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VOICE members call for a bold response to fragility

Ruth Faber

VOICE calls on the EU and its Member States to adopt a people-centred, coordinated, and long-term approach to fragility—one that empowers local communities, integrates humanitarian, development and peace efforts, and ensures flexible, sustained engagement in the world’s most vulnerable contexts.

Fragility is deepening across the globe—driven by conflict, climate change, economic instability, and health crises. As needs grow, donor support is shrinking. The dismantling of USAID and cuts from major donors, including EU Member States, threaten to reverse vital development gains.

Humanitarian NGOs are sounding the alarm: disengagement is not an option. Fragile contexts host a quarter of the world’s population and the vast majority of those living in extreme poverty. Turning away now risks entrenching crisis, instability, and global insecurity.

In response, members of VOICE (including EU-CORD members —Fida, LM International, Medair, Mission East and ZOA ) are calling on the EU and its Member States to lead with courage and compassion. They urge a shift toward long-term, people-centred, flexible, and integrated engagement that addresses root causes and builds resilience.

Read the full 2025 policy resolution here:https://www.eu-cord.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/16-voice-policy-resolution-2025.pdf

VOICE calls on the EU and its Member States to address fragility by:

➤ Prioritising a People-Centred Approach

  • Engage affected communities and support civil society organisations to ensure tailored programmes and equitable access.

  • Mainstream protection, gender, and inclusion across all policies and plans.

➤ Implementing the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus Approach

  • Apply the HDP Nexus approach in all contexts facing fragility.

  • Strengthen coordination with local actors and across departments—humanitarian, development, peace, and climate.

➤ Guaranteeing Long-Term and Flexible Commitment to Fragility

  • Maintain and intensify engagement in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

  • Provide flexible funding across humanitarian, development, and climate mechanisms, with contingency plans for rapid adaptation during shocks.

Humanitarian Leadership in Crisis: Will the EU Step Up?

As humanitarian need skyrockets and principles are pushed aside the EU must decide what kind of humanitarian leader it wants to be. The latest VOICE Statement offers a clear path forward, urging Europe to turn values into action and put people, not politics, at the centre.