Since March 2020, COVID-19 has changed the world and pushed humanitarian needs to record levels. As is too often the case at times of crisis, it is the world’s most fragile contexts that are likely to be most impacted by the secondary effects of this on-going disaster. “COVID-19 has triggered the deepest global recession since the 1930s with 235 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection in 2021 (Global Humanitarian overview)”.
Over the last seventeen months, the expertise and professionalism of the NGO community – national and international – in responding to COVID-19 has stood out. This special edition of the VOICE out loud gathers examples from VOICE members’ projects in response to the pandemic. It merges desk research with member interviews and highlights the relevance of NGOs in times of crisis, and the importance of the humanitarian principles for these NGOs in their responses.
Throughout the year, VOICE produces and disseminates key documents reflecting on humanitarian aid issues at EU level and from a NGO perspective. They are addressed to decision makers within the European institutions, NGO networks and other stakeholders of the humanitarian community, as well as to the VOICE members. Most of these documents are produced by the VOICE Secretariat with the support of VOICE members.