collective commitment to provide at least 0.7 % of gross national income (GNI) as official development assistance (ODA) and to devote 10 % of their ODA to humanitarian action;
11. Calls on the Member States to deliver on their collective commitment to provide at least 0.7 % of gross national income (GNI) as official development assistance (ODA) and to devote 10 % of their ODA to humanitarian action; calls on the Commission to ensure regular, adequate and sustainable funding; calls for humanitarian aid to be primarily funded by public resources, including organisations working for gender equality and women’s rights, as reducing assistance will severely undermine access to life-saving services provided by women-led and women’s rights organisations; reiterates the importance of investing in women and girls as a strategic investment with long-term positive impacts for all, affecting societal and economic prosperity for generations to come; regrets the withdrawal of funding by USAID and recognises its devastating impact on the global community’s aim of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls; deplores its detrimental effect on maternal mortality rates as a result of decreased access to sexual education and reproductive healthcare; stresses that investing in gender equality saves lives in humanitarian settings; calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently address the gaps left by the US, including by stepping up the EU’s contribution to supporting organisations that are providing key life-saving services in humanitarian contexts, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights;
Amendment 53
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
11 a. Alerts about the increasing de-prioritisation of women’s rights funding and about the fact that grassroots movements and women’s rights organisations continue to be systemically underfunded, receiving less than 1 % of global ODA1a; highlights that at the same time there is a worrying rise in anti-gender financing that aims to counteract the progress made with regard to women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights in the past decades; calls on the Commission to commit to allocating 85 % of ODA funding to projects that incorporate gender as a significant or principal objective and at least 20 % to projects supporting actions for gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights and empowerment as a principal objective within the next MFF; calls for dedicated EU protection and relocation mechanisms to be set up for women’s rights defenders and feminist organisations that are targeted because of their work in the field of sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality, particularly in the context of authoritarianism, conflict and occupation;
_________________
1a ODI policy brief, ‘Where next for feminist foreign policy on funding feminist movements?’, https://media.odi.org/documents/ODI-ET-FundingMovements-PB-EN-May24-Final.pdf.
Amendment 54
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12. Highlights that the diversity of fragile contexts requires tailored approaches and specific financial instruments that foster concerted action among humanitarian, development and peace actors, with a particular focus on engaging with and empowering local actors;
12. Underlines the deep connection between armed conflicts and humanitarian and climate crises, the increase in forced migration and human trafficking, and the risk of exploitation, which disproportionately affect women and girls; highlights the need to strengthen measures to prevent, identify, protect and support victims, ensuring that all humanitarian actions include a gender perspective and promote the rights of the most vulnerable, through effective coordination between relevant EU institutions, Member States and international organisations; expresses concern about the heightened risk of human trafficking in humanitarian settings, where traffickers exploit the vulnerable and the desperate circumstances of displaced populations, particularly women and girls; stresses the need for gender-responsive protection measures, including safe reporting mechanisms, access to essential services, and the integration of anti-trafficking efforts into all stages of humanitarian response; highlights that the diversity of fragile contexts requires tailored approaches and specific financial instruments that foster concerted action among humanitarian, development and peace actors, with a particular focus on engaging with and empowering local actors; stresses that in humanitarian crises women and girls are disproportionately affected by the collapse of essential services, and their basic needs are often the first to go unmet, even though they are expected to fill service gaps, for example, by taking on increased caregiving responsibilities and securing food and water; emphasises that humanitarian strategies must consider the specific needs of both young women and elderly women, who often face distinct vulnerabilities, including exclusion from planning processes, limited access to tailored services, and increased risk of abuse or neglect; calls for specific programmes tailored to young people, particularly women and girls, that guarantee their access to education, menstrual health, sexual and reproductive health and psychosocial support;
Amendment 55
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 a. Calls for ensuring the economic empowerment of women and girls and ensuring that they have sustained access to income, education, food and safe spaces, and for recognising that the absence of these essentials significantly increases the risk of gender-based economic violence, exploitation and harmful practices such as early marriage, sexual exploitation and migration via unsafe routes;
