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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF): EU supports IFRC’s effective response to emergencies worldwide

Since 1979, the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has offered immediate financial support to respond to all kinds of emergencies around the globe.

Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs funding to respond to a disaster, it can request a grant from the fund. This way, they can bring relief as soon as possible to the people affected.

The DREF has proved to be the simplest, fastest, and most transparent way for national societies to access reliable international short-term emergency funding. And as a leading humanitarian donor, the EU is one of the top contributors.

In 2023, the EU has signed a €10 million agreement with the IFRC. The aim is to respond to disasters all around the world and provide greater support to local actors and responders in humanitarian emergencies.

This week, the EU has committed its continued support towards the IFRC-DREF for 2024 at the Pledging Conference for donors hosted by the IFRC in Geneva.

So far this year, the EU has contributed 58 times to DREF operations, for a wide diversity of disasters across the world.

Here is a selection of only a few of the actions that received EU humanitarian funding via the IFRC-DREF.

People receiving goods from aid workers.
Back in February, tropical cyclone Freddy made landfall on the coast of Madagascar. The EU supported the Red Cross in helping communities that had to evacuate their homes and assisting the most vulnerable populations in the country.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A woman carrying several blankets on her head
When conflict fighting started in Sudan this spring, hundreds of thousands fled. The EU supported the efforts of the Red Crescent societies to assist affected populations in Sudan and neighbouring countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Group of people sitting around an aid worker.
Following an outbreak of the Marburg Viral Disease in Tanzania, the EU supported the country’s Red Cross in its work to reduce the risk of transmission. This included hygiene promotion and other information activities to curb the spread.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Aid workers talking to a woman who sits outside her house in front of a door.
As cyclone Mocha left wreckage after lashing the coast of Bangladesh in May, the local Red Crescent brought emergency relief to the most affected areas.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A person receiving a box with emergency goods from an aid worker wearing a helmet and a mask.
This summer, the EU supported the Venezuelan Red Cross in carrying out preparedness activities ahead of the rainy season. This included prepositioning supplies to be ready in case of disasters.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
An aid worker talking to a child.
As over 100,000 people have been displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh since September, the Armenian Red Cross assisted them at their arrival in the country.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
A woman in front of a shelter tent talking to an aid worker.
After Morocco was hit by a devastating earthquake past September, the EU supported the Moroccan Red Crescent’s efforts to help survivors in the affected villages.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Several men comforting another man.
After devastating floods killed thousands in Libya in September, the Libyan Red Crescent received EU funding for its emergency response to assist survivors.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
People at the right side unloading big boxes from a longboat laying in a river on the left side.
As a severe drought was expected to hit Micronesia at the end of this year, the EU funded preparedness activities carried out by the country’s Red Cross in the archipelago, such as pre-positioning relief items and ensuring access to safe drinking water.
© IFRC. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Photo of Maria Fernandez

Story by Maria Fernandez, EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
Photos: © IFRC

Publication date: 17/11/2023

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