DG ECHO Humanitarian Food Assistance thematic policy update

DG ECHO’s Humanitarian Food Assistance Policy

The Humanitarian Food Assistance (HFA) policy, established in 2010, was the first of DG ECHO’s thematic policy guidelines. It defines DG ECHO’s positioning on key humanitarian themes and more specifically guides DG ECHO’s field partners in implementing EU funded programmes on the ground. On a sectoral basis, humanitarian food assistance, which includes food aid in-kind, in-cash and through vouchers, but also livelihoods support, is the sector where DG ECHO has consistently allocated more funds over the past years.

DG ECHO conducted in 2023 an external study to check whether its current HFA policy remains fit for purpose. The study concluded that ‘while the current DG ECHO Humanitarian food policy (2013) is still relevant in its objectives and vision, in view of the recent evolution and changes in this sector the policy should be updated to remain relevant and to enable DG ECHO to achieve its food assistance objectives’. This conclusion aligns with DG ECHO’s ‘Combined evaluation of the European Union’s humanitarian interventions in the Sahel and in the food assistance and nutrition sectors (2016-2020)’, which recommended DG ECHO to consider revising its HFA policy.

The need for an updated policy

Concurrently, evidence indicates that acute food insecurity has risen for the past three years and is now well above pre-pandemic levels. The deteriorating trend is alarming and global food insecurity is unprecedented: in 2022, 258 million experienced acute food insecurity, the highest figure on record. The outlook for the coming years is bleak.

This reinforce the need for DG ECHO to have an updated, improved and forward-looking HFA policy that will help better address the needs of those affected by food insecurity in the coming years.

The revised and updated policy document will also serve to share DG ECHO’s position on food assistance in humanitarian settings with other audiences, including humanitarian and development donors, and in wider processes, like the Grand Bargain, Food Assistance Convention, Global Network against Food Crises, or the European Parliament.

The revision realised by Groupe URD will involve consultation with ECHO staff and operational partners, together with a literature review.

Credit photo : © RESILAC