The European Union has set up a 900 million euro ($998 million) budget to help countries hit by humanitarian crises, with Africa getting the largest share of the money.
The EU Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said Monday that people in more than 80 countries will benefit from the money in 2020. Some 400 million euros ($444 million) will go to programs developed in Africa, while 345 million euros ($383 million) have been awarded to address crises in the Middle East.
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The European Union has set up a 900 million euro ($998 million) budget to help countries hit by humanitarian crises, with Africa getting the largest share of the money.
“Even though conflict remains the main cause of hunger and displacement, its impact has become seriously worsened by climate change. Europe has a responsibility to show solidarity and support for those in need. Our assistance depends on full humanitarian access so aid organizations can do their lifesaving job,” said Janez Lenarčič, the EU commissioner for crisis management.
Migrants and refugees from different African nationalities react on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, off the Libyan coast, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
Men from Morocco and Bangladesh react on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, off the Libyan coast, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
Men from Morocco and Bangladesh react on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, off the Libyan coast, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
A further 111 million euros ($123 million) will be dedicated to programs in Asia and Latin America.
People chant slogans in support of a secular state during a visit organized by The World Food Program (WFP) in the conflict-affected remote town of Kauda, Nuba Mountains, Sudan, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. Sudan’s Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, accompanied by United Nations officials, embarked on a peace mission Thursday to Kauda, a rebel stronghold, in a major step toward government efforts to end the country’s long-running civil conflicts. (AP PhotoNariman El-Mofty)
“Even though conflict remains the main cause of hunger and displacement, its impact has become seriously worsened by climate change. Europe has a responsibility to show solidarity and support for those in need. Our assistance depends on full humanitarian access so aid organizations can do their lifesaving job,” said Janez Lenarčič, the EU commissioner for crisis management.
The EU said the bulk of the 2020 EU aid will support people suffering from the long-term conflict in Congo and malnutrition in the Sahel region, as well as those displaced by violence in South Sudan, Central African Republic and the Lake Chad basin.
In the Middle East, the EU said the funding will “address the crisis in Syria and its refugees in neighboring countries, as well as the extremely critical situation in Yemen."
In this Monday Jan. 13, 2020 photo, a Moroccan boy watches the sea on board the Spanish NGO Open Arms vessel, as the NGO waits for the authorities to allow them to enter in the nearest safe port with the 118 people who were rescued off the Libyan coast on Friday, international waters, Central Mediterranean sea. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
Migrants and refugees from different African nationalities react on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, off the Libyan coast, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
Men from Morocco and Bangladesh react on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, off the Libyan coast, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)
Men from Morocco and Bangladesh react on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, off the Libyan coast, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (AP PhotoSanti Palacios)