The EU pledges €77 million for the DRC crisis at Geneva donors' conference

The European Union co-hosted on Friday in Geneva the ‘Humanitarian Conference on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’. On this occasion, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides reiterated the EU’s support in response to the worsening humanitarian situation in the region, with contributions worth €77 million in emergency and development assistance to the DRC crisis.

“Today, we stand united with the people of the DRC. For too long have humanitarian needs persisted in the country, and the situation keeps worsening. We are determined to assist the most vulnerable people of the DRC and give them hope. In order to fulfill our humanitarian mission and save lives on the ground, we need unhindered and continuous humanitarian access to all regions, as well as protection for humanitarian workers,” said Commissioner Stylianides.

The Commissioner paid an official visit to the DRC on 24-26 March 2018, where he visited EU-funded aid projects in North and South Kivu and met with government officials in Kinshasa. From the pledge, €49.5 million – which were announced by Commissioner Stylianides during his recent visit in the DRC – will address the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the DRC and finance humanitarian flight services to the most remote areas of the country.

Another €27.6 million will address health, food security, education, and resilience building in the DRC. Beyond the pledged amount, the European Union also allocated €6 million to support DRC refugees and hosting communities in neighboring Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Original source: EC
Published on 13 April 2018