VOICE, CONCORD AND EPLO Call for the EU to ensure no one is left behind in the next MFF
According to the OECD States of Fragility 2025 report, all 177 contexts analysed face some degree of fragility, with 61 identified as highly or extremely fragile. These are home to 25% of the global population, yet they account for 72% of the world’s extremely poor—a stark reminder of the widening inequality and the urgent need for principled EU engagement.
In a joint statement, the three civil society networks representing humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actors urge the EU to:
- Prioritise Least Developed Countries and fragile contexts within its external action portfolio
- Safeguard humanitarian and development funding from instrumentalisation or political interference
- Maintain distinct instruments and budget lines of external financing instruments
- Increase support to civil society, recognising its critical role in highly fragile settings where state capacity is limited
At a time when crises are intensifying due to the convergence of conflict, climate change, and political instability - and when external action budgets are under increasing pressure -the EU must reaffirm its commitment to peace, poverty eradication, and human rights.
As the debate on the next MFF unfolds, VOICE, CONCORD, and EPLO stand ready to work with EU institutions and Member States to ensure that the next EU budget truly reflects its core values and puts people at the centre of external action.
Read the full joint statement here
