Water, sanitation and hygiene – European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

The EU is one of the largest humanitarian donors of WASH assistance worldwide. It contributes around €200 million each year.  

Against the current global trend of declining humanitarian and development funding alongside escalating WASH needs, the EU remains a reliable and principled donor. EU humanitarian funding ensures timely and dignified access to sufficient and safe water services, basic sanitation and hygiene for people caught in humanitarian crises.  

Some of the largest WASH interventions supported by the EU are in:

Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Chad, Afghanistan, DRC, Somalia and Ethiopia. 

Wash actions

The EU humanitarian WASH actions are typically part of other humanitarian actions, including:

They prioritise vulnerable groups and systematically mainstream:

The EU also prioritises the following: Speed of response

As the increasing frequency and scale of sudden-onset disasters require fast reaction capacities. To ensure humanitarian assistance is delivered quickly to affected people.

Coordination 

A fast response also depends on good coordination, which is essential for assessing and prioritising needs. The EU is working closely with the Global WASH Cluster - the main international platform led by UNICEF to coordinate humanitarian operations in WASH assistance.

Capacities

Supporting the technical skills of WASH professionals and deployment of experts to ensure quality, durability and resilience of WASH services for vulnerable people.

Working with civil protection partners 

The complementary roles of humanitarian aid and civil protection are key in the WASH sector. For example, growing WASH needs in urban humanitarian crises often require a technically adapted response. This can be provided through civil protection actions (e.g., setting up large-scale water pumps and purification systems to replace water infrastructure damaged due to a natural hazard).

The sustainability of WASH actions in the humanitarian field also depends on the availability of longer-term funding for the rehabilitation of infrastructure and/or the provision of services by national or local systems. In conflict settings, it is also very much dependent on actions aiming to bring stabilisation and peace. 

The EU strongly advocates for compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) to support the safety and security of water resources, water personnel, and water infrastructure.