EU Humanitarian Partnership 2028-2034 Reference Document

The Questions & Answers document for the EU Humanitarian Partnership 2028-2034 has been published. You can find it on the reference documents page under the HUMANITARIAN CERTIFICATE 2028-2034 AND APPLICATION PROCESS tab. Please take a look!

EU Humanitarian Partnership 2028-2034

DG ECHO has published the next NGO certification framework for the 2028–2034 period.

In line with its long-standing commitment to partnership, DG ECHO developed the new certification framework through a consultation process with its NGO partners.

Even though an application under the 2021–2027 framework is still admissible, we strongly advise you to apply for certification under the new framework. Starting the process under the 2021-2027 framework at this stage would mean that an awarded certificate would only be valid until December 2027. A certificate obtained under the 2021–2027 framework will not carry over into the 2028–2034 framework. All our NGO partners will need to reapply for certification under the new framework.

For information on the 2028–2034 framework, please refer to the reference documents for the EU Humanitarian Partnership 2028–2034 and the dedicated webpage at this link. 

As DG ECHO is onboarding eGrants for the next MFF, the Call Document will also be published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal shortly.

NGOs will be able to submit their application to become an EU humanitarian partner for the period 2028-2034 under the Humanitarian Aid Programme through eGrants as of autumn 2026. Organisations that would like to participate as of 1 January 2028 should submit their applications before 31 March 2027. Applications submitted after this date are still considered, but timely participation as of 1 January 2028 cannot be guaranteed. Further information on how to become an EU Humanitarian Partner is available in the respective section of the Partners’ Website.

Partners’ Dialogue 2026

DG ECHO will host the Partners’ Dialogue 2026 on 15 June 2026, from 09:00 to 16:30, at the De Gasperi Auditorium, Charlemagne Building, Rue de la Loi 170, Brussels.

The event will bring together DG ECHO humanitarian partners to discuss key strategic priorities. Participation is limited to two representatives per partner organisation, and the event will take place exclusively in person.

Please note that the registration period is now closed. Further details, including the updated agenda is available on APPEL. For any questions, partners may contact ECHO-APPEL@ec.europa.eu .

DG ECHO announces that the HPC (Humanitarian Procurement Centres) recognition process has officially reopened. Interested non-for-profit entities are welcome to apply on a rolling basis, with no fixed deadline.

The full information, including latest guidelines, criteria and contact details, are available on the dedicated information page https://www.dgecho-partners-helpdesk.eu/ngo/actions-implementation/procurement/humanitarian-procurement-centres-hpcs#dg2

You can watch the recording of the webinar on the updated Remote Management Approach by DG ECHO at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/v1bSYPksvfpzAiArKWa-JFGRR1oPi1uL4pafdykIBEYGzyzGuxg4cNPaq7Yqh4Eu.IK8T2KdLK841fORQ

DG ECHO has updated its approach to remote management. In the Single Form, the specific section on remote management (Chapter 9.3) will be deleted in the future. This will be replaced by a stronger focus on broader risk assessment and mitigation throughout the project cycle.  

Effective immediately,  

• For ongoing agreements (also if modified by modification requests): The current conditions apply. Please continue to submit quarterly reports on remote management.   

• For new agreements signed in 2026 and thereafter: The obligation to submit quarterly reports on remote management will no longer be included in the agreements.  

• For new proposals not yet submitted: Partners are no longer required to declare that the Action is under remote management (Chapter 9.3), nor to fill in the questionnaire on remote management (as an annex to the Single Form).  Instead, we ask you to integrate risks previously categorised under remote management, such as access restrictions and security concerns, with all risks and corresponding mitigating measures (Chapter 7.5/7.6). Details on your monitoring approach should still be included in the current section Chapter 9.2. Details on your organisational set-up should still be included in Chapter 10.1 (Human resources and Management capacities) and 10.6 (implementing partners).

Please continue to provide updates to DG ECHO operational colleagues on risks encountered during implementation and related mitigating measures (including in interim and final reports).  

The eLearning course Introduction to DG ECHO Humanitarian Aid is now available in Arabic and can be accessed through DG ECHO Humanitarian Aid Learning on the EU Academy.

The Humanitarian Leadership Group on Supply Chain (HLGSC) report on the outcome of the Thematic Workshops and the Conference Conclusions are available in the Reference Documents, under the Policy Guidelines section.

The English and French files containing the full list of Key Results Indicators (KRIs) and Key Outcome Indicators (KOIs) for the Humanitarian Food and Livelihood Assistance (HFLA) sector have been published on the Reference Documents page.

The French version of the latest CFS template is now also available on the Reference Document page of this website. All previously published versions of the CFS template have been withdrawn.

Please use the latest template when submitting certificates on financial statements to DG ECHO, regardless of the date of signature of the Agreement concerned.

The recording of the webinar “Presentation of DG ECHO’s reporting requirements on allegations of SEAH (annual report), fraud and aid diversion”, held on 28 January, is available at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/zJzMwzfY1IhoKV6MmgGK6wCWS9zmxQwbg3oZJesvxt_5zcWWz8DClc5pAzlUH1RQ.F0iai_8gfRSa_PSF

The French version of the latest CFS template is now also available on the Reference Document page of this website. All previously published versions of the CFS template have been withdrawn.

Please use the latest template when submitting certificates on financial statements to DG ECHO, regardless of the date of signature of the Agreement concerned.

DG ECHO has begun preparing the next NGO certification framework for the 2028–2034 period. In line with its long-standing commitment to partnership with humanitarian NGO partners, DG ECHO has launched a consultation process to gather inputs. All currently certified NGOs have been consulted on the draft documents, and the consultation remains ongoing as the process progresses. As DG ECHO moves forward, partners may be requested to provide additional information for sharing. 

In order to reflect the new Financial Regulation, that entered into force on 30 September 2024 (FR recast, 2024/2509), DG ECHO’s Humanitarian Aid Contractual Templates have now all been updated. This update concerns the templates for both the Humanitarian Aid Model Grant Agreement (MGA) and the Humanitarian Aid Contribution Agreement (HACA).

Based on this, as of January 2026, the only contractual templates to be used with all DG ECHO Partners are the MGA_2025 and HACA_2025. This cut-off date for using pre-existing contractual templates also excludes, in principle, the possibility under the 2026 HIPs to conclude top-ups to ongoing projects under the previous contractual models (i.e. from 2021).

Have a look a the new FAQs available here.