What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 208 and 214 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to Articles 3(5) and 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),

– having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU and all of its Member States,

– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2730 (2024) of 24 May 2024 on protection of humanitarian personnel and UN and associated personnel in armed conflict,

– having regard to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on women, peace, and security, and the nine subsequent related resolutions by the UN Security Council, setting out the Women, Peace and Security agenda,

– having regard to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, its Programme of Action and the outcomes of its review conferences,

– having regard to the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcomes of its review conferences,

– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid1,

– having regard to the Grand Bargain agreement signed on 23 May 2016, to the annual independent reports thereon, in particular the 2021 report, and to the Grand Bargain 2.0 framework and the annexes thereto presented at the Grand Bargain annual meeting from 15 to 17 June 2021, as well as to the renewed commitments made at the Grand Bargain annual meeting from 19 to 20 June 2023,

– having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General of 23 August 2016 on the outcome of the World Humanitarian Summit and the commitments made by the participants at that summit,

– having regard to the ‘humanitarian reset’ proposed by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher in a message to the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee on 10 March 20252,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 10 March 2021 on the EU’s humanitarian action: new challenges, same principles (COM(2021)0110),

– having regard to the Commission’s EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights,

– having regard to the EU’s Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Action (GAP III),

– having regard to the updated EU guidelines on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law3,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 10 December 2018 on Women, Peace and Security and the EU Strategic Approach to Women, Peace and Security (WPS),

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 20 May 2021 on the EU’s humanitarian action, of 22 May 2023 on addressing the humanitarian funding gap, of 7 May 2024 on protection in humanitarian settings, and of 24 June 2024 on the update of the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 16 December 2024 on stepping up Team Europe’s support to global food security and nutrition,

– having regard to the World Food Programme 2025 Global Outlook,

– having regard to the 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),

– having regard to the 2025 UN Women report ‘At a breaking point: The impact of foreign aid cuts on women’s organizations in humanitarian crises worldwide’,

– having regard to the 2024 International Committee of the Red Cross report on international humanitarian law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts,

– having regard to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) States of Fragility 2025 report,

– having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ special report 15/2025 of 18 June 2025 on EU humanitarian aid under remote management,

– having regard to the Equal Measures 2030 report entitled ‘Findings from the 2024 SDG Gender Index: A gender equal future in crisis?’,

– having regard to the G7 foreign ministers’ statement of 13 May 2022 on strengthening anticipatory action in humanitarian assistance,

– having regard to the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, also referred to as the ‘Sevilla Commitment’ (Compromiso de Sevilla),

– having regard to the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) 2023 guidance note entitled ‘Promoting equitable partnerships with local responders in humanitarian settings’,

– having regard to the Humanitarian Donors Declaration on climate and the environment of March 2022,

– having regard to the pledges on ‘strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) through its promotion, dissemination and implementation’ and on ‘protecting humanitarian and medical personnel’ adopted by the EU and its Member States and their National Societies at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,

– having regard to the pledge on ‘unblocking and facilitating humanitarian access: more political and diplomatic engagement and increased support to humanitarians’, adopted by the EU and its Member States at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,

– having regard to its resolution of 7 May 2025 on a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world4,

– having regard to its resolution of 24 June 2021 on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health5,

– having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2018 on the situation of women with disabilities6,

– having regard to its resolutions on humanitarian aid, in particular those of 15 December 2021 on new orientations for the EU’s humanitarian action7, and of 6 July 2022 on addressing food security in developing countries8, and of 23 November 2023 on how to build an innovative humanitarian aid strategy: spotlight on current and forgotten crises9,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A10-0257/2025),

A. whereas the multilateral humanitarian system is facing unprecedented challenges due to a high number of people who require urgent humanitarian assistance and a growing number of fragile contexts, including increasing numbers of armed conflicts compared to 2023; whereas in 2025, an estimated 305 million people around the world will require urgent humanitarian assistance and protection10; whereas polycrisis refers to a complex and interconnected set of crises occurring simultaneously11;

B. whereas over 319 million people are estimated to face acute food insecurity worldwide, with approximately 70 % of them living in fragile or conflict-affected settings12, where about one in five people suffers from hunger; whereas international cooperation, in particular with partners who are in a position to provide substantial aid, including transatlantic cooperation, remains crucial in order to tackle these challenges, especially in the field of food security;

C. whereas by 2030, over 90 % of worldwide poverty will be found in Africa; whereas the benefits of nutrition, health and education are crucial to get this population out of the poverty trap; whereas in 2025, the highest humanitarian needs are estimated to be in Eastern and Southern Africa, where 85 million people need humanitarian assistance; whereas the crisis in Sudan alone accounts for 35 % of those needs;

D. whereas the situation in Afghanistan is putting even greater pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources and worsening the plight of millions, including women and girls, struggling to survive;

E. whereas over 122 million people are forcibly displaced globally, as documented by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with nearly 60 % living in fragile or conflict-affected settings, and over 70 % of asylum seekers arriving in the EU originate from these settings13;

G. whereas there are striking imbalances in funding between humanitarian appeals, reflecting the fact that more crises are being forgotten; whereas forgotten crises are defined as severe, protracted humanitarian crisis situations where affected populations are receiving no or insufficient international aid and where there is no political commitment to solve the crisis, due in part to a lack of media interest;

H. whereas humanitarian aid under the current multiannual financial framework (MFF) has been inadequate, leading to routine use of the Emergency Aid Reserve; whereas the EU must call on other actors to step up their humanitarian aid efforts; whereas humanitarian aid should not only support, but also mobilise local communities and get them involved in relief efforts;

I. whereas the role of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus is crucial in humanitarian settings because it fosters coordination, collaboration and consistency among the sectors to address the root causes of protracted crises in addition to providing immediate relief; whereas the EU and its Member States jointly contribute 42 % of global development aid; whereas the OECD projects a 9 to 17 % drop in official development assistance (ODA) in 202517; whereas by 2027, the Commission aims to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion through the Global Gateway initiative in sustainable and inclusive investments; whereas fragile contexts need a special EU approach and strategy;

J. whereas conflict, climate change and economic factors are the three main drivers of the increase in humanitarian needs, and are human-caused and reversible with concerted and joint efforts; whereas the number of recorded armed conflicts peaked in 2023; whereas the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation lead to increased instability and conflicts, climate-related hazards, natural disasters, resource scarcity including water and food insecurity, internal displacement and irregular migration, disproportionately affecting women and vulnerable groups;

K. whereas there is an alarming increase in the denial of safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need in many contexts, including during conflict, natural disasters and disease outbreaks, both by government forces as well as in areas controlled by non-state armed actors, compounded by the rise in dangerous and corrosive tendencies in the interpretation and application of IHL and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence; whereas the deliberate denial and weaponisation of humanitarian access to advance political and military agendas is in breach of obligations under IHL;

L. whereas lack of respect for IHL is resulting in persistent and widespread violations of IHL and international human rights law, with deliberate attacks of civilians, destruction of essential infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, targeting of humanitarian workers, widespread sexual violence and recruitment of children as combatants; whereas the number and influence of armed non-state actors in global conflicts is increasing and some of the deadliest attacks on civilians have been committed by these non-state armed groups; whereas there is an unprecedented number of attacks against humanitarian workers, civilian populations and civilian infrastructure, driven mostly by the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan18;