Luxembourgish and international NGOs

Luxembourg has maintained or even increased its commitment to Luxembourgish humanitarian NGOs. Thanks to humanitarian NGOs, Luxembourg was able to respond quickly to the many new humanitarian crises in 2022. In view of the humanitarian crises caused by the floods in Pakistan, the war in Ukraine and its side effects, as well as by food insecurity, Luxembourg has allocated additional contributions to the various humanitarian NGOs. Alongside these new humanitarian crises, in the media spotlight, Luxembourg, in collaboration with Luxembourgish humanitarian NGOs, has ensured that it abides by its commitment to the “forgotten” chronic humanitarian crises, such as those in Myanmar, Haiti, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since mine clearance is one of the points of action in the new humanitarian strategy, in 2022 Luxembourg supported the Halo Trust for the first time. This is an organisation that is active in the field of mine clearance in Ukraine and the Middle East. A side effect of this collaboration in the mine clearance sector is an improvement in humanitarian access for other humanitarian actors, particularly in Ukraine. In the same context, in 2022 Luxembourg also increased its support to the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. INSO seeks to bring together the latest safety-related information/developments to enable NGOs to adapt to the changing contexts of humanitarian situations. Understanding conflicts, mapping actors, lessons learned from other humanitarian situations and an adaptive method to identify risks are essential for an effective and safe humanitarian response and are at the heart of INSO’s activities.

In 2022, Luxembourg maintained its financial support for the work of the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), with a total budget of EUR 1.1 million (from 2021 to 2023), in particular for its transitional justice programmes in Tunisia, Colombia, and in eastern Africa, especially in Ethiopia and Sudan, through the flexible regional fund.

In addition, the Geneva Call project in Mali, aimed at promoting the protection of civilians through the commitment on the part of non-State armed actors and communities to promote respect for norms, again benefited in 2022 from a contribution of EUR 400 000 from the ministry, bringing total support to EUR 800 000 over two years (2021-2022). In 2022, Luxembourg further strengthened its partnership with Geneva Call by supporting, for a period of three years (2022-2024), its humanitarian commitment to protect children and education through respect for humanitarian norms.

Finally, Luxembourg increased its annual contribution to the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) in 2022, a year which saw the highest number of demolition incidents in a single year since 2009.