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Brussels, Belgium, 14 March 2024 —  The EU must fundamentally rethink its approach to global crises or risk humanitarian needs spiralling to unprecedented highs, warns the ̽����ѡ (̽����ѡ).

From Sudan to Gaza, Ukraine, Afghanistan and beyond, the global humanitarian picture has changed dramatically since the last EU elections in 2019. The number of people in humanitarian need has more than doubled to 300 million, while the number displaced has soared by almost 40% to 110 million.

However, it’s not just the numbers that have changed, but the nature of humanitarian crises. Conflicts are increasingly spilling across borders, being fought for longer, and the parties involved are fragmenting. Needs are increasingly concentrated in a handful of fragile and conflict-affected countries - with civilians bearing the brunt. 

Ahead of the EU elections in June, the ̽����ѡ is warning that the EU’s approach to crises is not keeping pace with this new reality. As needs continue to spiral, EU aid is increasingly being tailored to more stable contexts, rather than reaching the fragile states that need it most. That leaves whole regions and countries at risk of being left behind.

While the EU - through DG ECHO - has saved lives and given hope to millions of people, humanitarian aid alone cannot deliver on the scale and nature of the needs we see today.

Over the coming five years, the EU needs to better deliver for people caught in the crosshairs of crisis. If it fails to do so, we can expect the humanitarian picture at the next elections in 2029 to be even more dire – with millions more lives hanging in the balance.

The ̽����ѡ is today launching its campaign, calling on the EU to #RaiseTheBar and lead with humanity in a world of escalating crises.

Our new report, out today, provides a blueprint for this change. It highlights seven areas that demand policymakers’ attention - in the election period and beyond - in order for them to better respond to the realities of crises today:

1. Focus on fragile and conflict-affected states, taking a 'people first' approach to delivery. 
2. Harness humanitarian action for long-term development impact.
3. Save lives impacted by the climate and food security crises by investing in solutions that work.
4. Deploy innovative approaches to unlock new sources of finance.
5. Prioritise gender equality in crisis response and shift power and resources to women-led organisations.
6. Protect humanitarian and civilian space by consistently calling out violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and challenging impunity.
7. Ensure a safe, orderly and humane approach to asylum and migration.

Read the full report Raise the Bar: A blueprint for EU leadership in a world of escalating crises or download the executive summary.

David Miliband, ̽����ѡ President and CEO, says:

“In the five years since the last European elections, humanitarian needs have soared to unprecedented heights and conflicts are becoming more complex and protracted. While DG ECHO is a world leader when it comes to crisis response, it’s clear that the EU’s approach to these crises is not keeping pace with today’s spiraling needs.

"The ̽����ѡ has issued a clear warning: we need a new vision for how the EU responds to crises. Europeans are not just spectators; the world’s problems are Europe’s problems. EU policymakers need to course-correct to better deliver not only for the millions of people caught in the crosshairs of conflict, poverty and climate change, but ultimately for their own constituents. 

"The coming five years will be a test of the EU’s commitment to humanitarian leadership: an opportunity to do more, do better, and truly raise the bar, lest we allow the humanitarian picture to grow even graver ahead of the next EU elections in 2029.”