An open letter from VOICE and the CEOs of 96 humanitarian NGOs to all decision-makers in the European Union and its Member States.

It only took a few days for the U.S. decision to freeze its foreign aid and dismantle USAID to sever the lifeline of millions of people worldwide and disrupt the entire humanitarian system.

Almost overnight, vaccine and nutrition treatment distribution halted, clinics and schools closed, and access to clean water and sanitation – among other critical services – was jeopardised. This is a dramatic blow to the 307,6 million people projected to need urgent humanitarian assistance and protection in 2025.

For example, with the US foreign aid suspension, 95 million people would lose access to basic healthcare1 and 23 million children would lose access to education programs, increasing poverty cycles2.

Many grassroots, local and national NGOs that are the backbone of humanitarian responses have already suspended programs, laid off staff and many face closure, severely impacting their capacity to respond to the urgent needs of affected communities.

The US decision is unprecedented in scale, form, and impact, and is part of a worrying long-term trend. The gap between humanitarian needs and available funding has more than tripled from $8.4 billion in 2016 to $26 billion in 20243, due to a massive increase in needs and, more recently, significant funding cuts from multiple donors, including European States.

In this challenging time, we urge the EU and its Member States to take unified and decisive actions to uphold the core values of its foundation – solidarity, the eradication of poverty, and the protection of human rights. This is not only a legal obligation from the Lisbon Treaty (article 214), nor merely the will of European citizens, it is also fundamental in reflecting European values within the broader global community. Guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, humanitarian action saves lives and strengthens communities’ resilience every day. To uphold these values, we urge the EU and its Member States to remain global leaders in solidarity by taking the following actions.

• We urge the EU and its Member States to stand by crises-affected communities, by increasing the humanitarian funding that ensure their continuous access to basic services. In particular, as discussions accelerate on the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework, the current global humanitarian crisis should serve as a wake-up call for adopting a stronger humanitarian budget.
• We call on the EU and its Member States to increase their dialogue with national and international partners, and demonstrate understanding, flexibility, and extensive support – administratively, financially, and legally – with actors delivering humanitarian assistance. International, national, and especially local NGOs are facing immense challenges in fulfilling their commitments to people affected by crises. Emergency support measures and enhanced quality, localised and flexible funding, as laid out in the Grand Bargain commitments, are critical to maintaining humanitarian actors’ operational capacity.
• In the longer term, we call on the EU to take the lead as a convener of a global strategic dialogue to shape a principled, sustainable and flexible new humanitarian system that works with and for the most vulnerable communities and that relies on a diverse range of actors, including new donors, private sector and robust EU and Member States’ support.

The far-ranging impacts of the decisions of one single state show how intertwined our world is. This is a call for all EU political actors to stand up for humanity and lead a new positive political dynamic that saves lives and makes a real difference for all, at home and worldwide.

See the full list of signatories here.

1 USAID: The Benefits and Upcoming Losses in Numbers
2 USAID: The Benefits and Upcoming Losses in Numbers
3 FTS UN OCHA