On humanitarian aid in a time of polycrisis – reaffirming our principles for a more effective and ambitious response to humanitarian crises

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on humanitarian aid in a time of polycrisis – reaffirming our principles for a more effective and ambitious response to humanitarian crises

(2025/2085(INI))

– having regard to Articles 208 and 214 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Articles 3(5) and 21 of the Treaty on European Union,

– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid,

– 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 the Commission communication of 10 March 2021 on the EU’s humanitarian action: new challenges, same principles (COM(2021)0110),

– having regard to the Commission’s EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights,

– having regard to the updated EU guidelines on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law,

– having regard to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949,

– having regard to the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (Ottawa Convention) and the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (Oslo Convention),

– 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,

– 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,

– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals,

– having regard to the World Food Programme 2025 Global Outlook,

– having regard to the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,

– having regard to the 2024 International Committee of the Red Cross report on international humanitarian law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts,

– having regard to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) States of Fragility 2025 report,

– 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 the G7 foreign ministers’ statement of 13 May 2022 on strengthening anticipatory action in humanitarian assistance,

– having regard to its resolution of 7 May 2025 on a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world,

– having regard to its resolutions on humanitarian aid, in particular those of 15 December 2021 on new orientations for the EU’s humanitarian action, and of 6 July 2022 on addressing food security in developing countries,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A10-0000/2025),

A. whereas the multilateral humanitarian system is facing unprecedented challenges due to record-high humanitarian needs and a growing number of fragile contexts;

B. whereas the humanitarian system is facing a massive funding crisis; 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 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;

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;

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);

Ensuring respect for IHL and the need for an EU humanitarian diplomacy strategy

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;

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;

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;

4. Deeply regrets the intention of some EU Member States to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention and the 2008 Oslo Convention;

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;

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;

Humanitarian aid funding

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;

8. 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, and to oppose any attempts to merge the EU Humanitarian Aid Instrument with the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe;

9. Asks the Commission to ensure, within the next MFF, that increased flexibility 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;

10. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to support the development of innovative approaches to the humanitarian funding gap in cooperation with international financial institutions, multilateral development banks, the private sector and the scientific community;

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;

Developing an integrated approach to fragile contexts

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;

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;

Promoting effective humanitarian responses through the implementation of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus, localisation of aid and anticipatory action

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;

15. Calls on the Commission to deliver on its commitment to channel at least 25 % of its humanitarian funding to local actors by 2027;

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;

17. Insists on the need for a science-based approach to anticipatory action to increase the availability of quality data and risk analysis in order to improve early warning systems and integrate risk forecasting into humanitarian planning;

18. Encourages the Member States to significantly scale up their investment in locally led and integrated anticipatory action;

25 years of UN Security Council Resolution 1325: towards a gender-sensitive approach to humanitarian aid

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;

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;

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 programming;

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;

23. Reiterates its call for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 by the EU Member States;

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24. 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.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Amidst the gravest crisis of the multilateral humanitarian system, advocating for humanitarian aid and its fundamental principles has become more needed than ever.

This report is being prepared at an unprecedented time in history; a time of profound tragedy for millions of vulnerable human beings around the world and one of existential danger to the humanitarian sector. The plight of millions affected by humanitarian crises demands urgent attention, especially in light of the unprecedented global reduction in foreign aid, and in particular the dismantlement of USAID.

This report aims to reshape the narrative surrounding humanitarian aid to emphasise its principles and its critical role in saving lives.

To do so, it proposes three fundamental pillars: humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law; developing more ambitious and effective humanitarian responses; the role of women in humanitarian assistance.

We must recommit to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, and do our utmost to ensure that they are respected in humanitarian settings. Upholding these tenets is essential because their erosion is closely linked to the increasing humanitarian needs we are witnessing globally. In recent years, we have witnessed severe violations of international humanitarian law worldwide, particularly in some contexts.

The number of challenges to the multilateral humanitarian system and to the EU’s humanitarian action continues to be great. These challenges include securing adequate humanitarian funding (Humanitarian funding), developing an EU approach to fragile contexts (Developing an integrated approach to fragile contexts), promoting effective humanitarian action, the implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, the localisation of aid and anticipatory action (Promoting effective humanitarian responses through the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus, localisation of aid and anticipatory action).

We must enhance our efforts to develop more effective humanitarian responses, but striving for effectiveness cannot come at the expense of our adherence to humanitarian principles, transparency, credibility as a global humanitarian actor and engagement in humanitarian settings.

Finally, the third pillar highlights the critical role of women in humanitarian assistance. Traditionally regarded as a vulnerable group in crises, women are also essential actors in delivering humanitarian aid and ensuring that agendas for peace and security are advanced.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325. This report intends to revisit the agenda it proposed and to acknowledge the work still to be done.

This report aims to make a principled statement. The pressing circumstances confronting millions of vulnerable people as well as the humanitarian sector as a whole are too significant and urgent to be overshadowed by political considerations.

What is at stake also extends beyond immediate assistance and the lives of millions of people; it involves the credibility of the European Union on the global stage as a key humanitarian actor.

The European Parliament is one of many actors that can shape the humanitarian landscape; its will to do so must remain unwavering.

ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that she received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the draft report:

Entity and/or person

VOICE EU

Concord

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

World Food Programme

UN Development Programme

International Rescue Committee

Action contre la Faim

Save the Children

International Committee of the Red Cross

Red Cross

Médecins Sans Frontiéres

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

UNICEF

Norwegian Refugee Council

UN Women

Care International

UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine and the Middle East

Act Alliance

Alliance 2015

Finnish Development NGOs – Fingo

Global Focus

DG ECHO

Search for Common Ground

EPLO

The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.

Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that she has submitted to the natural persons concerned the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.