Introduction
The Second Karabakh War in 2020 resulted in severe humanitarian consequences for the inhabitants of the region. The situation further deteriorated in September 2023, when Azerbaijan’s operation in Karabakh led to the exodus of nearly the entire Armenian population from the entity, affecting the humanitarian landscape on the ground.
Against this backdrop, in August 2025 Armenia and Azerbaijan initialled a bilateral peace agreement aimed at formally bringing to an end almost 4 decades of conflict, particularly over Karabakh.
What are the needs?
As a result of the war in 2020 and Azerbaijan’s operation in September 2023 in Karabakh, more than 121,000 Karabakh Armenians fled to Armenia.
The conflict also had repercussions along the Armenia-Azerbaijan bilateral border, with several Azerbaijani incursions into Armenia’s internationally recognised territory in 2021-2022. The situation triggered a displacement crisis in the region, leaving thousands of people in need of basic support like:
- shelter and non-food-items
- food assistance, cash and livelihoods support
- access to health and psychosocial services
- protection and legal aid
How are we helping?
In response to the developments on the ground in September 2023, with thousands of people fleeing from Karabakh, the EU provided over €12 million in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable. In 2024, the EU strengthened its humanitarian operations in Armenia with an additional €5.5 million, followed by a further €4 million in 2025 and €1 million in 2026.
With this allocation, the EU aims to provide support to those who have sought refuge in Armenia. Our funding is ensuring support for basic needs such as healthcare, shelter, food, livelihood assistance, and protection. In addition, EU funding will also promote and ensure the preparedness of local communities and systems for natural hazards and man-made crises and enhance the overall response for refugees and other displaced persons.
Since the Second Karabakh War in 2020, the European Commission has allocated in total over €40 million in humanitarian aid to provide emergency support to the affected people.
EU humanitarian assistance includes among others:
- food
- hygiene and household items
- multi-purpose cash assistance
- shelter
- education in emergencies
- health and psychosocial support
- medical equipment
The European Commission also plays a key role in facilitating humanitarian coordination and information sharing among various organisations, including donors, authorities, and humanitarian partners.
Embedded in the Nexus approach, strengthening humanitarian, development, and peace sectors, the EU humanitarian aid is complementary to the support to the conflict-affected populations provided by the respective governments, the European Delegation in Armenia, and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST).
This page was last updated on 2 March 2026