European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the funding in a post on X on Saturday, after New York’s Global Citizen Festival—where she had been due to speak—was cancelled. She cited conflict, extreme weather and rising living costs, saying the aid would support displaced people across Africa as well as the communities hosting them.
A European Commission release allocates €380 million to migration-related measures in sub-Saharan Africa, including protection for vulnerable migrants, voluntary return and reintegration. Another €97 million is earmarked for humanitarian needs worsened by conflict, food insecurity, malnutrition and climate shocks. The Commission said this funding would also reinforce the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries.
The Democratic Republic of Congo will receive a further €7.5 million for the Ebola response and future preparedness, while €10 million is assigned to peace and stability efforts in the conflict-affected Great Lakes region. The Palestinian territories and Lebanon are to receive €103 million for vulnerable populations; Ukraine is allocated €52 million for humanitarian aid and emergency preparedness.
At the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Commission also announced three Global Gateway investments: an EU guarantee to mobilise private investment in health and nutrition businesses in sub-Saharan Africa; a European Investment Bank-backed loan to expand vaccine and biological-medicine production in Colombia; and €60 million to strengthen primary healthcare in Ethiopia. The Commission said it had allocated €2.5 million in humanitarian aid since the beginning of the year.