Annual report on the European Union’s humanitarian aid policies and their implementation in 2016

In 2016, humanitarian crises increased in number, complexity and severity. There were over 50 armed conflicts, with little or no improvement in the most severe large-scale crises such as those in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan or the Lake Chad region.

Natural disasters – linked to mega-trends such as climate change, urbanisation and demographic pressures – have in recent years created humanitarian needs for an estimated 26 million people every year.

Overall, more than 95 million people in 40 countries were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2016, and almost 65 million people (half of them children) were forcibly displaced – more than ever before.

Against this dramatic background, the EU's humanitarian aid budget in 2016 was the highest ever, at €1.8 billion.

This report presents the Union's main activities and policy outcomes in 2016 in the field of humanitarian aid, as carried out through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) of the European Commission.