Belgium will allocate a budget of €190 million for humanitarian aid in 2024, announced the Federal Minister for Development Cooperation, Caroline Gennez (Vooruit), during the European Humanitarian Forum.
The event, jointly organised this year by the European Commission and Belgium, as the current President of the Council of the EU, brings together institutional actors, NGOs, and international agencies in Brussels to address pressing global aid issues.
Under Belgium's direction, one of the key themes at this third edition of the forum is "forgotten crises" – emergencies overshadowed in media narratives or overlooked due to their prolonged duration. Other focuses include priority setting and funding deficits.
As pointed out by Gennez's office, the United Nations estimates approximately 300 million people will require humanitarian assistance this year – an "exceptionally high" figure driven up by conflicts and climate change effects.
At the same time, funding shortfalls have "never been larger", with "the international community providing only 40% of the necessary humanitarian assistance in 2023."
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By pledging €190 million for humanitarian assistance, the Belgian Development Cooperation is increasing its contribution by nearly €20 million from last year.
"Belgium is a highly valued donor since over 60% of our humanitarian aid goes to emergency funds and the general resources of humanitarian organisations," Gennez noted in a statement. "This enables these organisations to strategically plan and swiftly respond on the ground when a new crisis arises."
