The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a €3 million contribution from the European Union (EU) to enhance its ability to respond rapidly and effectively to humanitarian crises across the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe (MENAEE), one of the world’s most crisis-prone regions.
The funding, provided through the EU’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), will support the establishment of a multi-donor Emergency Preparedness Trust Fund (EPTF). The fund will strengthen WFP’s preparedness, enabling faster delivery of food and lifesaving assistance to communities affected by conflict and emergencies.
“Being prepared for emergencies and having the ability to act swiftly is essential in a region facing overlapping crises and increasing humanitarian needs,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Regional Director for MENAEE. “This initiative strengthens the EU and WFP’s long-standing partnership and supports fast, efficient action when emergencies strike.”
The contribution will be used to preposition emergency food stocks, including ready-to-eat (RTE) rations for settings where cooking facilities are unavailable, and to maintain mobile kitchens and bakeries ready for immediate deployment. It will also enhance digital tools to enable faster registration, deduplication, and enrolment of beneficiaries, as well as streamline cash-based assistance within 72 hours of a crisis.
Andreas Papaconstantinou, Director for the European Neighbourhood, Middle East, and South-West and Central Asia, emphasized: “Through this Emergency Preparedness Trust Fund, DG ECHO is reinforcing its commitment to timely and effective humanitarian action, ensuring families in crisis receive life-saving support without delay.”
The initiative will impact 15 countries in the region, with expansion guided by risk analysis and regional priorities. Over the past three years, WFP has coordinated responses to multiple large-scale emergencies, including the Türkiye–Syria earthquake, Libya floods, refugee influxes from Sudan and Armenia, and ongoing crises in Syria, Yemen, Palestine, and Lebanon.
In 2024 alone, WFP’s Regional Office in Cairo coordinated emergency responses reaching over 21.5 million people, including 16 million affected by conflict.
