Blog: Humanitarian and Development aid working hand in hand: a winning team - Hoofdinhoud
August is the month of the European Year for Development dedicated to Humanitarian Aid
In the past few years we have, tragically, witnessed a surge in humanitarian crises: you just need to read the papers this week to see the floods affecting Myanmar and Bangladesh, or the typhoon in China and Taiwan, for example. Armed conflicts and protracted crises show worrying trends across the globe. At the same time, natural disasters are growing in frequency, complexity and severity, and are aggravated by challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanisation and under-development. According to the UN, around 100 million people are affected by natural disasters every year.
Comprehensive help in those situations includes both short-term humanitarian relief and mid- to long-term development assistance. Together with my colleague Christos Stylianides, I am working hard to ensure that the European Union provides swift, effective and coordinated support to the many people suffering from such tragic events.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal this year was a stark reminder of this, sadly. The European Commission was able to react and provide immediate support, including shelter, water, and medical assistance, to thousands of people whose livelihoods were impacted, if not torn apart, by the terrible event. In addition, we announced the allocation of over €100 million for the reconstruction process in Nepal during a donors' conference in Kathmandu. Our support will specifically target those who have been hardest hit by the earthquake - the poor, women and the agricultural sector. Even if a lot of work still remains to be done, we can proudly say that the European Union has been the biggest supporter to the country in this tragedy.
Another example has been the Ebola crisis. Just recently, the European Commission pledged €450 million to support the recovery of the three most affected countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. This new allocation brought the European Commission's total support towards fighting the Ebola epidemic since its outbreak to €869 million. Neither of us will rest until we are down to zero Ebola cases and the healthcare of the population can be ensured. But, it's about much more than just health, of course, we also want to help the country's damaged economies to recover.
In a few days, we will commemorate World Humanitarian Day (August, 19) to pay tribute to the people who risk their lives every day to help the victims of war and disasters around the world. It will be an opportunity to highlight the numerous humanitarian challenges we are facing, and to recognise that we need to work together, providing a comprehensive response to crises, in order to be truly effective.
Assessing the damage at the Basantapur Durbar Square, Nepal
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