Amendment 56
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
12 b. Highlights, in particular, the situation in Afghanistan, which is facing a severe and complex humanitarian crisis, with over 23.7 million people in need of assistance; notes that the situation is likely to deteriorate further owing to the expulsion of refugees from Pakistan and Iran and ongoing regional instability; welcomes the EU's pledge of EUR 266 million in support, and calls for targeted local actions to assist women and girls;
Amendment 57
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
13. Calls on the Commission to present an ambitious and integrated approach to fragility without delay, and to consult Parliament on the preparation and implementation of this approach;
13. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to present an ambitious and integrated fragility strategy, taking account of the gender dimension, without delay, and to consult Parliament on the preparation and implementation of this strategy; highlights that women in humanitarian contexts should be recognised not merely as victims, but as agents of change who actively drive positive transformation and shape their own destinies; stresses that their full potential, knowledge, and capacity must be meaningfully considered and integrated into the reform of humanitarian and security policies and practices, to ensure more inclusive, effective and sustainable responses;
Amendment 58
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
13 a. Stresses the urgent need to embed a gender-responsive and inclusive design in all humanitarian planning, with a particular focus on the specific needs of women and girls, including pregnant women and marginalised groups, such as LGBTIQ+ persons, people with disabilities and people facing intersectional discrimination, and to ensure their meaningful participation in humanitarian decision-making; underscores that humanitarian responses must prioritise the safety and dignity of, and access to services for, women and other vulnerable groups often overlooked in crisis settings; considers in this regard that the collection of data broken down by age, gender and disability is key to planning and evaluating an effective humanitarian response;
Amendment 59
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
13 b. Recalls the Commission’s Gender-Age Marker for humanitarian action, and stresses the importance of the guidance provided on how to integrate gender and age concerns into humanitarian action and on how to apply the marker to humanitarian projects;
Amendment 60
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
13 c. Stresses the importance of the EU continuing to develop policies and guidelines in relevant areas of humanitarian aid, building on the impact that its thematic policies have had in areas such as protection, gender, disability, food, nutrition, health – including mental health and psychosocial support – shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, education in emergencies, the environment and aid delivery methods; calls for increased investment in mental health support, including trauma-informed care for women, girls and LGBTIQ+ persons in humanitarian settings, recognising the long-term psychological consequences of armed conflict, displacement and gender-based violence;
Amendment 61
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
13 d. Encourages the Commission to issue guidelines calling for the provision and financing of sexual and reproductive health supplies and services as outlined in the MISP for sexual and reproductive health to be systematically included in humanitarian responses, including HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive, maternal and new-born health and family planning, addressing specific nutritional needs and vulnerabilities;
Amendment 62
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
13 e. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to continue making the promotion of gender equality and women's rights and empowerment, including implementation of SDG5, a priority throughout all external action initiatives of the EU, including by leveraging diplomacy and strategic partnerships to promote gender equality on the global political agenda, and to adopt an Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in External Action IV;
Amendment 63
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
14. Calls for the EU to advance in the implementation of the HDP nexus by supporting local organisations and ensuring their full involvement in the humanitarian programme cycle;
14. Calls for the EU to advance in the implementation of the HDP nexus by supporting local organisations and ensuring their full involvement in the humanitarian programme cycle; calls on the Commission to include women in all decision-making, particularly at the local level; calls on the Commission to maintain existing partnerships with local women-led and women’s rights organisations and, where changes are essential, to ensure timely and transparent communication to support dignified, harm-reducing transitions and continuity of services; is strongly opposed to the use of humanitarian aid for the purposes of security or migration control, including the externalisation of borders; stresses that such practices undermine the principles of humanitarian action and disproportionately harm women, girls, LGBTIQ+ persons and displaced communities; recalls that pushbacks and policies of stopping asylum-seekers and migrants in need of protection at or before they reach the EU’s external borders erode EU values as enshrined in the EU Treaties, and violate international and European humanitarian and human rights laws;
