EU at UNGA 78: Commissioner Lenarčič co-chairs event on Bridging the Humanitarian Funding Gap

On Thursday, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, will co-chair the side event entitled on Bridging the Humanitarian Funding Gap: An Urgent Call to Action, together with Johan Forssell, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden and Dr Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).

The main goal of this event is to mobilise more donors to bridge the humanitarian funding gap via innovative approaches and strategies.

Commissioner Lenarčič said: “The explosion of humanitarian needs that we are witnessing is unprecedented in its scale and abruptness and climate change is continuing to cause more and more severe disasters. To meet these needs, humanitarian funding requirements stand at a record $55.2 billion, in a context where many donors are facing a less favourable budgetary situation. Recent projections question our collective capacity to provide the required support in the years to come. The consequences are and will be dire for the people affected – and should be a major concern for the wider international community. Bridging the humanitarian funding gap will require creative solutions and global cooperation. We need a more balanced funding structure. Voluntary funding targets represent one very promising way forward.”