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Thank you, Mister President. I am pleased to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States today.  

The Candidate Countries Türkiye, Montenegro*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, the potential candidate country Georgia, and Monaco align themselves with this statement.

The gap between humanitarian needs and donor funding is alarming. The combined impacts of climate change, rising food prices, and armed conflicts worldwide­—including Russia’s aggression against Ukraine—have pushed humanitarian needs to unprecedented levels. The international community should find creative new ways to address this gap and achieve a more balanced funding structure. Involving private sector actors, in partnership with traditional public sector actors, can improve the humanitarian response, particularly in two ways: logistics and financing.

Logistics represents sixty to eighty percent of all emergency humanitarian spending. Optimising logistics will therefore help to close the funding gap. The private sector can contribute specific logistical skills, including supply chain management. New practices and perspectives from global and local companies can increase efficiency and even improve humanitarian access. One example is the Logistics Emergency Team, which is comprised of four of the largest global logistics and transportation companies, working together to support the Global Logistics Cluster and providing pro bono support for emergency response and large-scale natural disasters.

The EU is increasing its collaboration with the private sector to fill logistical gaps in humanitarian operations. DG ECHO encourages strategic supply chain management, following the Humanitarian Logistics Policy. New initiatives such as the European Humanitarian Response Capacity can also contribute to this collaborative spirit.

The EU also welcomes the Secretary-General’s proposal for an Emergency Platform, which should involve relevant actors from all parts of the world, including the private sector, civil society, and subject-matter experts. We are committed to engage in discussions towards an ambitious outcome document of the Summit of the Future, which includes this Platform.  

Funding is another area for partnership. While there is some potential for increasing private sector and philanthropic donations, the indications from the private sector itself show greater potential in encouraging private sector investment. Blended finance, which combines public sector donations with private sector investment, has been used extensively in development cooperation. This practice can be expanded, especially in humanitarian contexts with long-term needs, where market-building and recovery can replace emergency financing.

The European Commission first committed to explore humanitarian blended finance in its 2021 Communication on Humanitarian Aid. The Commission has launched pilot projects to demonstrate how humanitarian grants can attract private investment in fragile contexts. The first projects began in 2022, with the International Rescue Committee and the Danish Refugee Council, combining 1.6 million Euros in grant financing with contributions from development banks and private financiers.

The European Union is committed to continue pursuing innovative ways to bridge the humanitarian funding gap. Thank you.

* Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.