Millions at risk of hunger in the Sahel

The Sahel region in Africa – covering Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad – is highly exposed to chronic food insecurity. Malnutrition or related diseases kill 300 000 children there annually, even in a 'non-crisis year'. 2012 is a major crisis year: poor harvest, drought and high food prices, compounded by regional violence, are now affecting 17 million people in the region. Nearly eight million of them are suffering severe food insecurity.

Haiti: helping keep hope alive

In January 2010, Haiti was rocked by a deadly earthquake which affected 3 million people, killing 222 750 and leaving up to 1.7 million homeless. Thanks to its 16-year-long humanitarian presence in Haiti, the European Commission was able to respond immediately and effectively to the urgent needs, and to continue making a difference when tackling the huge challenges that followed – displacement, water shortage, medical treatment, the cholera epidemics and Hurricane Tomas.

New legislation on Disaster Response Capacity

Natural and man-made disasters are growing in frequency and intensity. In December 2011 the Commission adopted a new legislative proposal which aims to reinforce the EU's disaster management. The revised legislative proposal suggests creating a European Emergency Response Capacity, moving from the current ad hoc arrangement to a predictable and reliable system that allows for good planning. Prevention and preparedness actions will be equally integrated in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Another key proposal is the setting up of a European Emergency Response Centre (ERC) which will be responsible for the coordination of the EU's civilian disaster response. The ERC will ensure that Member States are fully informed and able to decide about the provision of the most needed assistance.

Humanitarian Aid Budget 2012

The European Commission envisages funding humanitarian interventions in 36 countries or regions in 2012. It is allocating a budget of €640 million in humanitarian aid funding next year. The projects will be implemented through the Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO).

European Voluntary Corps: first volunteers on the field

The European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps – one of the Lisbon Treaty’s most exciting innovations – is shaping up, as the first European humanitarian volunteers are sent to train in real-life crisis situations. The Corps’ pilot projects will continue into 2012, when the experience of the pioneer volunteers will be used to propose the shape of the fully-fledged new structure.

Southeast Asia hit by floods of the century

More than 11 million people are affected by the worst flooding to hit Southeast Asia in the last 60 years. The disaster has claimed close to a thousand lives and displaced half a million people.

Horn of Africa Drought

Drought, conflict and hunger have rendered close to 13 million people in need of emergency aid in the Horn of Africa.

Earthquake in Turkey

A powerful earthquake rattled eastern Turkey on 23 October. More than 600 people died and 4 152 were injured. The authorities, Red Crescent and Turkish volunteers have worked tirelessly to save hundreds trapped by the debris, but with thousands left homeless by the destruction, Turkey asked Europe to join the relief operation and help shelter the survivors.

Libyan crisis

From the start of the Libyan crisis, the European Union has stood by the people of Libya and by the foreigners who were trapped in the country due to the rise of hostilities. The European Commission continues to help meet the most pressing humanitarian needs inside the country with the presence of experts and the allocation of funds.

World Humanitarian Day 2011 : People helping people

August 19 is World Humanitarian Day. The day is dedicated to humanitarian workers, men and women who provide relief, assistance and hope for millions of crisis victims in the most hazardous regions of the world. The World Humanitarian Day was established in 2008 by the UN General Assembly, which picked 19 August in memory of the 22 UN humanitarian workers who were killed by the bomb explosion in the UN office in Baghdad, Iraq, on 19 August 2003. One of them was the UN Secretary General's Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Solidarity with Japan

Japan was hit by one of its worst disasters in history on March 11 2011. The European Union responded with an outpouring of compassion and solidarity towards the Japanese people. Aid was also quick to come – the EU provided €17 million in financial and in-kind assistance.

European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps

The creation of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, foreseen in the Lisbon Treaty, offers European citizens the opportunity to get involved in humanitarian aid. The first volunteers will soon have the chance to be trained and deployed through pilot projects. This will provide additional resources to organisations specialised in humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction. After this initial experience, and following broad public consultations, legislative proposals will be put forward by the Commission.

Floods in Pakistan

One year after the worst monsoon floods in 80 years, vulnerable populations in Pakistan are still struggling to rebuild their lives and recover from the effects of the disaster. The European Union continues to support the worst-affected populations with generous humanitarian aid. More than 20 million people were affected by the floods, over 1 900 people died and an estimated 12.5 million required urgent humanitarian assistance. In 2010, the European Commission helped those in the direst need with €150 million in humanitarian assistance. A further €76 million has been committed to cover continuing acute needs in the affected areas such as shelter, water and sanitation, food, livelihood recovery and healthcare. Floods in Pakistan : one year later