Amendment 64
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
15. Calls on the Commission to deliver on its commitment to channel at least 25 % of its humanitarian funding to local actors by 2027;
15. Calls on the Commission to deliver on its commitment to channel at least 25 % of its humanitarian funding to local actors by 2027 as directly as possible, with a particular focus on local women’s rights organisations; calls on the Commission to facilitate, simplify and harmonise local and national actors’ access to funds in line with the Grand Bargain commitments;
Amendment 65
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
16. Notes that anticipatory action in crisis-prone settings in advance of humanitarian crises is an efficient way of preventing or mitigating future humanitarian needs;
16. Notes that anticipatory action in crisis-prone settings in advance of humanitarian crises is an efficient way of preventing or mitigating future humanitarian needs; emphasises that such anticipatory approaches must systematically integrate a gender perspective, ensuring that the specific needs, capacities, and leadership of women and girls are addressed and supported;
Amendment 66
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
16 a. Calls for ensuring safe shelters, protected spaces and psychological support for women and girls who are victims of violence in humanitarian settings, while providing adequate and sustainable resources;
Amendment 67
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18. Encourages the Member States to significantly scale up their investment in locally led and integrated anticipatory action;
18. Calls for the EU to develop gender-responsive humanitarian action to align with the HDP nexus, moving beyond short-term relief towards long-term investment in community resilience against future crises, involving people of all genders in response planning, and taking better account of and addressing root causes; recalls that the EU must bridge the humanitarian and development nexus to respond to the impact of crisis and conflict on the most vulnerable students, such as girls and young women; encourages the Member States to significantly scale up their investment in locally led and integrated anticipatory action; points out that investing in humanitarian aid enables us to avoid both future humanitarian crises and the need to make larger investments; calls on the Commission to provide more concrete proposals on specific expenditures, programmes, tracking and assessment of gender-related activities in humanitarian crises; points out that the accessibility of information, services and humanitarian assistance is essential for ensuring an inclusive and effective response for all people affected by crisis, particularly for groups in vulnerable situations, such as people with disabilities, children and the elderly;
Amendment 68
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18 a. Reaffirms that the EU global health strategy focuses on addressing the root causes of ill health, with a special emphasis on the needs and rights of women, children and young people, including universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights; reiterates that ensuring women’s access to healthcare and psychosocial support is a key component of relief and recovery efforts and a priority within the humanitarian-development-peace nexus;
Amendment 69
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18 b. Stresses the importance of facilitating the inclusion of crisis-affected women in contributing to the crisis response and recovery plans that affect themselves, their families and their wider communities;
Amendment 70
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18 c. Welcomes the provision in the Gender Action Plan III for humanitarian assistance on supporting preparedness, prevention and response in relation to sexual and gender-based violence;
Amendment 71
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18 d. Calls, too, for safe access to education for children affected by humanitarian crises, including through the provision of support for temporary schools and nutrition programmes, and of psychological support;
Amendment 72
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
18 e. Calls on the Commission to ensure that its response to humanitarian crises includes menstrual hygiene kits as a standard element in all of its emergency responses;
Amendment 73
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as an essential tool in ensuring that the rights of women and girls are observed at all times;
19. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as an essential tool in ensuring that the rights of women and girls are observed at all times; stresses, however, that gender-based and sexual violence remains a scourge frequently used in conflicts as a weapon of war, even though women and girls are the most likely to suffer the consequences of armed conflict and global warming;
Amendment 74
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19 a. Calls for the EU and the Member States to prioritise the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda; highlights the importance of renewing the EU’s Women, Peace and Security action plan and of openly tackling any pushback against this agenda worldwide1a while giving priority to ensuring access to essential sexual and reproductive health services for all women affected by conflict and guaranteeing accountability and reparations for sexual and reproductive health and rights violations in line with international human rights standards and recommendations;
_________________
1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2025/769691/IUST_BRI(2025)769691_EN.pdf.
