The EU funding supports the Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society to aid over 30,000 people grappling with food insecurity, water scarcity and disrupted livelihoods by providing clean water, help with crop production and multipurpose cash over a 9-month period beginning in December 2023.

The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Eswatini is currently grappling with food insecurity due to successive shocks, including prolonged drought, weather disasters and economic crises. Since 2016, the country has been designated a major food crisis area, affecting approximately 25 percent of its population. The combination of climate challenges, and global issues such as COVID-19 and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, have led to reduced production, soaring prices and a high unemployment rate. As a result, numerous communities are already weakened and vulnerable, underscoring the urgent need to alleviate suffering and save lives.

Background

The European Union, together with its Member States, is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-made crises.

Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Headquartered in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the EU assists to the most vulnerable people, based on humanitarian needs.

The European Commission has signed a €10 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €10 million.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Biro, Regional Information Officer for the Great Lakes, East & Southern Africa, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): [email protected].