News

VOICE Policy resolution calls on the EU and its Member States to consistently uphold principled humanitarian aid worldwide

On 29 June, DG ECHO launched its long-awaited consultation on localisation.

On 22 June VOICE held its annual General Assembly (GA) in person after two years of virtual meetings.

The VOICE event aimed to shed a light on insufficient funding for humanitarian crises, on the reasons why some crises attract higher levels of funding and if media coverage plays a role in these unbalances.

This edition of the VOL considers the challenges humanitarian workers face in the delivery of humanitarian aid and how they seek to overcome them! 

A summary of the network work during the European Humanitarian Forum 2022

To raise awareness on the need for the European Union (EU) and its Member States (MS) to step up efforts to address the climate crisis and its effects, VOICE launched a Position Paper outlining the key role of humanitarian NGOs in addressing climate change and environmental degradation and setting clear recommendations for the EU and its MS on how to enhance climate resilience.

As the EU Budget 2023 procedure is accelerating, with the European Commission about to share the Draft Budget for next year, VOICE is working in collaboration with its members and other like-minded organisations to bring forward the following asks.  

At the beginning of this year, the VOICE Secretariat launched the Humanitarian Partnership (HP) Watch Group renewal process (former FPA Watch Group)

Caritas Europa to host a webinar on "Europe’s response to refugees from Ukraine" on 23 June at 14:00.

Maria Groenewald was interviewed by Défis Humanitaires on several topics such as the European Humanitarian Forum, Humanitarian principles and International Humanitarian Law.

A summary of the Finn Church Aid article featured on the VOICE out 32- Finland and the Humanitarian - Development - Peace - Nexus

The network's achievements and activities in 2021

While the European Humanitarian Forum was a great starting point to accelerate policy discussions at a European level about humanitarian aid, VOICE would like to recommend future forums to further identify commitments by the different stakeholders.

A summary of the article, Working in the Triple Nexus- A Reflection from Sweden featured on the VOICE out loud 32 "The EU Member States' implementation of the humanitarian -development -peace nexus".

VOICE Members are working to assist the most vulnerable affected by the Ukrainian crisis. Find here a collection of publications, statements, news from our members.

VOICE statement calls on the EU and MS to use the Forum to discuss the pressing humanitarian needs and identify solutions

EHF updated program.

A summary of the The Malteser International article featured on the VOICE out loud 32 "The EU Member States’ implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus”.

Danish Refugee Council and DanChurchAid analyse the different elements of the Nexus and how they are taken into account by the Danish MFA and Danish NGOs.

A summary of the We World article featured on the VOICE out loud 32 "The EU Member States’ implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus”.

The composition of the Humanitarian Partnership Watch Group (HP WG), an important DG ECHO-NGOs interface, is going to be renewed in 2022. All DG ECHO NGO partners are invited to express their interest in joining the group by 8 March 2022.

The new VOICE out loud is out. This issue explores how VOICE members and EU Member States are interpreting the triple nexus

The European Humanitarian Forum has been postponed to a later date in 2022.

CHS Alliance and the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response report on Increasing transparency on sexual Exploitation and abuse in the Aid Sector. The Importance of a Harmonized Approach to SEA Data Collection and Reporting.

A new briefing from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Georgetown University’s Institute for Women,  Peace and Security (GIWPS)

Registration for the European Humanitarian Forum is open until January 14th.

The administrative part of the periodic assessment will be open from 1 December 2021 to 31 December 2021.

With 45 million people on the brink of famine, 20 NGOs from around the world are calling on world leaders to take urgent action.

The European Humanitarian Forum’s Preparatory Webinar on Climate is open for registrations!

Concern to host a webinar on Health Systems Strengthening, Nutrition, and Quality Funding as a side-event at the Nutrition for Growth Summit.

VOICE new Director

WeWorld event will stage a dramatic representation of the climate crises taking place in different corners of the world, posing as whole populations brought to their knees by floods, melting Arctic permafrost, desertification and fires.

The page offers a selection of publications issued by VOICE members on the interactions between climate change and humanitarian action. Dive in!

The Commission launched a public consultation which will be running until 4 November to collect different type of stakeholders' perspective on the reform of the Blocking Statute. NGOs are thus invited to share their views on it and on the effects of extra-territorial sanctions on their humanitarian activities through a questionnaire.

ALNAP is collecting humanitarian practitioners’ views and experiences to feed its landmark study “the State of the Humanitarian System” 5th edition. The survey is open until October and is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

The UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe is organising the 2021 Regional Consultations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The Quick Guide: Towards Disability Inclusive Humanitarian Action, summarises existing international standards for inclusion and focuses specifically on the practical tools that help programme coordinators put disability inclusion into practice.

The European Humanitarian Forum (EHF), foreseen by the EC Communication on Humanitarian Action, will take place from 24 to 26 January 2022, in Brussels.

VOICE stands in solidarity with the people in the country, especially women and girls, and demands that the delivery of principled humanitarian aid should continue unhampered and access to all communities in need should be maintained. 

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is celebrated every year on 19 August to honour the life-saving role aid workers have in supporting crisis affected people and to shed a light on the humanitarian crisis all over the world. This year the campaign will focus on the climate crisis and on the disruption it creates on the most vulnerable

On August 9th, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Sixth Assessment Report - "Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis". Find out more about this landmark report and VOICE members' reaction to it.

On July 16th, Action Against Hunger was invited to deliver a speech at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the “Protection of civilians in armed conflict: Preserving humanitarian space”. This article summarizes the key messages of the joint declaration signed by 18 NGOs and delivered by Lucile Grosjean, Deputy Director of Advocacy at Action Against Hunger.

The September - December 2021 calendar for Punto.Sud Academy trainings is now available

The “UN Sanctions and Humanitarian Action" project, conducted at the United Nations University Center for Policy Research, launched a survey focused on four conflict contexts - DRC, Mali, Somalia and Yemen – that aims to identify the concrete challenges humanitarian actors are facing in relation to UN sanctions.

A selection of our members' statements reports and events linked to World Refugee Day

Highlights from the VOICE General Assembly 2021.

The purpose of this public consultation is to gather the necessary evidence from citizens and stakeholders to inform the evaluation of Directive (EU) 2017/541, which establishes harmonised rules and minimum rules to better combat terrorism.
Feedback period : 24 March 2021 - 16 June 2021 

The network's achievements and activities in 2020.

The new EU-level contact point and its role in providing information and preliminary guidance in relation to humanitarian derogations under EU sanctions