Amendment 75
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19 b. Calls on the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to enhance efforts to take into account the specific needs and contributions of women and girls in strategies for conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding;
Amendment 76
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19 c. Calls on the Commission to step up efforts to ensure that EU-funded humanitarian aid adequately addresses the needs of women, girls, men and boys and to ensure that the EU continues to enhance gender mainstreaming, increase gender-targeted actions, and ensure a gender-responsible review process for all Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives;
Amendment 77
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
19 d. Calls for the EU and all EU Member States to become signatories to, and report on commitments made under, the WPS–Humanitarian Action Compact as part of a collaborative and cohesive approach to building long-term stability and peace;
Amendment 78
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
20. Calls on all parties to armed conflicts to take measures to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence and all other forms of violence in situations of armed conflict, as well as to promote their sexual and reproductive health and rights;
20. Calls on all parties to armed conflicts to incorporate protection strategies in all aspects of humanitarian assistance and to take measures to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence and all other forms of violence, poverty, and forced displacement in situations of armed conflict, including early marriages and teenage pregnancies in the context of humanitarian crises, which lead to a disruption in education and exacerbate multidimensional poverty, as well as to promote their sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly in the case of Ukrainian women who have fled to countries with more restrictive sexual and reproductive health and rights policies and who deserve access to safe and legal abortion after experiencing sexual violence as an act of war; recognises that such violence often intensifies during conflicts and can be systematically used as a weapon of war;
Amendment 79
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
20 a. Recalls that peace agreements reached with the participation of women have a better chance of being sustainable and effective; calls on the Commission to include women in all stages of decision-making in humanitarian and post-conflict settings;
Amendment 80
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
21. Highlights the crucial role played by women in humanitarian settings; regrets that local women-led organisations are among the hardest hit by the recent cuts to foreign aid, and encourages better engagement with them in humanitarian programming7 ;
21. Highlights the crucial role played by women as frontline responders in humanitarian settings; regrets that local women-led and LGBTIQ+ organisations are among the hardest hit by the recent cuts to foreign aid, and encourages full, equal and meaningful engagement with them in humanitarian programming7, including increased flexible and direct funding; notes with regret that almost half (47 %) of women-led and women’s organisations surveyed expect to shut down within six months if current funding levels persist, while more than a third (35 %) remain trapped in uncertainty, unable to plan or sustain their work, and only 18 % report that they anticipate being able to remain operational for more than a year7a; stresses the importance of ensuring safety and access to need-based services in refugee camps and reception centres, including adequate sanitation, healthcare, psychosocial support, maternity care, legal aid and safe spaces; underlines that women and girls often face heightened risks in such settings, and that their meaningful participation in the design, planning and management of refugee shelters is essential to ensure that services are accessible, appropriate and responsive to their specific needs; calls on the Commission and humanitarian actors to address mobility and transport-related barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing aid, including safe transportation to health centres, distribution points and shelters;
_________________
_________________
7 UN Women, ‘Humanitarian funding cuts threaten women’s rights: What’s at stake and how to help’, 13 May 2025, https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/humanitarian-funding-cuts-threaten-womens-rights-whats-at-stake-and-how-to-help.
7 UN Women, ‘Humanitarian funding cuts threaten women’s rights: What’s at stake and how to help’, 13 May 2025, https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/humanitarian-funding-cuts-threaten-womens-rights-whats-at-stake-and-how-to-help.
7a https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/at-a-breaking-point-the-impact-of-foreign-aid-cuts-on-womens-organizations-in-humanitarian-crises-worldwide-en.pdf.
