There has been an unprecedented rise in humanitarian crises over the last 25 years. Today, nearly 80 million people need humanitarian assistance because of conflicts, natural disasters, and social and economic fragility. 

In response, the United Nations' Secretary-General has called the first ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey on 23-24 May 2016. 

This is a unique opportunity to improve operating methods and enable the humanitarian community to work together on its common objectives of saving lives, preventing crises and disasters, and enabling recovery. 

The European Union and its Member States play a leading role in world humanitarian affairs. To contribute to the Summit's outcomes, the European Commission has set out a plan for ‘A global partnership for principled and effective humanitarian action'. 

This EU plan recommends reshaping humanitarian relief in seven action areas, grouped under two distinct priorities; principled humanitarian action and effective humanitarian action. The overall aim is to build and reinforce a global partnership to better serve people in need.