25/06/2015
The European Commission is releasing an additional €6 million of humanitarian assistance to Nepal. This support will contribute to the early recovery efforts and address unmet needs, mainly for shelter, livelihoods, health and logistics. This brings the European Commission's total humanitarian aid to Nepal to €12 million.
“The EU affirms its solidarity with the people and government of Nepal. It is important that while the remaining humanitarian needs are met, the focus is now on long-term reconstruction. The additional assistance will contribute towards building a more resilient Nepal and help families rebuild their lives”, said Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
The assistance was announced today during the International Donor Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction designed to mobilise further international support for the country two months after the earthquake.
New support worth €100 million for the reconstruction process was also announced by EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, who attended the conference in Kathmandu. To date, the overall EU response amounts to over €128 million.
Background
Following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the European Commission responded quickly to Nepal's request for international assistance. In the immediate aftermath, the European Commission released €6 million in emergency humanitarian assistance. On top of this, €16.6 million were rapidly disbursed to the government in the form of budget support. Also, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated to facilitate the coordination of incoming assistance offered by EU Member States and EU civil protection experts were deployed to Nepal.
Right after the earthquake, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, travelled to Nepal with the former UN Under Secretary General, Valerie Amos, to assess the situation and make sure Europe's assistance helped efficiently where it was most needed.