ur Asena Erturk
17 January 2025•Update: 17 January 2025
ANKARA
The EU has announced a humanitarian aid budget of €1.9 billion (approximately $1.96 billion) for 2025, with substantial allocations for crisis-stricken regions around the world, according to an official statement on Thursday.
A significant portion of the budget will be directed to the Middle East and North Africa.
The European Commission outlined that €375 million will go toward the broader Middle East, with a focus on Gaza, which continues to face severe humanitarian challenges.
Additionally, €95 million will be allocated to North Africa and Yemen, regions grappling with complex political, economic, and social difficulties.
In Africa, the EU will provide €510 million to support vulnerable populations across the continent, particularly in West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, Northwest Nigeria, Central Africa, the Great Lakes region, and the Greater Horn of Africa.
Ukraine will receive continued EU support, with an “initial allocation” of €140 million, alongside an additional €8 million earmarked for humanitarian projects in neighboring Moldova.
The EU will also address crises in Latin America and the Caribbean, committing €113 million to address “the domestic and regional impact of the crisis in Venezuela, the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the armed conflicts in Colombia, the complex crisis in Haiti and the violence in Central America, Mexico and Ecuador.”
In Asia, the EU has allocated €182 million for humanitarian efforts, with a particular focus on the ongoing crises in Myanmar and Afghanistan. An additional €35 million will be directed to the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region, while €5 million will support projects in the southern Caucasus and Central Asia.
The EU has also reserved more than €295 million for emergency responses to unforeseen humanitarian crises throughout the year and over €110 million for innovative projects and policy initiatives.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized on X that the EU remains “one of the world's top donors,” reinforcing the bloc’s commitment to addressing global humanitarian needs.