Amendment 81
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
21 a. Highlights the specific vulnerabilities of women in rural, remote and conflict-affected areas, who often face additional barriers in accessing humanitarian aid, including health services and psychological support; calls for targeted funding and inclusive programming that addresses these intersectional challenges;
Amendment 82
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
21 b. Emphasises the importance of safeguarding the dignity of all individuals in humanitarian settings, with particular attention to women and girls, by ensuring equitable access to essential services and supplies, including sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene products, safe and private spaces for breastfeeding and maternal care, gender-sensitive sanitation facilities, and adequate lighting to enhance safety in the evenings;
Amendment 83
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
22. Encourages the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to promote gender-sensitive approaches in humanitarian interventions and to increase their support for women’s participation in humanitarian decision-making processes, ensuring that their perspectives and needs are prioritised in the design and delivery of aid, in line with the objectives of UN Security Council Resolution 1325;
22. Encourages the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to promote gender-responsive approaches in humanitarian interventions and to increase their support for women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels in humanitarian decision-making processes, while developing gender-responsive development strategies at national and international level that enable women to safely emerge and take on leadership in crisis settings, ensuring that their perspectives and needs are prioritised in the design and delivery of aid, in line with the objectives of UN Security Council Resolution 1325; calls for women’s full, equal and meaningful participation to be ensured at all stages of a peace process, including mediation efforts, prevention and resolution of armed conflicts, peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction and ceasefire negotiations, while strengthening the protection of all women universally;
Amendment 84
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
22 a. Expresses serious concern about the growing influence of ultra-conservative, anti-gender and religious fundamentalist movements – both within and outside the EU – that aim to undermine the fundamental rights of women and girls, including in humanitarian settings; stresses that such movements often spread disinformation, stigmatise sexual and reproductive health services, and weaken the protection of women against gender-based violence; calls on the Commission, the EEAS, and the Member States to ensure that EU-funded humanitarian programmes remain firmly grounded in international human rights standards and gender equality, and to actively support civil society organisations targeted by anti-rights actors;
Amendment 85
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
23. Reiterates its call for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 by the EU Member States;
23. Reiterates its call for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 by the EU Member States; encourages the Member States to update their National Action Plans (NAPs) in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325;
Amendment 86
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Motion for a resolution
Amendment
23 a. Warns against institutional violence and negligence by humanitarian actors, including gender-blind programming, unsafe environments for women and LGBTIQ+ people, and a lack of accountability for abuses; calls for binding gender-sensitivity standards, comprehensive reporting systems and zero-tolerance policies across all humanitarian operations funded by the EU;
ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT
The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not include in her report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register1, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.
INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
Date adopted
13.10.2025
Result of final vote
+ : 25
- : 8
0 : 1
Members present for the final vote
Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Valérie Devaux, Heléne Fritzon, Lina Gálvez, Alexandra Geese, Chiara Gemma, Fernand Kartheiser, Arba Kokalari, Elena Kountoura, Sebastian Kruis, Judita Laššáková, Eleonora Meleti, Carolina Morace, Maria Noichl, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Giusi Princi, Emma Rafowicz, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Benedetta Scuderi, Laurence Trochu, Marko Vešligaj, Maria Walsh, Lucia Yar
Substitutes present for the final vote
Christine Anderson, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral, Elisabeth Grossmann, Billy Kelleher, Katrin Langensiepen, Manuela Ripa, Beatrice Timgren, Marianne Vind
Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote
Peter Agius, Daniel Caspary
FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL BY THE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
25
+
PPE
Caspary Daniel, Do Nascimento Cabral Paulo, Kokalari Arba, Meleti Eleonora, Pietikäinen Sirpa, Princi Giusi, Ripa Manuela, Walsh Maria
Renew
Cifrová Ostrihonová Veronika, Devaux Valérie, Kelleher Billy, Yar Lucia
S&D
Fritzon Heléne, Gálvez Lina, Grossmann Elisabeth, Noichl Maria, Rafowicz Emma, Scheuring-Wielgus Joanna, Vesligaj Marko, Vind Marianne
The Left
Kountoura Elena, Morace Carolina
Verts/ALE
Geese Alexandra, Langensiepen Katrin, Scuderi Benedetta
8
-
ECR
Gemma Chiara, Timgren Beatrice, Trochu Laurence
ESN
Anderson Christine
NI
Kartheiser Fernand, Lassáková Judita
PfE
Kruis Sebastian, de la Pisa Carrión Margarita
1
0
PPE
Agius Peter
Key:
+ : in favour
- : against
0 : abstentions